Download Human Impact vocab only

Human Impact
Chapter 6
Vocab ONLY
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 which
the 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
Way of using natural resources without depleting
them and of providing for human needs without
causing long term harm to the environment
Sustainable development
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 that
prevents importation into the United States of
anything that comes from an endangered animal
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered 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 fluorocarbons
used in aerosol cans and refrigerants that
cause 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
All the organisms that live in a place together
with their nonliving or physical environment
ecosystem
an immediate increase in the amount of algae
and other producers that results from the addition
of a large amount of limiting nutrient
Algal bloom