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INST 2000 BGSU Exam 2 Ch.5-7
notecards for test 2
59
International Studies
Undergraduate 1
02/21/2011

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Term
series of huge waves
Definition
tsunamis
Term
conflicts with controlling water as a central feature
Definition
water wars
Term
gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane. ozone, and nitrous oxide, that warm the earth's atmosphere by absorbing infrared radiation
Definition
greenhouse gases
Term
vector-born disease that is carried by mosquitoes and kills millions each year
Definition
malaria
Term
community of plants, animals, and smaller organisms that live, feed, reproduce, and interact in the same area or environment
Definition
ecosystems
Term
non-renewable sources of energy such as oil, gas, and coal
Definition
fossil fuels
Term
what is the leading contributor to climate change
Definition
CO2 emissions
Term
effects, processes, or materials that are the result of human activities
Definition
anthropogenic
Term
clearing of forests, usually by logging or burning, which not only releases carbon into the atmosphere but also often results in soil erosion, desertification, and the loss of habitats and biodiversity
Definition
deforestation
Term
how does cutting down trees cause CO2 emission
Definition
when trees are cut down they release carbon that mixed with oxygen in the air causing CO2 to form
Term
meat from wild animals
Definition
bush meat
Term
types of viruses that break down the body's ability to fight opportunistic infections
Definition
human immunodeficiency viruses
Term
what is the second largest contributor of CO2 emissions
Definition
deforestation
Term
particular group of inhabitants of a geographic space whose connections to that space are the earliest known human connections to that land
Definition
indigenous peoples
Term
deterioration of the ozone layer which serves to protect the earth from the dangerous ultraviolet light of the sun
Definition
ozone depletion
Term
measure of a solution's acidity
Definition
pH balance
Term
large marine formations created from the calcium carbonate skeletons of coral animals that support living corals and various forms of plant and animal life
Definition
coral reefs
Term
why are oceans important to CO2 emissions
Definition
about half of CO2 emissions are absorbed by the oceans
Term
process by which plants, and some other species, use the energy of sunlight to create the sugars necessary for respiration
Definition
photosynthesis
Term
whitening of corals resulting from the stress-induced expulsion of the algae zooxanthellae
Definition
coral bleaching
Term
a relationship in which two dissimilar organisms rely upon each other for mutual gain
Definition
symbiotic
Term
single-celled algae that live symbiotically with corals
Definition
zooxanthellae
Term
warming of Pacific water that creates changes in climatic weather patterns
Definition
El Nino
Term
unusually cold water in the Pacific that causes weather disruptions
Definition
La Nina
Term
lacking enough water to meet basic daily needs
Definition
water scarcity
Term
land on the Jordan river that has been central to the conflicts in the Middle East
Definition
West Bank
Term
largest single water-bearing unit in North America that is being drawn upon so heavily that water levels are dropping each year
Definition
Ogallala aquifier
Term
places where factory famrs store animal waste
Definition
lagoons
Term
waste materials produced from the process of extracting minerals from ore
Definition
tailings
Term
accumulation of too much salt in water or soil
Definition
oversalinization
Term
plant life
Definition
flora
Term
animal life
Definition
fauna
Term
land areas in which the soil is either permanently or seasonally saturated with moisture
Definition
wetlands
Term
areas beyond suburbs that serve as commuter towns to nearby urban areas
Definition
ex-urban
Term
gradual transformation of habitable land into desert
Definition
desertification
Term
process whereby existing organix material is cut down and burned to clear land for farming
Definition
slash and burn farming
Term
cold-blooded vertebrates that can live in the water and on land
Definition
amphibians
Term
transferred through water, this fungus attaches itself to amphibians' skin making it hard for them to breathe
Definition
chytrid fungus
Term
species whose presence, absence, or condition in an area indicates certain environmental conditions
Definition
sentinel species
Term
North and South America before Columbus landed
Definition
pre-Columbian
Term
pathogenic microorganisms that are transferred from host to host by blood-sucking arthropods like mosquitoes and ticks
Definition
vector-borne diseases
Term
chemical substances that do not break down in the environment
Definition
persistent organic pollutants
Term
to accumulate in a biological or ecological system over time
Definition
bioaccumulate
Term
effort by scientists to engineer fewe improved strains of wheat and corn in order to increase food supplies in developing countries
Definition
Green Revolution
Term
surplus exlectronics that are not recycled
Definition
e-waste
Term
technologies that cause limited to no harm ot the environment in a sustainable way
Definition
environmental technologies
Term
fuel made from recently dead biological materials
Definition
biofuels
Term
renewable energy source that uses heat from the Earth for energy
Definition
geothermal energy
Term
unit of measurement that describes the amount of radioactivity in a sample
Definition
curie
Term
refers to the floating pile of garbage in the Pacific Ocean that is generally trapped in a fixed location due to wind and water patterns
Definition
plastic soup
Term
gas produced when abcteria digest organic material
Definition
biogas
Term
production of unwanted materials as a by-product of economic processes
Definition
waste production
Term
what are the two main strategies used to dispose of human waste
Definition
landfills and incinerators
Term
use of resources in such a way that human needs are met while environmental damage in minimized
Definition
sustainable development
Term
treaty requiring nations to protect biodiversity and the ecosystems upon which various species depend
Definition
Biodiversity Treaty
Term
number and variety of different living organisms within an ecosystem as well as the genetic variation within each species
Definition
biodiversity
Term
use of microorganisms for inducstrial and commercial enterprise
Definition
biotechnologies
Term
process through which sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that are emitted into the air mix with atmospheric water and oxygen and the nfall back to the land in the form of acid
Definition
acid rain
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