Vocabulary Flashcards
Aquaculture
The cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, especially fish, shellfish, and seaweed, in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments; underwater agriculture
Artificial selection
a process in the breeding of animals and in the cultivation of plants by which the breeder chooses to perpetuate only those forms having certain desirable inheritable characteristics.
Bycatch
Occurs when marine mammals are incidentally caught in fishing gear
CAFO
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations are agricultural meat, dairy, or egg facilities where animals are kept and raised in confined situations
Clearcutting/ Selective cutting
of or relating to a section of forest where all trees have been cut down for harvesting.
Contour plowing
plowing following the contours of the land, to minimize the effects of erosion
Crop rotation
The system of varying successive crops in a definite order on the same ground, especially to avoid depleting the soil and to control weeds, diseases, and pests
Desertification
The processes by which an area becomes a desert, a rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil
Drip Irrigation
a system of crop irrigation involving the controlled delivery of water directly to individual plants through a network of tubes or pipes.
Ecological footprint
the amount of productive land appropriated on average by each person (in the world, a country, etc) for food, water, transport, housing, waste management, and other purposes
EIS
An Environmental impact statement is a government document that outlines the impact of a proposed project on its surrounding environment
Eminent domain
the power of the state to take private property for public use with payment of compensation to the owner
Environmental Indicator
a numerical value that helps provide insight into the state of the environment or human health
Environmental mitigation plan
the process by which project proponents apply measures to avoid, minimize, or compensate for the adverse effects and environmental impacts resulting from their projects
Externality
the state or quality of being external to or outside someone or something; the fact of being outer, outward, or on the surface
Famine
extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area
Feedlot
a plot of ground, often near a stockyard, where livestock are gathered to be fattened for market
Fertilizer: Organic/Synthetic
A fertilizer that is derived from organic sources, mainly contained from animal manure or droppings
Fishery Collapse
When the fish sees their population or harvest rate drop to less than 10% of the original figure
Food security/Insecurity
The limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods
Free-range grazing
Livestock that have had continuous and unconfined access to pasture throughout their life cycle
Fungicide
a substance or preparation, as a spray or dust, used for destroying fungi.
Furrow irrigation
A method of supplying water to crops through shallow, evenly spaces furrows
GMOs
Genetically modified organisms, an organism whose genetic material has been altered by means of genetic engineering
Green Manure
A crop of growing plants, as clover and other other nitrogen-fixing plants, plowed under to enrich the soil
Green Revolution
An increase in food production, especially un underdeveloped and developing nations, through the introduction of high-yield crop varieties and application of modern agricultural techniques
Herbicide/ Insecticide
A substance or preparation for killing plants, especially weeds and insects
Impervious surfaces
a constructed surface such as sidewalks, roads, parking lots or driveways covered by water impenetrable materials
Infill
Using unused areas for more urban human use
Intercropping
to grow one crop between the rows of another, as in an orchard or field.
IPM
Integrated Pest Management, an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices
Irrigation
the artificial application of water to land to assist in the production of crops.
Limestone
a sedimentary rock consisting predominantly of calcium carbonate, varieties of which are formed from the skeletons of marine microorganisms and coral: used as a building stone and in the manufacture of lime.
Low-grade/ High-grade ore
High-grade ore contains a large concentration of the desired mineral. Low-grade ore has a smaller concentration.
Malnourishment
lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat.
Mechanization
the act or process of causing a task to be performed or operated by machinery:
Monocropping
Only growing or harvesting one crop
MSY
Maximum sustainable yield, is the largest average yield that can theoretically be taken from a species stock over an indefinite period under constant environmental conditions
Multi-use zoning
allows retail and high-density residential development to coexist in the same area.
Multiple-use lands
The use of multiple activities like recreational use, agricultural use
National wilderness area
an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man,
National wildlife refuge
designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
NEPA
National Environmental Policy Act, to ensure federal agencies consider the environmental impacts of their actions and decisions.
No-till agriculture
cultivation technique in which the soil is disturbed only along the slit or in the hole into which the seeds are planted
Ore
a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted.
Overburden
to load with too great a burden, overload
Overfishing
to fish (an area or a marine organism) excessively, or to exhaust the supply of usable fish in (certain waters)
Overgrazing
to graze land to excess
Perennial/Annual crops
Perennial plants regrow every spring, while annual plants live for only one growing season, then die off.
Permeable pavement
catches precipitation and surface runoff, storing it in the reservoir while slowly allowing it to infiltrate into the soil below or discharge via a drain tile.
Pesticide
A chemical preparation fo destroying plant, fungal, or animal
Prescribed Burn
the controlled application of fire by a team of fire experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems that depend on fire.
Rangeland
provide grazing and forage for livestock and wildlife.
Reforestation
the action of renewing a forest by planting seeds or young trees
Reserves
a supply of a commodity not needed for immediate use but available if required.
Resistance
the sum of environmental limiting factors that include both abiotic and biotic factors
Rodenticide
a supply of a commodity not needed for immediate use but available if required
Rotational grazing
the practice of containing and moving animals through pasture to improve soil, plant, and animal health
Runoff
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the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.
Salinization
the increase in salt concentration in an environmental medium, notably soil.
Saltwater Intrusion
The presence of salt in a freshwater source
Shifting agriculture
a form of agriculture, used especially in tropical Africa, in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abandoned for a new area until its fertility has been naturally restored.
Slag
waste left over after the re-sorting of coal
Slash-and-burn
a method of agriculture in which existing vegetation is cut down and burned off before new seeds are sown, typically used as a method for clearing forest land for farming.
Spray irrigation
application of water and wastewater, including recycled water, to the land to maintain vegetation or support the growth of vegetation
Strip cropping
cultivation in which different crops are sown in alternate strips to prevent soil erosion.
Strip mining
employed in coal reserves where the overburden is removed in rectangular blocks in plan view called pits or strips
Suburb/Exurb
Suburbs lie just outside of the city, whereas exurbs are areas farther out, beyond the suburbs
Surface/ subsurface mining
Surface mining removes ore deposits that are close to the surface, and subsurface mining removes minerals that are deep underground.
Sustainability
. the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance:
Tailings
waste left over after certain processes, such as from an ore-crushing plant or in milling grain
Terracing
forming or creating a high flat leveled place
Tilling
prepare or cultivation the land for crops
Tree plantation
a forest planted for high volume production of wood,
Undernutrition/Overnutrition
Not recieving the appropriate amount of nutrients from food
Urban Sprawl/Urban Blight
the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas.
Waterlogging
saturate with water; make (something) waterlogged.
Windbreaks
a row of structure that separates paths of wind to lessen the blow of the wind for the crops
