Term
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Definition
| Nitrogen-fixing trees are intercropped with traditional crops. |
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Term
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Definition
| Materials containing large amounts of usable groundwater |
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Term
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Definition
| long used in aerosol propellantsand regrigerants, contribute to dramatic seasonal decreases of atmospheric ozone over the polar regions. |
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Term
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Definition
| 1963/1970. criteria/conventional pollutants: CO2, NOx, SO2, volatile organic compounds, O3, CO, Pb. unconventional pollutants: PCB's, asbestos etc. 1990: emissions trading. |
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Term
| Article 2 of the Formal Convention on Climate Change |
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Definition
| stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system” (NOT of Kyoto Protocol) |
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Term
| Biogeographical Hotspots: |
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Definition
| speciation. really intense biodiversity (islands). some of the most endangered places on the planet. speciation: adaptation to environmental opportunity resulting in evolutionary change. |
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Term
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Definition
| Transfer of carbon between sinks through carbon fixing and carbon release (volcanic outgassing). sinks include the ocean, forests, oil reserves (decayed sedimentary plant material). |
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Term
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Definition
| how can these be allocated: sinks include the ocean, forests, oil reserves (decayed sedimentary plant material). |
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Term
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Definition
| used as a refrigerant and a propellant in aerosol cans. react well with ozone, and created a hole in the ozone layer. example of international collaboration to save the environment: the ozone hole isn't growing at an alarming rate anymore. Australia thanks you. |
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Term
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Definition
| 1972. regulated point sources of pollution. also mandated that by 1977, counties would have sewage treatment plants with at least secondary treatment. however, some counties sued, and were allowed due to excuses such as deep ocean currents and relatively low population density to build only primary sewage treatment facilities. also has standards for thermal pollution. |
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Term
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Definition
| cutting down all the trees in a given area. REALLY REALLY BAD. incredible loss of biodiversity. can also lead to very severe erosion, habitat fragmentation. |
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Term
| Climate Change Targets (2°C): |
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Definition
| UN Convention on Climate Change said that if there is a 2°C global temperature change we have something to be really worried about. they thought that climate change was something that touched everyone everywhere kind of equally and in similar ways, but that's not how it works. deserts have worse drought, and flood-prone areas have worse hurricanes and flooding. |
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Term
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Definition
| generally of sheep and cattle. leads to overgrazing, methane release, watershed contamination, disease. |
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Term
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Definition
| particles of ash or smoke that other pollutants condense around. |
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Term
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Definition
| US, Europe. US: preserve what's profitable, national park system, impersonal, governmentally controlled, distant from everyday life. Europe: it's a part of everyday life, personal responsibility. |
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Term
| Criteria/Conventional Pollutants |
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Definition
| Sulfur dioxide (SO2); Carbon Monoxide (CO); Particulates; Volatile organic compounds; Nitrogen oxides; Ozone; Lead. |
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Term
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Definition
| NGO's go into poor, developing countries and offer to buy up their debt (which is a REALLY good offer, since they can't pay it off....like ever) in exchange for eco-friendly legislation |
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Term
| Development & Dams (Bose article |
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Definition
| dams cause lots of problems: interruption of aquatic migration, habitat fragmentation, sedimentation, flooding (which completely covers entire villages), displacement of villagers (with no decent replacement living situation). More importantly, although the dams could potentially provide a lot of water to drought-stricken regions and electricity to cities, India lacks the infrastructure to make these benefits possible. |
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Term
| Dualistic Notion of Nature/Culture |
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Definition
| nature is a socially created idea. it's the physical world in opposition/contrast to humans and human-made things. then with transcendentalists, nature is the sublime, it is beautiful. then with industrial revolution, nature is something useful, a set of resources, a commodity (linked to agriculture). nature is something we can control, unlike wilderness. |
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Term
| El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO |
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Definition
| normal conditions: south american shores cold, australia warm. El Niño: system collapses, leading to warm water upwelling along the south american coast, but australian water temp remains constant. La Niña: when the warm water is further west (aka closer to australia) than it usually is. |
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Term
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Definition
