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environmental sci
enviornmental science
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| greenhouse effect | Trapping of heat by the earth’s atmosphere which is transparent to incoming visible light waves but absorbs outgoing long wave infrared radiation. |
| greenhouse gas | A gas that traps heat in the atmosphere |
| green plans | Integrated national environmental plans for reducing pollution and resource consumption while achieving sustainable development and environmental restoration. |
| green political parties | Political organizations based on environmental protection, participatory democracy, grassroots organization, and sustainable development. |
| green pricing | Plans in which consumers can voluntarily pa premium prices for renewable energy. |
| green roof | |
| half | life |
| hazardous waste | Any discard material containing substances known to be toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, or teratogenic to humans or other life forms; ignitable, corrosive, explosive, or highly reactive alone or with other materials. |
| Health | A state of physical and emotional well being; the absence of disease or ailment. |
| heat islands | |
| industrial revolution | Advances in science and technology that have given us power to understand and change our world |
| infiltration | The process of water percolation into the soil and pores and hollows of permeable rocks. |
| Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) | A large group of scientist from many nations and a wide variety of fields assembled by the United Nations Environment program and World Meteorological Organization to assess the current state of knowledge about climate change. |
| international treaties and conventions | Agreements between nations on important issues. |
| LD50 | A chemical dose lethal to 50 percent of a test population. |
| Lead | |
| legal standing | The right to take part in legal proceedings |
| life expectancy | The average age that a newborn infant can expect to attain in a particular time and place. |
| life span | The longest period of life reached by a type of organism |
| lobbying | Using personal contacts, public pressure or political action to persuade legislators to vote in a particular manner. |
| low | impact development |
| LULUs | Locally Unwanted Land Uses, such as toxic waste dumps, incinerators, smelters, airports, freeways and other sources of environmental, economic, or social degradation. |
| Mediation | an informal dispute resolution process in which parties try to reach agreement through discussion and compromise; often used as an alternative to resolving disputes through lawsuits. |
| Morbidity | Illness or disease. |
| Mortality | Death rate in a population, such as number of deaths per thousand people per year. |
| Mutagen | Agents such as chemicals or radiation, that damage or alter genetic material DNA in cells. |
| natural increase | Crude death rate subtracted from crude death rate. |
| NIMBY | Not |
| Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) | Pressure and research groups advisory agencies, political parties, professional societies, and other groups concerned about environmental quality, resource use, and many other issues. |
| Neurotoxin | Toxic substances, such as lead or mercury, that specifically poison nerve cells. |
| nitrogen dioxide | |
| nonpoint sources | Scattered, diffuse sources of pollutants such as runoff from farm fields, golf courses and construction sites. |
| nonrenewable resources | Minerals, fossil fuels and other materials present in essentially fixed amounts in our environment. |
| nuclear fission | The radioactive decay process in which isotopes split apart to create two smaller atoms. |
| nuclear fusion | A process in which two smaller atomic nuclei fuse into one larger nucleus and release energy; the source of power in a hydrogen bomb. |
| numbers pyramid | A diagram showing the relative population sizes at each trophic level in an ecosystem; usually corresponds to the biomass pyramid. |
| Obese | Pathologically overweight, having a body mass greater than 30 kg/m2 or roughly 30 pounds above normal for and average person. |
| oxygen sag | Oxygen decline downstream from a pollution source that introduces materials with high biological oxygen demands. |
| Ozone | A highly reactive molecule containing three oxygen atoms; a dangerous pollutant in ambient air. In the stratosphere, however ozone forms an ultraviolet absorbing shield that protects us from mutagenic radiation. |
| Superfund | A fund established by congress to pay for containment, cleanup, or remediation or abandoned toxic waste sites, the fund is financed by fees paid by toxic waste generators and by cost recovery from cleanup projects. |
| Survivorship | The percentage of a population reaching a given age or the proportion of the maximum life span of the species reached by any individual. |
| Sustainability | Ecological, social, and economic systems that can last over the long term |
| sustainable development | A real increase in well being and standard of life for the average person that can be maintained over the long term without degrading the environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. |
| Tailings | Mining waste left after mechanical or chemical separation of minerals from crushed ore. |
