Unit 5: Land and Water Use Flashcards
Renewable resources
can be regenerated quickly, such as plants and animals (trees are the line between nonrenewable)
Slash and burn
an area of vegetation is cut down and burned before being planted with crops. provides temporary nutrients and cleared land, but is depleted quickly
The Green Revolution
1950s/1960s the time after the industrial revolution when farming became modernized
Second Green Revolution
promoted integrated pest management and organic methods, such as fertilizers that are not synthetic
IPM
integrated pest management uses a combination of several methods and is a more environmentally sensitive approach than chemical pesticides. Only use chemical pesticides only in the worst-case scenario
Salinization
caused by repeated irriation. Significant buildup of salts on the soil’s surface, which makes land unusable for crops. Flooding crops to avoid this leads to woterlogging plant roots
Furrow irrigation
cutting furrows between crop rows and filling them with water (inexpensive and unproductive)
Flood irrigation
flooding a field with water, can lead to waterlogging and loses about 20% of the water to evaporation and runoff
Spray irrigation
pumping water into spray nozzles and spraying fields. Only loses about 1/4 of water, but requires energy to run and can be expensive
Drip irriation
allots an area only as much water as is necessary and delivers the water directly to the roots using perforated hoses that releases small amount of water. This is very efficient, but very expensive
GMO
Genetically motified organisms, made by adding genes from one species to another to encourage desirable characteristics. discourage biodiversity, harm beneficial insects, pose new allergen risks, increase antibiotic resistance, create pesticide resistent pests
Plantation farmin
practiced mainly in tropical developing nations, in which a monoculture cash crop such as bananas, coffee, or vegetables. Grown and exported to developed nations
Arable
suitable for plant growth
Loamy
balanced mixture between clay, sily, and sand. Considered the best type of soil for plant growth
Soil structure
the extend to which it aggregates or clumps
Soil aggregates
formed and held together by such substances as clay particles and organic matter
Polyculture
planting several crops on the same plot of land simultaneously (as opposed to crop rotation, where you switch out different crops at different times)
Dust Bowl
formed in the 1930s, when the Great Plains became degraded and prone to wind erosion
Contour plowing
rows of crops are plowed across a hillside, prevents the erosion that can occur when rows are cut up and down on a slope
Tilling
scraping top soil to sift it and reveal nutrients
plowing
more intense tilling, in which soil is upturned and mashed to reveal soil under the topsoil
Perennial crops
crops that grow back without replanting each year
Windbreak
made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted near crops in such a way as to provide shelter from eroding winds
Green manure
made by leaving plants to wither and then serve as mulc
CAFO
concentrated animal feeding operation. Leads to a large amount of waste in runoff “lagoons” ethical concerns, use of hormones and antibiotics to prevent fast spreading disease
Rotational grazing
the regular rotation of livestock between different pastures in order to avoid overgrazing in a particular area
Overgrazing
harmful to the soil because it leads to erosion and soil compaction. Can cause desertification
Old growth forest
has never been cut
second growth forests
areas where cutting has occurred and a new, younger forest has arisen naturally
Silviculture
management of forest plantations ofr the purpose of harvesting timber
Clear cutting
the removal of all trees in an area
selective cuttin
the removal of select trees in an area
agroforestry
trees and crops are planted toether
Greenbelts
open or forested areas build at the outer edges of cities
surface fires
typically burn only the forests’ underbrush and do little damage to mature trees
Crown fires
may start on the ground or in the canopies of forests that have not experienced recent surface fires
ground fires
smoldering fires that take place in bos or swamps and can burn underground for days or weeks
Controlled burns
small fires started when conditions are just right and whihc lower the amounts of fuel
interbasin transfer
water is transported very long distances from its source, through aqueducts or plpelines
groundwater
ant water that comes from below the ground
aquifers
underground beds or layers of earth, gravel, or porous stone that hold water
confined aquifer
has boundaries that dont readily transport water
Compacted aquifers
the mineral grains making up the aquifer collapse on each other and the materical is unable to hold as much water
Riparian
of, on, or relating to the banks of a natural course of flowing water
Prior appropriation
water rights are given to those who have historically used the water in a certain area
capture fisheries
caught in wild and not raised in captivity for consumption
y catch
refers to species of fish, mammals, and birds that are caught during fishing operations but are not the target fish
drift nets
which float through the water and indiscriminately catch everything in their path
long lining
the use of long lines that have baited hooks and will be taken by numerous aquatic organisms
Bottom trawling
in which the ocean floor is literally scraped by heavy nets that scrape away or smash everything in their path
Aquaculture
the raising of fish and other aquatic species in captivity for harvest
metallic minerals
mined for their metals, which can be extracted through smelting and used for various purposes
nonmetallic minerals
mined to be used in their natural state, with noting extracted from them
mineral deposit
an area in which a particular mineral is concentrated
ore
a rock or mineral from which a valuable substance can be extracted at a profit
tailings
piles of gangue, acid mine drainage waste material from mining
acid mine drainage
water speeps trough mines and carries of sulfure-containing compounds
over burden
removal of large portions of soil and rock
strip mining
involves removal of the vegetation from an area, which makes the area more susceptible to erosion
Mountaintop removal
use of explosives. disrupts the ecosystem
shaft mining
vertical tunnels are built to access and then excavate minerals that are underground and otherwise unreachable
IPAT model
used to describe the impact that humans have on the environment. I = total impact, P = population, A = affluence, T = level of technology
