Term | Definition |
fossil fuels | organic matter cut off from O and applied heat and pressure |
what is coal made of | terrestrial plant material |
what is natural gas made of? | aquatic organisms |
fracking | horizontal drilling method that makes pores in the shale to trap gas |
tight oil | conventional gas in density but located in reservoirs with low permeability so get to by fracking |
oil sands | deposits of large sand and partially consolidated sandstone which are low in density |
oil shale | fine grained sedimentary rock with organic matter |
coalted methane | methane stuck in the seams of rock |
quality/quantity paradox | despite the high quantity, the quality of solar energy is lower |
energy density | the quantity of energy contained per unit of mass of a fuel |
power density | the rate at which energy can be produced from the source/geographic area |
biomass | all earth's vegetation |
biorefinery | a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment |
geothermal | heat from radioactive decay deep within the earth |
hydropower | hydroelectric power produced by force of falling H20 |
Hydrogen energy | energy from electrolysis and reforming of fossil fuels |
electrolysis | water turns into O and H gas |
conservation of energy | doing the same things but with less energy |
energy curtailing | doing different things with energy or with less energy |
coal | remains of plants and animals compressed in earth |
oil | liquid forms of decayed remains usually in ocean floor |
nuclear power | use nuclear reaction of fission to generate power |
solar power | converts sun's electromagnetic radiation to usable energy |
climate change | shift in long-run average of weather |
Temperature anomaly | departure from reference value/long term average of direct observations |
instrumental record | direct measurements by thermometer |
proxy record | indirect inferences from natural recorders of climate (corals, ice cores) |
the greenhouse effect | the ability of the atmosphere to absorb energy with longer wavelengths, and convert them to heat, it is a natural phenomena |
radiative forcing | amount of energy absorbed by gases that lie above earth's surface |
Milankovic cyles | episodic nature of the earth's glacial and interglacial periods caused primarily by cyclical changes in the earth's circumnavigation of the sun |
attribution | estimated cause and effect relationship between human activity and observed change in climate |
watershed | area of land where all the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place |
continental divide | a series of ridges through the rocky mountains that divide the country into 2 drainages |
water withdrawal | water use that takes water out of the water source but can eventually be put back into the cycle |
water consumption | water taken up by organism, it cannot be recycled |
instream water use | don't remove water from water system (recreation, transport) |
offstream water use | take water out of system to use it (industry, agriculture) |
saltwater intrusion | when saltwater gets into groundwater well |
genetic diversity | differences of DNA within and between populations |
species richness | the number of species in a given area |
evenness | how evenly balanced are the abundances of each species |
ecosystem diversity | all living and nonliving things in an area and the variation between and within ecosystems |
biodiversity | total diversity and variability of living things |
allopatric speciation | due to geographic isolation |
sympatric speciation | new species arise from within parent population |
biocentric | biodiversity is important and non human species have value and have right to live regardless of their value or little value to humans |
anthropocentric | human species have more value and the importance of other species should be measured by value to humans |
endemic species | a species unique to a defined location and conditions, which makes it at great risk of extinction |
keystone species | species whose presence and numbers control the integrity of a community or ecosystem |
background extinction | normal extinction of species that occurs as a result of change in local environmental conflicts |
mass extinction | lose large percent of species |
fragmentation | cutting into biodiversity with roads in jungles, etc |
alien species | anything not native |
invasive species | alien and takes over everything |
endangered species | danger of extinction |
threatened species | likely to become endangered |
exsitu | preserving biodiversity out of the habitat |
insitu | preserving biodiversity in the habitat |
soil horizon | layer of soil |
mechanical weathering | physical breakdown |
chemical weathering | breakdown reactions with water and atmospheric gasses |
crop rotation | different crops use different nutrients |
terrace farming | decrease slope by creating layers with small flat fields, which will prevent soil from eroding as quickly |
shelterbelts | rows of trees to break up wind flow |
conservation tillage | leave leftover material for increased roughness and nutrients in soil |
halogen depletion hypothesis | CFCs react with short wave energy which reacts with chlorine and depletes ozone |
Odd Nitrogen Hypothesis | ozone reacts with hydrogen to deplete ozone |
dynamic uplift hypothesis | areas with lots of ozone mixing in more ozone rich areas |
food insecurity | unable to acquire enough food to meet needs of all members of community due to insufficient funds or lack other resources |
undernourishment | inadequate nutrition resulting from lack of food or lack of food that has enough nutritional value |
obesity | a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health |
cereals | edible seeds from grass family |
pulses | edible seeds of flowering plants |
oilseed | food crops grown from oil content |
roots and tubers | thickened underground part of stem |
veggies | any part of plant that's consumed |
fruits | sweet fleshy products from trees and plants that contain seeds |
nut | fruit composed of hard shell |
nutrition transition | the shift of dietary consumption and energy expenditure that coincide with economic, demographic and public health change |
subsistence farming | enough to cover own needs |
shifting cultivation | degrading soil and not very efficient use of farming in an area and then leaving it |
feedlot | cows in one area that are fed feed |
pasture | animals roam and eat natural grass |
primary pollutants | enter atmosphere in form that directly causes harm |
secondary pollutants | formed from primary pollutants |