| endangered species (imminent threat of extinction), threatened species (likely to become endangered soon), vulnerable species (candidates for future listing). Article 9: taking animals/species: bans capture, sequestration, or movement of species. supreme court case interprets as: protection extends not only to the species itself, but to the habitat it lives in. deals with habitat fragmentation. however, creates a bunch of perverse incentives: to destroy the habitat before it's protected. |
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Term
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Definition
| small range, single area. Paleoendemism refers to a species that was formerly widespread but is now restricted to a smaller area. Neoendemism refers to a species that has recently arisen such as a species that has diverged and become reproductively isolated, or one that has formed following hybridization and is now classified as a separate species. |
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Term
| Environmental Colonialism |
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Definition
| why there are critiques of IPCC and Kyoto agreements): frame environmental debate such that it makes everywhere in the world look equal in terms of responsibility for environmental degradation. ignores history, follows principle of moral equivalence (“an emission is an emission is an emission”), believes that market will solve all problems (it won't). however, Kyoto makes steps forward: first phase of emissions reductions applies only to the most developed countries. |
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Term
| Equilibrium Surface Temperature: |
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Definition
| about 15°C for Earth. warmest between 25°N and 25°S of the equator. |
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Term
| Extinction Events/Extinction Episodes: |
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Definition
| mass extinctions marked by a severe drop in biodiversity/number of species at one time. 99% of species that have ever lived are extinct. result of either unusually large drop in the number of species in a very short period of time or a sharp drop in the rate of speciation. |
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Term
| Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976 |
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Definition
| said public lands should remain public and started the “multiple use” policy (use of land so they will best meet the current and future needs of the American people....at least that's what the government claims, but who knows how well they've studied environmental science) |
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Term
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Definition
| the first few minutes of precipitation carry all the pollution into storm drains with them, which traditionally drain to the ocean, but one way of dealing with non-point source pollution is to create storm drains adapted to this problem. |
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Term
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Definition
| monocrop trees, clear cut them, then replant. epic plantations with neat rows of trees. problems with biodiversity and destruction of forest ecosystems. |
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Term
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Definition
| primary forests are old growth forests. secondary forests are forests which have been cut down and have been replanted. |
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Term
| UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992 |
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Definition
| aimed to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, originally didn't set mandatory limits for individual nations and had no provisions for enforcement (legally non-binding), but had provisions for updates (“protocols”) that would set up emissions limits. one of these updates was the Kyoto Protocol, which has now become better know than the UNFCCC. |
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Term
| Four Federal Agencies Responsible for Managing Federal Lands in the US: |
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Definition
| Department of Agriculture: Forest Service (construct and maintain trails, operate campgrounds, regulate grazing, patrol wilderness areas , protect culturally significant heritage sites, and manage vegetation and wildlife habitats. they also study the ecosystems of the national forests. also in charge of grasslands.) Department of the Interior: Bureau of Land Management (administers public land, try to balance public use against land preservation. also have expedited renewable energy production on public lands), Fish and Wildlife Service (try to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants in their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people), National Park Service (manages all national parks, most national monuments, originally intended for preservation and public awareness of the beauty of nature, but now more of a conservationist program). |
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Term
| Four Layers of Atmosphere |
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Definition
| Troposphere (6-20 km, -55°C-15°C), Stratosphere (20-50 km, -3°C), Mesosphere (50-85 km, -100°C), Thermosphere (85-690 km, 1,500°C). composition: N 78%, O2 21%, CO2 .033%, Ozone is even less. |
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Term
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Definition
| first glaciation: Nebraskan, interglacial: Aftonian, second glaciation: Kansan, interglacial: Yarmouth, third glaciation, Illinoian, interglacial: Sangamon, fourth glaciation: Wisconsin. they're named for the farthest south the glacier got. |
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Term
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Definition
| in both hemispheres, there are atmospheric pressure belts: polar high, sub-polar high, sub-tropical high, equatorial low. this leads to similar storm and precipitation patterns along similar latitudes. |
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Term
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Definition
| social movement centered on a concern for the environment and desire to conserve it. |
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Term
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Definition
| results in the maintenance of global temperature within a certain range due to the presence of certain gasses (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and CFC's), which absorb and emit the infrared radiation that is released from the Earth's surface as a result of the ultraviolet radiation it receives from the sun. |
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Term
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Definition
