Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Geography - Core > Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability > Flashcards

Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
U.S. Geography flashcards World Geography flashcards
0
Q

Natural greenhouse effect

A

Property of the Earth’s atmosphere by which long wavelength heat rays from the Earth’s surface are trapped or reflected back by the atmosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
1
Q

Climate change

A

Long-term sustained change in the average global climate.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Enhanced greenhouse effect

A

This results from human activities which increase the concentration of naturally occurring greenhouse gases and leads to global warming and climate change.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Global warming

A

Increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air in the 20th and 21th centuries and its projected continuation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Tipping point

A

Point at which the damage caused to global systems by climate change becomes irreversible.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Insolation

A

Heat energy from the sun consisting of the visible spectrum together with ultraviolet and infrared radiations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Energy balance

A

Balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial(ziemski) radiation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Solar constant

A

Amount of solar energy received per unit area, per unit time on a surface at right-angles to the sun’s beam(snop) at the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Sensible heat

A

Heat energy that causes a change in temperature of a substance but does not contribute to a change in state.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Conduction

A

Transfer of heat by contact.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Convection

A

Transfer of heat by the movement of a gas/liquid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Latent heat

A

Quantity of heat absorbed or released by a substance undergoing a change of state, such as water vapour condensing into water droplets.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Evaporation

A

Change in state from a liquid into a vapour.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Condensation

A

Change in state from a gas to a liquid.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Ground heat

A

Warming of the subsurface of the Earth.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Albedo

A

Proportion of solar radiation that is reflected by a particular body or surface.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

External forcings

A

Processes both, outside and within the atmosphere that can force changes in climate.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Solar forcing

A

Radiative forcing caused by changes in incoming solar radiation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Global dimming

A

Worldwide decline of the intensity of the sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface, caused by a particulate air pollution and natural events, example volcanic ash.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Global brightening

A

Increasing amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface caused by an intensification of solar radiation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Ice sheet

A

Thick layer of ice covering extensive regions of the world.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Troposphere

A

Lowest layer of the atmosphere.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Tropospheric ozone

A

Human produced ozone, a result of air pollution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Positive feedback

A

When an increase of one phenomenon results in an increase of another.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Heatwave

A

Prolonged period of excessively hot weather.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Thermal expansion

A

As sea and ocean temperatures increase, the water molecules near the surface move further apart, so the water volume increases and the sea level rises.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Low-carbon economy

A

When significant measures have been taken to reduce carbon emissions in all sectors of the economy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Community energy

A

Energy produced close to the point of consumption.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Soil degradation

A

Physical loss(erosion) and the reduction in quality of topsoil associated with nutrient decline and contamination.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Soil profile

A

Vertical variations that occur in the characteristics of a soil from the surface to the underlying rock.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Universal soil loss equation

A

Mathematical model used to describe soil erosion processes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Deforestation

A

Process of destroying a forest and replacing it with something else, especially by an agriculture systems.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Overgrazing

A

Grazing of natural pastures(pastwiska) at stocking intensities above the livestock carrying capacity.

33
Q

Acidification

A

Change in chemical composition of soil, which may trigger(pociągać) the circulation of toxic metals.

34
Q

Salinisation

A

Condition in which the salt content of soil accumulates over time to above normal levels. Occurs when water containing high salt concentration evaporates from fields irrigated with standing water.

35
Q

Soil aggregates

A

Soil particles(cząsteczki) that are closely bound together.

36
Q

Desertification

A

Gradual transformation of habitable land into desert.

37
Q

Dust storms

A

Severe windstorm that sweeps clouds of dust across an extensive area(arid regions).

38
Q

Soil buffering capacity

A

Capacity of soil to absorb contaminants(środki zanieczyszczające).

39
Q

Carbon farming

A

Involves using the plants grown on a farm to ‘harvest’ carbon from the atmosphere and return it to the soil.

40
Q

Soil structure

A

Shape and arrangement of aggregates gives soil a characteristic structure.

41
Q

Perennial crops

A

Crops that do not die off once harvested(annual crops), existing for years before reseeding may be required.

42
Q

Afforestation

A

Planting seeds or trees to make a forest on land that has not been a forest recently or never before.

43
Q

Reforestation

A

Re-establishing a forest after its removal.

