176 terms
Agriculture
Farming practices maintaining productivity while preserving soil health, biodiversity, and water quality for long-term f
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Artificially managed terrestrial ecosystem designed for food/fiber production, structurally simpler and less biodiverse
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Strategies for reducing crop pest populations: chemical (pesticides), biological (natural enemies), cultural (agronomic
Biological Resources
Agriculture
The fraction of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next (typically approximately 10%), explaining why food
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Evolution of weed resistance to herbicides through repeated application of same chemical, requiring new weed management
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Ensuring adequate availability, access, and nutritional quality of food for all people, threatened by population growth,
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Loss of soil quality through erosion, compaction, salinization, and organic matter depletion, threatening agricultural s
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Declining species richness and ecosystem complexity caused by habitat destruction, pollution, overexploitation, and clim
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Combining biological, cultural, and chemical pest control methods to minimize pesticide use while maintaining crop produ
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Conversion of natural ecosystems (forests, grasslands, wetlands) to agricultural land, causing biodiversity loss, carbon
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Measure of human resource consumption and waste production relative to Earth's biocapacity, indicating whether consumpti
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Increase in human population, currently 8 billion, peaking ~2080-2100 before stabilizing or declining.
Biological Resources
Agriculture
Unplanned urban expansion consuming agricultural and natural land, creating unsustainable transportation patterns and ec
Biological Resources
Aquatic Food Production
Biological productivity of marine and freshwater ecosystems, sustainable fisheries management, and fishing impacts.
Biological Resources
Aquatic Food Production
Maximum catch or harvest rate from a population that maintains stability over time, critical for fisheries and wildlife
Biological Resources
Aquatic Food Production
Regulations and practices for sustainable exploitation of fish stocks, balancing harvest with population regeneration.
Biological Resources
Aquatic Food Production
Fish and shellfish farming in controlled environments, providing 50% of global aquatic food production but with signific
Biological Resources
Biogeochemical Cycles
Continuous movement of carbon between atmosphere, biota, soils, and oceans through various biogeochemical processes.
The Physical Environment
Biogeochemical Cycles
Movement of nitrogen among atmosphere, organisms, soils, and water through fixation, nitrification, and denitrification.
The Physical Environment
Biogeochemical Cycles
Movement of phosphorus from rocks through soils, organisms, and water, with no significant atmospheric component.
The Physical Environment
Biogeochemical Cycles
Over-enrichment of water bodies with nutrients causing excessive algal growth and oxygen depletion.
The Physical Environment
Circular Economy
An economic system designed to keep resources and materials in use as long as possible, minimising waste and maximising
Sustainability
Circular Economy
The productive capacity of biologically productive land and water areas to provide resources and absorb wastes.
Sustainability
Circular Economy
A measure of human demand on nature, expressed as the amount of biologically productive land and water required to suppo
Sustainability
Circular Economy
The date in each calendar year when humanity's resource consumption exceeds Earth's annual regenerative capacity.
Sustainability
Circular Economy
The situation where human consumption and waste production exceed Earth's regenerative and absorptive capacity.
Sustainability
Circular Economy
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
Sustainability
Conditions for Life
Non-living physical or chemical components of an environment that affect living organisms.
The Living Environment
Conditions for Life
Living organisms and their interactions that influence other organisms in an environment.
The Living Environment
Conditions for Life
The range of environmental conditions within which an organism can survive, grow, and reproduce.
The Living Environment
Conditions for Life
An abiotic or biotic factor that prevents an organism or population from increasing beyond a certain level.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
The variety of living organisms and ecosystems, typically measured at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
The process by which natural habitats are removed, degraded, or fragmented, leading to biodiversity loss.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Harvesting or removal of organisms faster than populations can reproduce, causing population decline.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Non-native species introduced to ecosystems where they establish, spread, and cause ecological damage.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
The negative effects of changing climate on organisms including range shifts, phenological changes, and increased extinc
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Protection of species and ecosystems in their natural habitats rather than in captive or controlled conditions.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Protection of species through captive breeding, seed banks, and other facilities outside natural habitats.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, a legal framework controlling trade in threatened species.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
International treaty for wetland conservation protecting essential habitats for water birds and other species.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Permanent clearing of forest cover for agriculture, logging, or other development, causing habitat loss and ecosystem da
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Forest management practices maintaining timber production while protecting ecological functions and biodiversity.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Diverse marine ecosystems built by colonial corals providing habitat for numerous fish and invertebrate species.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Loss of algal symbionts from coral tissue causing whiteness and potential coral death under thermal stress.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Decrease in ocean pH due to increased carbon dioxide absorption, reducing calcification rates in marine organisms.
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Legal and environmental frameworks protecting Antarctic ecosystems and regulating human activities in this unique region
The Living Environment
Conservation of Biodiversity
Wetland ecosystem dominated by peat (partially decomposed plant material) storing vast carbon quantities.
The Living Environment
Dispersal and Degradation
Movement and spread of pollutants through air, water, and biological pathways from sources to receptors.
Pollution
Dynamic Equilibria
A system response that reduces change and maintains stability by counteracting the initial disturbance.
Sustainability
Dynamic Equilibria
A system response that amplifies change and drives the system away from equilibrium, potentially causing destabilisation
Sustainability
Dynamic Equilibria
Critical thresholds in systems beyond which rapid, often irreversible change occurs.
Sustainability
Dynamic Equilibria
The maintenance of stable internal conditions in organisms and ecosystems through regulatory mechanisms.
Sustainability
Dynamic Equilibria
The variety and relative abundance of different species within an ecosystem or biome.
Sustainability
Dynamic Equilibria
The situation where multiple species perform similar ecological functions, allowing ecosystem functions to be maintained
Sustainability
Dynamic Equilibria
The capacity of an ecosystem to recover and return to its original state after experiencing disturbance.
Sustainability
Dynamic Equilibria
The ability of an ecosystem to maintain its structure and function when subjected to external disturbances.
Sustainability
Energy and Society
The progression of energy sources from biomass to fossil fuels to electricity as societies develop economically.
Energy Resources
Energy and Society
Energy Return on Investment: the ratio of energy produced by a system to the energy invested in its construction and ope
Energy Resources
Energy and Society
Gross Domestic Product adjusted for environmental costs (natural resource depletion, pollution, degradation), providing
Energy Resources
Energy and Society
Removal and long-term storage of atmospheric CO₂ in forests, soils, and geological formations.
Energy Resources
Energy in Sustainable Systems
The process by which plants convert solar energy into chemical energy stored in organic molecules, driving sustainable n
Sustainability
Energy in Sustainable Systems
Energy sources that are continuously replenished naturally and can be sustainably used without depletion.
Sustainability
Energy in Sustainable Systems
The amount of energy stored per unit mass of fuel, determining how much energy can be extracted and transported.
Sustainability
Energy in Sustainable Systems
Natural biological and geological processes that operate at low temperatures without requiring high-temperature industri
Sustainability
Energy in Sustainable Systems
The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions, typically measured in carbon dioxide equivalents, produced directly and in
Sustainability
Energy in Sustainable Systems
The total amount of energy required to extract, process, manufacture, transport, and assemble a product, embedded in the
Sustainability
Features of Energy Resources
The amount of energy stored per unit mass or volume of a fuel or energy source.
Energy Resources
Features of Energy Resources
Energy in its natural form before conversion to electricity or other secondary forms.
Energy Resources
Features of Energy Resources
Energy converted from primary sources into useful forms like electricity or refined fuel.
Energy Resources
Features of Energy Resources
The ratio of actual energy output to theoretical maximum output if a power plant operated continuously at full capacity.
Energy Resources
Features of Energy Resources
Energy sources that deplete with extraction and do not naturally replenish on human timescales.
Energy Resources
Features of Energy Resources
Facilities that convert primary energy (fossil fuels, nuclear) into secondary electricity through turbine-generator syst
Energy Resources
Features of Energy Resources
Reducing energy consumption while maintaining or improving energy services through technological and behavioral improvem
Energy Resources
Forest Resources
Clearance of forests for agriculture, logging, or development, eliminating ecosystem services and driving biodiversity l
Biological Resources
Forest Resources
Timber extraction practices maintaining forest ecosystem function, biodiversity, and productivity for perpetual yields.
Biological Resources
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Physical features of organisms that enhance survival and reproduction in specific environmental conditions.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Internal biochemical and regulatory mechanisms enabling organisms to survive environmental extremes.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Actions and behavioral patterns enhancing survival and reproduction in specific environmental or social contexts.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
The specific physical location or environment where an organism or species lives and reproduces.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
The role or functional position of an organism within its environment, including what it eats, where it lives, and how i
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Predictable sequence of community changes over time following disturbance or on newly available substrate.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
A group of interbreeding individuals of the same species occupying the same geographic area.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely given available resources.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Evolutionary strategy emphasizing rapid reproduction and population growth, typical of unstable environments.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Evolutionary strategy emphasizing competitive ability and survival, typical of stable environments with resource limitat
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Population fluctuations where predator numbers lag behind prey numbers, creating coupled oscillations.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Rapid, often irreversible shift from one ecosystem state to a degraded state with reduced biodiversity and function.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Evolution of new species through reproductive isolation and accumulated genetic change over long periods.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Inherited traits increasing organism fitness in specific environmental conditions through natural selection.
The Living Environment
Life Processes in the Biosphere
Mechanism of evolution where organisms with advantageous traits produce more offspring, increasing trait frequency.
The Living Environment
Material Cycles
An economic system based on taking resources, making products, and disposing of waste in a straight-line pattern without
Sustainability
Material Cycles
A design philosophy where products are designed to be continually cycled through recovery systems as biological or techn
Sustainability
Pollution Control Technologies
Excessive nutrient enrichment (nitrogen, phosphorus) of water bodies causing algal blooms and oxygen depletion.
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Rain, snow, or fog with pH less than 5.6 caused by sulfuric and nitric acid from SO2 and NOx emissions.
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Emissions of NO and NO2 from combustion processes, causing tropospheric ozone formation, respiratory effects, and eutrop
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Ground-level ozone pollution formed from nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds via photochemical reactions driv
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Emissions of SO2 from coal and oil combustion, causing acid precipitation, respiratory disease, and vegetation damage.
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
High-energy electromagnetic radiation (X-rays, gamma rays) and particle radiation (alpha, beta) that ionize atoms and ca
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen through atmosphere, soils, and organisms, disrupted by anthropogenic nitrogen inputs.
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Priority ranking for solid waste management: prevention → reduction → reuse → recycling → recovery → disposal.
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Stratospheric ozone reduction from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions, causing increased UV radiation at Earth's surface
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Ground-level ozone pollution formed from nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds via photochemical reactions.
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
N2O emissions from agriculture and industry, a potent greenhouse gas (300× CO2 warming potential) and ozone-depleting su
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
CH₄ emissions from agriculture, energy production, and waste, a greenhouse gas 28-30× more potent than CO₂ over 100 year
Pollution
Pollution Control Technologies
Priority ranking for managing solid waste: prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, and disposal.
Pollution
Properties of Pollutants
The length of time a pollutant remains in the environment before degradation or removal.
Pollution
Properties of Pollutants
The accumulation of pollutants within an individual organism over its lifetime, exceeding ambient environmental concentr
Pollution
Properties of Pollutants
The increase in pollutant concentration through successive trophic levels in food chains, causing apex predators to have
Pollution
Properties of Pollutants
The degree to which a substance can poison or cause harmful effects to organisms.
Pollution
Properties of Pollutants
The lethal dose of a substance that causes death in 50% of test organisms, used to quantify acute oral/dermal toxicity.
Pollution
Properties of Pollutants
The relationship between amount of pollutant exposure and severity of harmful effect, fundamental to toxicology and risk
Pollution
Properties of Pollutants
Lethal concentration of a substance in water causing death in 50% of exposed aquatic organisms, used to regulate water p
Pollution
Sampling Techniques
A technique using defined areas (quadrats) to sample organisms and measure environmental variables within fixed boundari
Research Methods
Sampling Techniques
Methods and tools used to identify organisms to species level in field or laboratory settings.
Research Methods
Sampling Techniques
Techniques for measuring non-living environmental variables such as temperature, light, pH, moisture, wind speed, and di
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
The method used to determine where samples are collected within a study area to ensure representative and unbiased data.
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
The method for determining when samples are collected to account for temporal variation in ecosystems.
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
The number of observations or measurements collected, which affects statistical power and the precision of estimates.
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
The process of keeping conditions and procedures consistent across all observations to ensure reliable and comparable da
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
A statistical procedure for evaluating whether observed data provide evidence for rejecting a null hypothesis based on p
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
A statement proposing that there is no effect, no difference, or no relationship between variables being tested.
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
Type I error is falsely rejecting a true null hypothesis (false positive); Type II error is failing to reject a false nu
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
Quantitative techniques used to analyse data, test hypotheses, and draw conclusions about population parameters from sam
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
A sampling method where observations are recorded along a line through a study area to detect spatial gradients and tran
Research Methods
Scientific Methodologies
A sampling method where the study area is divided into distinct strata (subpopulations) and samples are collected propor
Research Methods
Soils
Slow process converting parent rock into soil through weathering, organic matter accumulation, and horizon development.
The Physical Environment
Soils
Loss of topsoil through water, wind, or gravity due to land use, reduced vegetation cover, or steep slopes.