| a way of dealing with habitat fragmentation. allow for some movement of a species within their habitat, allows for more normal migration patterns. successful example: Alberta, Canada and the overpasses over the freeway for the bears to move back and forth with limited disturbance. |
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Term
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Definition
| habitats which were once continuous get broken up into smaller pieces as a result of land clearing or deforestation. leads to the stresses of the edges of an ecosystem penetrating deeper and deeper into that given ecosystem. |
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Term
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Definition
| H- Habitat destruction, I- Invasive species, P- Pollution, P- Population (human), O- Over-harvesting, Over-fishing, and Over-hunting. |
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Term
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Definition
| romantic: Thoreau, Muir, Audubon. argued that nature is the sublime, has inherent beauty. scientific: demystified nature, broke it into pieces, tried to find out what was really in control. later: we want to preserve places with lots of scientific value so that we can use them for their utilitarian value in terms of things such as medicine an scientific discoveries. utilitarian: commodification of nature, it's something you can own, trade, and sell. it is only good for what you can get out of it. |
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Term
| Increase in the Amount of Carbon in the Troposphere |
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Definition
| 0.026% in 1700-1800; 0.033% in 1800-2000; 0.050% in 2000- 2100 |
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Term
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Definition
| wavelengths: 0.7 to 2.0 micrometers. important because of its role in the greenhouse effect. |
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Term
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Definition
| species such as rats and weeds which can adapt to a variety of conditions and habitats and thrive |
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Term
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Definition
| cool air at surface, hot air above. this means the pollution is trapped. there are two kinds: fumigation plumes and looping plumes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. publish reports on the UNFCCC (Kyoto Protocol). critiques: ignores geography and history, logic of moral equivalence, belief that market will solve all problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Intertropical Convergence Zone. low pressure equatorial zone due to Hadley Cell convection. |
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Term
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Definition
| a protocol from the UNFCCC. good things: the first phase applies only to developed countries (aka the polluters), about a 29% reduction as opposed to doing nothing by 2100, widespread ratification. bad things: ignores historical and geographical concerns, logic of moral equivalence, 1990 benchmarks, privatization of the commons, belief that market will solve all problems |
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Term
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Definition
| : heat that is released during a change of state (solid, liquid, gas). in the atmosphere, the latent heat is stored in water vapor (very high specific heat). |
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Term
| Los Angeles-Type Air Pollution |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession result in about a 100,000 year cycle during which the Earth become a tiny bit closer to the sun. these cycles match up with many of the major ice ages and warming periods on Earth |
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Term
| Minimum Viable Population |
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Definition
| necessary for survival of a species. habitat fragmentation makes this a problem. |
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Term
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Definition
| as a response to the hole in the ozone layer, attempt to regulate CFCs and compounds containing bromine or chlorine. |
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Term
| National Forest Management Act: |
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Definition
| 1976. called for the management of renewable resources on national forest lands. expanded the 1974 act. |
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Term
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Definition
| has not only nature preserves, but also historical sites and monuments. purpose was/is to let people enjoy nature. thus an extensive system of trails through the national parks and campground areas. Yellowstone and Yosemite were the first national parks. |
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Term
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Definition
| nitrogen is fixed either in the roots of nitrogen-fixing plants or by bacteria which fixes nitrogen, then plants absorb the nitrogen and release it as atmospheric nitrogen. this is then again bound by the nitrogen fixers. |
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Term
| No Grazing Policy (Grasslands): |
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Definition
| well...there doesn't actually seem to be one except maybe in Ethiopia where they did a study...but that's not even policy. Basically I don't know what Sivak was smoking when he wrote this fucking retarded study guide. :) |
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Term
| Non-Point Source Pollution: |
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Definition
| pollution that is very difficult to regulate due to its source being that of widespread activities which when examined individually, appear to have very little environmental impact, but when summed up, are rather formidable. the two most prominent sources of non-point pollution are motor vehicle transportation and agricultural runoff. |
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Term
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Definition
| UV-B is the particular ultraviolet light that ozone is really good at absorbing. UV-A gets through mostly. |
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Term
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Definition
| care and tending of animals such as camels, goats, yaks, llamas, sheep etc. which may involve a nomadic lifestyle to move the flocks in search of fresh pasture and water. modern societies can make this inconvenient because of national borders. also, industrialized farming techniques have much worse environmental impacts. |
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Term