44
Q

Sustainable agriculture

A

Agricultural systems emphasising biological relationships and natural processes, which maintain soil fertility thus allowing current levels of farm production to continue indefinitely(nieokreślenie).

45
Q

Groundwater

A

Water below the surface which is not combined chemically with any minerals present.

46
Q

Aquifer

A

Permeable rock that holds water and permits its passage.

47
Q

Water-stressed area

A

Place where water supply is below 1700 cubic metres per person per year.

48
Q

Water-scarce area

A

Place where water supply falls below 1000 cubic metres per person a year.

49
Q

‘Green’ water

A

Part of total precipitation that is absorbed by soil and plants, then released back into the air.

50
Q

‘Blue’ water

A

Precipitation that collects in rivers, lakes, wetlands and as a groundwater. Available for human use before it evaporates or reaches the ocean.

51
Q

Potable water

A

Water free from impurities, pollution and bacteria, thus safe to drink.

52
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

Combined processes of evaporation, sublimation and transpiration of the water from the Earth’s surface into the atmosphere.

53
Q

Physical water scarcity

A

When a physical access to water is limited. When demand outstrips region’s ability to provide the water for a population.

54
Q

Economic water scarcity

A

When a population does not have the necessary monetary(pieniężny) means to utilise an adequate source of water.

55
Q

‘Grey’ water

A

Water that has been already used for one purpose, but can be reused for another.

56
Q

Water table

A

Top of the water-saturated part of a permeable rock. High rainfalls - water table may extend into the soil and reach the ground’s surface.

57
Q

Virtual water

A

Amount of water used to produce food or any other item, thus ‘embedded’ in the item.

58
Q

Water footprint

A

Person’s water footprint is the volume of fresh water the individual uses directly and in the production of the goods/services that person consumes.

59
Q

Desalinisation

A

Conversion of salt water into fresh water by the extraction of dissolved solids(ciał stałych).

60
Q

Biodiversity

A

Diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or in the world as a whole.

61
Q

Ecosystem

A

Dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.

62
Q

Biotic

A

Living components of an ecosystem.

63
Q

Abiotic

A

Non-living components of an ecosystem.

64
Q

Endemism

A

State in which species are restricted to a single region.

65
Q

Biodiversity hotspot

A

Area with particularly high level of biodiversity.

66
Q

Tropical rainforest

A

Rainforest near the equator, characterised by high temperature, rainfall, biodiversity and poor soil.

67
Q

Biome

A

Naturally occurring organic community of plants and animals.

68
Q

River system

A

All streams and channels draining(spływać) a river basin(misa) comprising(składać) a main river and its tributaries(dopływy).

69
Q

Latosol

A

Major soil type of the humid and high temperature tropics with a shallow A horizon(top layer of soil profile) but a thick B horizon(layer below top layer) comprising clay, sand and sesquioxides(półtoratlenki) of iron and aluminium, which endow(wyposaża) it with red or yellow colour. Much of the silica(krzemionka) leached from latosols and they tend to be low fertility.

70
Q

Igapo forest

A

Part of the rainforest which grows near the rivers on land that is flooded for at least part of the year.

71
Q

Carbon sink

A

Environmental reservoir(zbiornik) that absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases, thereby offsetting(kompensuje) greenhouse gas emissions.

72
Q

Recolonise

A

Re-establishment of organisms into habitats that they previously occupied.

73
Q

Environmental sustainability

A

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

74
Q

Business-as-usual

A

Scenario for future patterns of production and consumption which assumes that there will be no major changes in attitudes and priorities.

75
Q

Green technology

A

New technologies that aim to conserve the natural environment and resources.

76
Q

Destination footprint

A

Environmental impact caused by an individual tourist on holiday in a particular destination.

77
Q

Ecotourism

A

Specialised form of tourism, where people experience relatively untouched natural environments and ensure that their presence does not further damage to these environments.

78
Q

Environmental impact assessment

A

Document required by law detailing all the impacts on the environment of a project above a certain size.

79
Q

Pro-poor strategies

A

Development schemes, which focus on the reduction of poverty and narrowing the income gap between poor and the population as a whole. Environmental sustainability - recently, central to such approaches.

80
Q

Communal conservancies

A

Legally recognised, common property resource management organisations in Namibia’s communal lands.

81
Q

Scaling-up process

A

Expanding effective programmes to reach larger numbers of people in a broader geographical area.

Geography - Core (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions