human impact chapter 6 vocab only. a necessity of life (resource) which can not be replenished by...
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A necessity of life (resource) which can NOT be replenished by natural means; Ex: fossil fuels
Non-renewable resource
Wearing away of the surface soil by water and wind
erosion
Farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop variety year after year
monoculture
a necessity of life (resource) which can regenerate quickly and that is replaceable; Ex: trees, water
Renewable resource
Program in which endangered species are allowed to breed in zoos until numbers increase and then are returned to their natural habitats
Captive breeding
Forests that have never been cut that provide unique habitats for wildlife
Old growth forests OR “virgin” forests
Uppermost layer of soil that contains most of the nutrients and is susceptible to erosion
topsoil
Wavelength of sunlight that causes sunburn, skin cancer, and cataracts whichthe ozone layer protects us from
Ultra violet (UV)
The development of highly productive crop strains and the use of modern agriculture techniques to increase yields of food crops
Green revolution
Sustainable development
Way of using natural resources without depleting them and of providing for human needs without causing long term harm to the environment
A process caused by a combination of poor farming practices, overgrazing, and drought that turns productive land in areas with dry climates into deserts
desertification
A mixture of chemicals (smoke + fog) that occurs as a gray-brown haze in the atmosphere
smog
Harmful material that can enter the biosphere through land, water, or air
pollutant
the sum total of the variety of organisms in the biosphere; It is a measure of the health of an ecosystem
biodiversity
term used to refer to a species that has died out
extinct
Splitting of ecosystems into small areas
Habitat fragmentation
a species whose population size is rapidly declining and will become extinct if the trend continues without intervention
endangered
increasing concentration a harmful substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or web
Biological magnification
a species likely to become endangered if not protected
threatened
Pesticide used to kill mosquitoes that concentrated in prey birds (like eagles) and caused them to lay eggs with weak shells
DDT
plants or animals that have migrated or been introduced into places where they are not native and for which there are no natural predators or parasites to control their population
Invasive species
the wise management of natural resources, including the preservation of habitats and wildlife
conservation
Areas containing endangered ecosystems that could benefit most from efforts and $ to preserve them Hot spots
Atmospheric layer in which ozone (03) gas is relatively concentrated which protects us from the sun’s ultra-violet radiation
Ozone layer
Rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids caused by burning fossil fuels
Acid rain
Increase in the average temperatures of the Earth
Global warming
Fuels such as oil, coal, or natural gas produced by the decay of dead organic matter that cause many environmental problems such as global warming and acid rain Fossil fuels
Illegal hunting of animals
poaching
Governmental body whose job it is to monitor and enforce environmental regulations, provide education on environmental issues, conduct environmental research, and provide funding for environmental programs
Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)
Agreement signed by almost 200 countries, including the United States, which agreed to reduce (and eventually stop) the use of ozone depleting chemicals.
Montreal Protocol
The giant aquifer that supplies water for drinking and agricultural irrigation to much of the farming midwest
Ogallala
Act passed to protect endangered species thatprevents importation into the United States of anything that comes from an endangered animal
Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species (CITES) Act
Agreement, aimed at reducing global warming, which has been ratified by 104 nations that asks participants to reduce by 2012 their greenhouse gas emissions to a percentage of their 1990 emission levels. (The President Bush has questioned some of the details of the treaty and the US has not ratified it)
Kyoto Accord
Chemicals containing chloro- and fluorocarbonsused in aerosol cans and refrigerants thatcause a depletion of the ozone layer
CFC’s
Area in which the addition of an abundance of limiting nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus cause an algal bloom, blocking sunlight, and causing the death of organisms below
Dead zone
Tell where we could see this problem in the United States
Gulf of Mexico where Mississippi River empties
Natural process in which atmospheric gases trap energy from sunlight as heat
Greenhouse effect
the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
ecology