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Stack #210605
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| environment | the circumstances and conditions that surround an dorganism or a group of organisms |
| environmental science | the systematic study of our environment and our place in it (we should do something about the problems in our environment) |
| science | a process for producing empirical knowledge about the natural world through methodical and logical studies of nature |
| repreducibility | demanded by scientists; producing the same result consistently (testing over and over) |
| deductive reasoning | top down reasoning. logical reasoning from general to specific. (deduce conclusion from general laws) |
| inductive reasoning | reasoning from many obsercations to produce a general rule. |
| hypothesis | a testable explanation |
| scientific theory | when an explanation has been supported by a large number of tests and when a majority of experts have reached a general consensus that is a reliable description/explantion. |
| probability | a measure of how likely something is to occur based on a set of previous observations or on a standard statistical measure. (random chance) |
| controlled study | comparing a tretment (exposed) group and a control (unexposed) group |
| statistics | mathematical analysis of the collection organization and interpretation of nemerical data |
| scientific consensus | general agreement among informed scholars after ideas and information are exchanged, debated, tested, and retested |
| paradigm shifts | occurs when a majority of scientists accept that the old explanation no longer explains new observations very well. |
| utilitariam conservation | the philosopy that resources should be used for the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time |
| biocentric preservation | emphasizes the fundamental right of other organisms- and nature as a whole- to exist and to pursue their own interest (deserving to exist for their own sake) |
| sustainability | a search for ecological stability and human progress that can last over the long term |
| sustainable development | metting the needs of the present withough compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (utilitarian conservation) |
| capitol | any form of wealth, resources, or knowledge available for use in the production of more wealth. |
| gross national product (gnp) | the sum total of all goods and services produced in the national economy. distinguishes economic activity within a country |
| ecological services | process of materials, such as clean water, energy, climate regulation, and nutrient cycling, provided by ecosystem |
| non-renewable resources | exist in finite amounts. minerals fossil fuels groundwater...recharges extremely slowly |
| renewable resources | naturally replenishd and recycled at a fairly steady rate |
| tragedy of the commons | 1968 describes how commonly held resources are degraded and destroyed by self interes (this isnt going to affect me in the future) |
| cost-benefit analysis | the process of accounting and comparing the costs of a projection and its benefits (is the cost benefitial enough for its impact on the environment) |
| genuine progress index | daly and cobb took into account real per capita income, quality of lige, distribution equity, natural resource depletion, env. damage, and the value of unpaid labor |
| human developement index | united nations uses this as a benchmark to track social progress. (life expectancy, education, ect) |
| externalizing costs | the act of disregarding or discounting resources or goods that contribute to producing something, not what they actually get paid |
| internalizing costs | optimizing resources used to make sure that those who reap the benefits of the resources also bear all external costs |
| ecology | the scientific study of relationships betweem organisms and their environment. concerned with the life histories, distribution, and behavior of individual species as well as the structure and function of natural systems |
| matter | anything that has mass and takes up space |
| principle/law of conservation of matter | in any chemical reaction, matter changes form, it is neither created nor destroyed (continuous cycle) |
| element | a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler units by chemical means (115 of them) |
| atom | the smallest particle that exhibits the characteristics of an element |
| molecule | combination of two or more atoms |
| acids | substances that release hydrogen atoms in water |
| bases | substances that readily bond with hydrogen ions in the aqueous solution |
| PH | a value that indicates the acidity of akalinity of a solution on a scale of 0 to 14, based on the propotion of H+ ion present |
| organic compound | complex molecules organized around skeletons of carbon atoms arranged in rings of chains, includes biomolecules, molecules synthesized by living organisms |
| energy | the capacity to do work, such as moving matter over a distance |
| kinetic energy | energy contained in moving objects, such as a rock rolling down a hill |
| potential energy | stored energy that is latent but available for use. |
| 1st law of thermodynamics | states that energy is conserved, it is neither created nor destoyed under normal conditions |
| 2nd law of thermodynamics | states that with each successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do work |
| entropy | chemical energy of gas is degraded to kinetic energy and heat, which dissipates, eventually into space (increases energy available) |
| weather | the physical conditions of the atmosphere |
| climate | a description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area |
| troposphere | the layer of air nearest to the earth's surface; both temp and pressure usually decrease with increasing altitude |
| convection currents | rising or sinking air currents that stire the atmosphere and transport heat from one area to another |
| stratosphere | the zone in the atmosphere extending from the troposphere to about 50 KM (30 miles) abouve the earths surface. temps are stable or rise slightly with altitude, has very little water vapor but rich in ozone |
| ozone | o3, a highly reactive molecule containing oxygen atoms; a dangerous pollutant in ambient air. in the stratosphere, ozone forms and ultraviolet absorbing shield that portects from radiation |
| greenhouse effect | trapping of heat by earhts atmosphere which is transparent to incoming visible light waves but absorbs outoing long wave infared radiations |
| jet streams | powerful winds or currents of air that circulate in shifting flows. similar to oceanic currents in extent to effect on climate |
| milankovitch cycles | periodic variations in tilt, eccentricity, and wobble in the eath's orbit....may be responsible for cyclic weather change |
| el Nino | a climate change marked by shifting of a large warm water pool from the western pacific ocean towards the east, wind direction and precipitation patterns are changed over muchg of the pacific and perhaps the world |
| kyoto protocol | an international treaty adopted in kyoto japan which 160 nations agreed to roll back C02 methane and nitrous oxide emission to reduce threat of global climate change |
| cell | all living organisms are composed of these; minute compartmets within which the processes of life are carried out |
| metabolism | all the energy and matter exchanges that occur within a living cell or organism; collectively, the life process |
| photosynthesis | the biochemical process by which green plants and some bacteria capture light energy and use it to produce chemical bonds. carbon dioxide and water are composed while oxygen and simple sugars are produced |
| cellular respiration | the process in which a cell breaks down sugar or other organic compounds to release energy used for cellular work; can be anaerobic or aerobic |
| species | all the organisms genetically similar ennough to breed and produce fertile offspring in nature |
| population | all members of a species that live in the same area at the same time |
| biological community | the populations of plants, animals, and microorganisms living and interacting in a certain area at a given time |
| ecosystem | a specific biological community and its physical environment interacting in an exchange of matter and energy |
| producers | an organism that synthesisis food molecules from inorganic compounds by using an external energy source (photosynthetic) |
| productivity | the amount of biomass produced in a given area during a given period of time |
| biomas | the accumulated builogical material produced by living organisms |
Created by:
schifsky
Popular Earth Science sets