| Taking | The unconstitutional confiscation of private property. |
| teratogens. | Chemicals or other factors that specifically cause abnormalities during embryonic growth and development. |
| tertiary treatment | The removal of inorganic minerals and plant nutrients after primary and secondary treatment sewage. |
| thermal pollution | Artificially raising or lowering of the temperature of a water body in a way that adversely affects the biota or water quality. |
| total fertility rate | The number of children born to an average woman in a population during her entire reproductive life. |
| total growth rate | The net rate of population growth resulting from births deaths immigration and emigration. |
| Toxins | Poisonous chemicals that react with specific cellular components to kill cells or to alter growth or development in undesirable ways; often harmful even in dilute concentrations |
| tradable permits | Pollution quotas or variances that can be bought or sold |
| urbanization | An increasing concentration fo the population in cities and a transformation of land use to an urban pattern of organization. |
| Urban | |
| waste stream | The steady flow of varied wastes from domestic garbage and yard wast to industrial commercial and construction refuse. |
| Watershed | The land surface and groundwater aquifers drained by a particular river system. |
| water table | The top layer of the zone of saturation undulates according to the surface of topography and subsurface structure. |
| wind farms | Large numbers of windmills concentrated in a single area usually owned by a utility or large scale energy producer. |
| zero population growth | A condition in which births and immigration in a population just balance deaths and emigration. |
| zone of aeration | Upper soil layer that holds both air and water. |
| zone of saturation | Lower soil layer where all spaces are filled with water. |
| acid precipitation | Acidic rain, snow or dry particles deposited from the air due to increased acid released by anthropogenic or natural resources. |
| active solar systems | Mechanical systems that use moving substances to collect the transfer solar energy. |
| acute effects | A sudden onset of symptoms or effects of exposure to some factor. |
| adaptive management | A management plan designed from the outset to learn by doing and to actively test hypotheses and adjust treatments as new information becomes available. |
| adaptive reuse | |
| administrative law | Executive orders, administrative rules and regulations and enforcement decisions by administrative agencies |
| aerosols | Minute particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air. |
| Affluenza | |
| agency rule making | The formal process of establishing rules and standards by administrative agencies |
| allergens | Substances that activate the immune system and cause and allergic response may not be directly antigenic themselves but may make other materials antigenic. |
| ambient air | The air immediately around us. |
| Anemia | Low levels of hemoglobin due to iron deficiency or lack or red blood cells. |
| Aquifers | Porous, water |
| Arbitration | A formal process of dispute resolution resulting in a legally binding decision that all parties must obey. |
| arithmetic growth | A pattern of growth that increases at a constant amount per unit time |
| bioaccumulation | The selective absorption and concentration of molecules by cells. |
| biochemical oxygen demand | A standard test for measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen utilized by aquatic microorganism. |
| Biodegradable | Things that can decompose |
| Biofuels | |
| Biomagnifications | Increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web. |
| Biomass | The accumulated biological material produced by living organisms |
| biomass fuel | Organic material produced by plants animals or microorganisms that can be burned directly as a heat source or converted into a gaseous or liquid fuel. |
| Bioremediation | Use of biological organisms to remove pollution or restore environmental quality. |
| bioretention cell | |
| bioswale | |
| birth control | Any method used to reduce births, including celibacy, delayed marriage, contraception; devices or medications that prevent implantation of fertilized zygotes and induced abortions. |
| Brownfields | Abandoned or underused urban areas in which redevelopment is blocked by liability or financing issues related to toxic contamination |
| Cancer | Invasive, out of control cell growth that results in malignant tumors. |
| carbon management | Projects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel or to ameliorate their effects |
| carbon monoxide | colorless, odorless, nonirritating but highly toxic gas produces by incomplete combustion of fuel, incineration of biomass or solid waste, or partially anaerobic decomposition of organic material |
| carbon dioxide | |
| carbon sink | Places of carbon accumulation such as in large forests or ocean sediments |
| carcinogens | Substances that cause cancer |
| case law | precedents from both civil and criminal court cases |
| chlorofluorocarbons | Chemical compounds with a carbon skeleton and one or more attached chlorine and fluorine atoms. Commonly used as refrigerants, solvents, fire retardants, and blowing agents |
| chronic effects | Long lasting results of exposure to a toxin; can be permanent change caused by a single acute exposure or a continuous low level exposure |
| city | A differentiated community with a sufficient population and resource base to allow residents to specialize in arts, crafts, services, and professional occupations. |
| civil law | A body of laws regulating relations between individuals or between individuals and corporations concerning property rights personal dignity and freedom and personal injury. |
| Cogeneration | The simultaneous production of electricity and steam or hotwater in the same plant |
| collaborative planning | |
| community based planning | Involving community stakeholders in pluralistic, adaptive, inclusive proactive planning |
| pandemic | |
| particulate matter | Atmospheric aerosols, such as dust, ash, soot, lint, smoke, pollen, spores algal cells, and other suspended materials; originally applied only to solid particles but now extended to droplets of liquid. |
| parts per billion (ppb) | Number of parts of a chemical found in 1 billion parts of a particular gas, liquid or solid mixture |
| parts per million (ppm) | Number of parts of a chemical found in 1 million parts of a particular gas, liquid or solid mixture |
| parts per trillion (ppt) | Number of parts of a chemical found in 1 trillion parts of a particular gas, liquid or solid mixture |
| passive heat absorption | The use of natural materials or absorptive structures without moving parts to gather and hold heat the simplest and oldest use of solar energy |
| persistent | Things that last over a period of time |
| pesticide | Any chemical that kills controls drives away or modifies the behavior of a pest. |
| photodegradable plastics | Plastics that break down when exposed to sunlight or to a specific wave length of light |
| photovoltaic cell | an energy conversion device that captures solar energy and directly converts it to electrical current |
| point sources | Specific locations of highly concentrated pollution discharge, such as factories power plants, sewage treatment plants, underground coal mines, and oil wells |
| policy | A societal plan or statement of intentions intended to accomplish some social or economic goal. |
| policy cycle | The process by which problems are identified and acted upon in the public arena |
| pollution charges | Fees assessed per unit of pollution bases on the polluter pays principle |
| precedent | An act or a decision that can be used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar situations |
| primary standards | Regulations of the late 1970 clean air act intended to protect human health |
| primary treatment | A process that removes solids from sewage before it is discharged or treated further |
| pronatalist pressures | Influences that encourage people to have children |
| purchase of development rights | |
| rain garden | |
| rain shadow | Dry area on the downwind side of a mountain |
| constructed wetlands | |
| consumption | The fraction of the withdrawn water that is lost in transmission or that is evaporated absorbed |
| criteria air pollutants | The seven substances that make up the largest volume of air quality degradation; sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulates, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, photochemical oxidants and lead |
| cost benefit analysis | An evaluation of large |
| criminal law | A body of court decisions based on federal and state statues concerning wrongs against persons or society |
| crude birth rate | The number of births in a year per 1000 |
| crude death | The number of deaths per thousand persons in a given year; also called crude mortality rate |
| demanufacturing | Disassembly of products so components can be reused or recycled |
| demographic transition | A pattern of falling death rates and birth rates in response to improved living conditions; typically leads to rapid then stabilizing population growth |
| demography | The statistical study of human populations relating to growth rate age structure geographic distribution and their effects on social economic and environmental conditions |
| desalinization | Removal of salt from water by distillation freezing or ultra |
| discount rate | The amount we discount or reduce the value of a future payment when you borrow money from the bank at ten percent annual interest you are in effect saying that having the money now is worth 10 percent more to you than having the same amount one year from |
| disease. | A deleterious change in the body’s condition in response to destabilizing factors such as nutrition chemicals or biological agents |
| dissolved oxygen content | amount of oxygen dissolved in a given volume of water at a given temperature and atmospheric pressure usually pressed in parts per million |
| earth charter | A set of principles for sustainable development environmental protection and social justice developed by a council appointed by the united nations |
| economic development. | A rise in real income per person usually associated with new technology that increases productivity or resources. |
| economic growth. | An increase in the total wealth of a nation if population grows faster than the economy there may be real economic growth but the share per person may decline |
| ecotourism | a combination of adventure travel cultural exploration and nature appreciation in wild settings |
| emission standards | regulations for restricting the amounts of air pollutants tha can be released from specific point sources. |
