Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Env Science Week 8
Week 8 Vocabulary for Environmental Science
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ethics | a guiding philosophy, or a discipline of dealing with what is good and bad; a moral obligation of sorts or principles on how to conduct ones self |
| biosphere | contains all of the life in, on, and around the earth |
| lithosphere | contains the land and rocks on earth |
| hydrosphere | contains the water on earth and in the atmosphere |
| atmosphere | contains all of the gases around the earth |
| conserve | to protect or keep safe |
| soil | the top layer of the surface of the Earth in which plants can grow, made over thousands of years from weathered rocks, minerals, and decaying organic materials |
| weathering | when rocks and minerals crumble and wear away |
| humus | decayed plant and animal matter that supplies soil with nutrients |
| horizons | distinct layers of soil with different characteristics |
| soil profile | a vertical view of the soil and all of its horizons |
| O horizon | layer of decomposed organic material; sometimes referred to as topsoil |
| A horizon | dark upper horizon that contains substantial humus as well as some inorganic components, like rock and mineral particles; sometimes referred to as topsoil |
| B horizon | usually lighter in color than the A horizon; characterized by accumulation of clay that gets washed down from the soil above it |
| C horizon | loose material recently weathered from the parent material |
| R horizon | the parent material rock beneath the soil |
| erosion | when soil and rocks are worn by wind, water, glaciers, etc. and carried away or lost |
| Deforestation | the cutting down of trees in large numbers, such that large areas of land are left without forest cover |
| Overgrazing | allowing animals to eat all of the vegetation in an area until the soil and plants are no longer able to stay healthy |
| desertification | when the arable land suffers so badly that it becomes desert |
| salinization | Soil that has an accumulation of salts in it |
| Contour plowing | plowing across the slope of a hill so that the tiny ridges are formed to help prevent the soil from washing down the hill |
| Compost | waste plant material that has been placed in piles to decompose; used to help restore nutrients to the soil |
| No-till farming | a procedure in which the seeds of the next crop are planted in slits cut into the soil through the remains of the previous crop;uses less energy and saves time; |
| Low-input farming | farming without using a great deal of energy, pesticides, fertilizer, and water |
| Organic farming | a type of low-input farming; a method of growing plants without any synthetic pesticides or inorganic fertilizers; keeps the soil planted at all times to avoid erosion and alternate different crops to control pests |
| de-extinction | is a process that brings back to life extinct organisms from death through the use of genetic information and new technologies |
Created by:
jodytwining
Popular Science sets