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Definition
| 3 things you need: hydrocarbons and NOx, Inversions, and lots of sunlight. |
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Term
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Definition
| pollution that you can trace back to one place. like when you dump chemicals. |
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Term
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Definition
| amount of pollutants/amount of water |
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Term
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Definition
| all the pollution dumped into a given body of water |
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Term
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Definition
| a place where pollution collects |
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Term
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Definition
| the temperate grasslands of north america. fire plays an important role in this ecosystem. prairies are prone to drought. they have been farmed on extensively since the invention of the John Deere plow that could break through the tough soil. this is the source of the midwest's agrigultural industry. |
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Term
| Preservationalist School vs. Wise-Use School |
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Definition
| Preservationalists would like to keep the land pristine and use as little of it as possible, hopefully none. preservationalists like national parks. wise-use school says that we should try to have a sustainable use of land, but that things like secondary forests are fine. |
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Term
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Definition
| tropical, subtropical, or temperate woodland ecosystem. trees are present, but spaced openly enough to allow for the grasses to receive adequate sunlight. |
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Term
| Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act (1972): |
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Definition
| called for at least secondary sewage treatment facilities by 1977. some places with relatively low population density and deep ocean currents were allowed to get a waiver. |
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Term
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Definition
| method of logging where only certain trees are cut (such as only those of a particular diameter or species), leaving the land less barren. while it isn't exactly fantastic for ecosystems, it's better than clear cutting. it's just harder to do and more expensive, so it's hard to convince people that they would rather do this than clear cut. |
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Term
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Definition
| raises air temperature directly. with urban heat islands, there is a very large rise in sensible heat. this should be examined in contrast to latent heat. |
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Term
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Definition
| area where the flora is mainly shrubs, with woody stems, perennial growing patterns, and low growth. |
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Term
| Solar constant-how it is represented in numbers: |
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Definition
| rate at which solar radiation is received at the outer layers of Earth's atmosphere. 1.37 kW/m2 |
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Term
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Definition
| a vast, semi-arid, grassy plain, usually without trees. |
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Term
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Definition
| conversion to agriculture (fragmentation, overgrazing, desertification), and global warming as it changes precipitation. |
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Term
| Three Levels of Water Treatment |
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Definition
| primary (large solids), secondary (mandatory. take out biological content) and tertiary (nutrient removal). |
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Term
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Definition
tropical (most diverse), temperate, northern
coniferous (evergreen) |
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Term
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Definition
| monocropping of trees. same thing as tree mining. |
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Term
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Definition
| tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. also, there's permafrost. some trees are down with that, thus boreal forests (aka drunken forests). |
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Term
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Definition
| wavelengths of less than 0.4 micrometers (can destroy cells and cause cancers). |
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Term
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Definition
| wavelengths: 0.4 to 0.7 micrometers. |
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Term
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Definition
| a natural reserve of fresh water. |
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Term
| What happens to solar radiation at it enters atmosphere |
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Definition
| some is absorbed by the atmosphere, some is reflected as albedo radiation, and some is absorbed and heats the earth, or is used in photosynthesis. |
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Term
| Why are emissions levels set for 1990? |
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Definition
| because that's when East Germany and the Soviet Union lost their industrial capacities, so it was the last year that they were polluting all their nast. this means that the 1990 standard is a pretty easy one to start with. |
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Term
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Definition
| land that is covered with trees and shrubs. open canopy makes it different from forest. |
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Term
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Definition
| zone immediately below the surface which is partially filled with water and partially filled with air. |
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Term
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Definition
| area of an aquifer. below the water table. completely filled with water. this is where you dig wells into. |
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