| endocrine hormone disrupters | Chemicals that interfere with the function of endocrine hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, thyroxin, adrenaline, or cortisone |
| energy | the capacity to do work such as moving matter over distance |
| environmental impact statement | an analysis of the effects of any major program of project planned by a federal agency required by provisions in the national environmental policy act of 19700 |
| environmental justice | fair access to a clean healthy environment regardless of class race income level or other status |
| environmental law | legal rules decisions and actions concerning environmental quality natural resources and ecological sustainability |
| environmental policy | the official rules or regulations concerning the environment adopted implemented and enforced by some government agency |
| environmental racism | decisions that unfairly expose people to polluted or degraded environments on a basis of race. |
| Epidemiology | the study of the distribution and causes of disease and injuries in human populations |
| Eutrophic | Rivers and lakes rich in organic material |
| Exurban | |
| family planning | controlling reproduction planning the timing of birth and having only as many babies as are wanted and can be supported |
| fecundity | the physical ability to repoduce |
| federal laws (statutes) | laws passes by the federal legislature and signed by the chief executive. |
| Fertility | the actual number of offspring produced through sexual reproduction usually described in terms of number of offspring of females sing paternity can be difficult to determine |
| fetal alcohol syndrome | a tragic set of permanent physical mental and behavioral birth defects that result when mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy |
| flexfuel vehicles | |
| food security | the ability of individuals to obtain sufficient food on a day to day basis |
| fossil fuels | petroleum natural gas and coal created by geologic forces from organic wastes and dead bodies of formerly living biological organisms |
| fuel cells | mechanical devices that use hydrogen or hydrogen containing fuel such as methane to produce and electric current. Fuel cells are clean quiet and highly efficient sources of electricity |
| geothermal energy | energy drawn from the internal heat of the earth either through geysers fumaroles hot springs or other natural geothermal features or through deep wells that pump heated groundwater. |
| Greenfield | |
| recharge zones | areas where water infiltrates into an aquifer |
| recycling | reprocessing of discarded materials into new useful products not the same as reuse of materials for their original purpose but the terms are often used interchangeably |
| regulations | rules established by administrative agencies regulations can be more important than statutory law in the day to day management of resources |
| remediation | cleaning up chemical contaminants from a polluted area |
| renewable resources. | resources normally replaced or replenished by natural processes resources not depleted by moderate use examples include solar energy biological resources such as forests and fisheries biological organisms and some biogeochemical cycles |
| replacement rate | |
| risk | the probability that something undesirable will happen as a consequence of exposure to a hazard |
| risk assessment | evaluation of the short term and long term risks associated with a particular activity or hazard usually compared with benefits in a const benefit analysis |
| runoff | the excess of precipitation over evaporation the main source of surface water and in broad terms the water available for human use |
| saltwater intrusion | the movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers in coastal areas where groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is replenished. |
| sanitary landfills | landfills in which garbage and municipal waste are buried every day under enough soil or fill to eliminate odors vermin and litter |
| secondary treatment | Bacterial decomposition of suspended particulates and dissolved organic compounds that remain after primary sewage treatment |
| secure landfills | solid waste disposal sites lined and capped with an impermeable barrier to prevent leakage or leaching |
| sick house syndrome | a cluster of allergies and other illnesses caused by sensitivity to molds, synthetic chemicals or other harmful compounds trapped In insufficiently ventilated building |
| sludge | a semisolid mixture of organic and inorganic materials that settles out of wastewater at a sewage treatment plant |
| slums | |
| smart growth | the efficient use of land resources and existing urban infrastructure that encourages in fill development provides a variety of affordable housing and transportation choices and seeks to maintain a unique sense of place by respecting local cultural and n |
| smog | the combination of smoke and fog in the stagnant air of London now often applied to photochemical pollution |
| sprawl | unlimited unplanned growth of urban areas that consumes open space and wastes resources |
| statutory law | rules passed by the state or national legislature |
| sulfur dioxide | a colorless corrosive gas directly damaging to both plants and animals. |
| Suburban |
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