The Physical Environment
Specialist Techniques
A technique for estimating mobile animal population sizes by capturing, marking, releasing, and subsequently recapturing
Research Methods
Specialist Techniques
A technique that detects and analyses DNA fragments from organisms present in environmental samples like water or soil w
Research Methods
Specialist Techniques
Technologies including satellites, drones, and LiDAR that collect data about Earth's surface from a distance without phy
Research Methods
Specialist Techniques
Scientific research projects that engage non-professional volunteers in data collection, analysis, and interpretation co
Research Methods
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Direct conversion of sunlight into electricity using semiconductor devices (solar cells) that generate electrical curren
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Electricity generated from wind turbines that convert kinetic energy of wind into electrical power.
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Electricity generated from water flowing through turbines in dams or run-of-river systems, providing 16% of global elect
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Electrochemical devices storing electrical energy for later use, essential for managing renewable energy intermittency.
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Technologies enabling energy storage at various timescales (4 hours to seasonal) including batteries, pumped hydro, hydr
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Energy storage and transport medium where hydrogen gas is produced via electrolysis, stored, and combusted or used in fu
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Energy sources that replenish naturally on human timescales and do not deplete with use.
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Long-term policy and investment plans to shift energy systems from fossil fuels to renewable and low-carbon sources.
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Thermal energy from Earth's interior extracted via steam wells or hot water reservoirs for electricity generation and di
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Energy from burning plant material or processed biofuels (ethanol, biodiesel), currently providing 9% of global primary
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Energy storage using gravity potential energy of water pumped to elevated reservoir, providing flexible dispatchable ene
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Direct use of solar heat for space heating, water heating, and industrial processes, achieving 70-80% efficiency.
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Wind turbines installed on land, providing cheaper and faster deployment than offshore but facing land-use and visual co
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Wind turbines installed in shallow marine environments, achieving higher capacity factors than onshore but at substantia
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Electricity generation from tidal water movement using underwater turbines or barrages that harness gravitational energy
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Electricity generation from ocean wave motion using devices that convert wave kinetic and potential energy into electric
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Strategies for integrating variable renewable electricity into power grids while maintaining frequency/voltage stability
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Installed power generation capacity from renewable sources (wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, tidal), measured in gigawatt
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Long-term shift from fossil fuel-based energy systems to renewable and low-carbon sources, required for climate change m
Energy Resources
Strategies for Future Energy Supply
Strategies and technologies reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C above pre-industrial le
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Coal, oil, and natural gas formed from fossilized organic matter and currently providing 82% of global primary energy.
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Electricity and heat generated from burning coal, currently the largest non-renewable energy source for electricity gene
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Energy derived from crude oil through combustion in power stations, vehicles, and heating systems.
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Energy from combusting methane-rich natural gas for electricity generation, heating, and industrial processes.
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Electricity generated from nuclear fission of uranium-235 or plutonium-239, providing approximately 10% of global electr
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Technologies that capture CO2 from power station emissions or atmosphere and store it permanently in geological formatio
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Technologies including flue gas desulfurization, selective catalytic reduction, and carbon capture that reduce coal comb
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
The point when global oil extraction reaches maximum production and thereafter declines due to depleting reserves.
Energy Resources
Sustainability of Current Exploitation
Negative ecological and health effects from energy extraction, processing, transport, and combustion throughout the life
Energy Resources
The Atmosphere
Energy from the sun driving Earth's climate systems and providing energy for photosynthesis and weather.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
The fraction of solar radiation reflected by a surface back to space, affecting Earth's energy balance.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Warming of Earth's atmosphere caused by greenhouse gases trapping outgoing infrared radiation.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Additional warming caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases above natural atmospheric concentrations.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Relative warming effect of a greenhouse gas compared to CO2 over a specified time period.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Total greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activities, typically measured in CO2 equivalent units.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Extensive continental ice covering >50,000 km2, storing vast quantities of water and freshwater that affect sea level.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
A mass of ice on land formed from accumulated snow, flowing downslope and contributing to sea level rise when melted.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Increase in ocean surface elevation due to thermal expansion and melting ice, threatening coastal communities.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Ground that remains frozen year-round, containing large carbon stores vulnerable to thawing with climate warming.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
Positive feedback loop where ice melting reduces surface reflectivity, causing increased warming and further melting.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
A feedback loop where a change produces effects that amplify the original change, destabilizing systems.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
A feedback loop where a change produces effects that counteract the original change, stabilizing systems.
The Physical Environment
The Atmosphere
A critical threshold where small additional changes trigger large abrupt shifts in climate or ecosystems.
The Physical Environment
The Hydrosphere
Ocean circulation driven by temperature and salinity differences, transporting heat globally and affecting climate.
The Physical Environment