ENVR 100 exam 1 - provisioning services

the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

claims that are not the result of scientific inquiry or are derived by a process that is not open to scientific scrutiny

a concept that assigns a value to human benefits derived from naturally functioning ecosystems

the modern geological era during which humans have dramatically affected the environment

management of natural resources in ways that do not diminish or degrade Earth's ability to provide them in the future

environment, economy, and equity

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

ability of an ecosystem to remain unchanged in the face of disturbance/ability to recover from damage and return to its pre-disturbed state

energy is conserved: it cannot be created or destroyed

overall quality of energy is degraded/wasted as it is transferred or transformed (increasing entropy in environment)

provisioning, regulating, cultural, & supporting

all abiotic factors in addition to the entire community of species that exist in a certain area

a part of Earth where a material (such as water) remains for a period of time

a subsurface area of rock or sediment where water can accumulate or pass through

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.

freshwater sources visible to us, such as rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands

a mass of ice that flows over land surfaces and lasts all year

frozen ocean water that is usually seasonal

water perpetually frozen in soil or rock

an ecosystem in a lake or pond or other relatively still water

an ecosystem in flowing water such as a river or stream

reliable access to adequate safe and affordable water

not having access to enough clean water supplies

fuel formed from organisms from earlier geologic eras

material made of hydrogen and carbon molecules derived from ancient, solar energy-capturing photosynthesis

a known resource of a fossil fuel that can be economically accessed with current technology at current prices

a mining process commonly used to extract coal, where entire mountaintops are removed to scoop out the underlying resource

a process using a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals pumped at high pressure into an oil or gas well to fracture the rock and release the fuel locked up inside

a type of loose-grained rock deposit bonded with oil

a machine that uses winds to turn large blades that, in turn, power a generator and creates electricity

a power source with generating capacity that changes according to the time of day, weather conditions, and other factors

PV = photovoltaic, CST = concentrated solar thermal; PV produces electric charge when exposed to sunlight, CST captures heat using mirrors to focus sunlight towards liquid-filled pipes or a centrally located "power tower"

power generated when water is used to spin turbines and generate electricity

power generated when the nuclei of atoms are split, releasing a large amount of energy

a process where the nuclei of atoms are split, releasing a very large amount of energy

power generated by hear from below the Earth's surface

recently living matter or by-products of its decomposition used as an energy source

a type of biofuel made of alcohol and produced by fermenting sugars in plants such as corn or sugarcane; often blended with gasoline

a device that creates an electric current by stripping electrons from hydrogen molecules

EV = a vehicle powered by an electric motor using a magnetic field to generate motion; ICE = internal combustion engine, generates motion by producing many controlled explosions to move metal parts

Renewable Energy Certificates

a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide/GHG made in order to compensate for/offset an emission made somewhere else

a group of organisms that are closely related to each other and are usually able to breed with each other to produce viable offspring

a collection of the same species living in a given area

in biology, populations of different species living and interacting in a particular place

the process of genetic change in populations over generations

the process where organisms better adapted to their environment survive and tend to produce more offspring

an evolutionary process where, over many generations, an ancestral species diversifies, producing a variety of new species adapted to specific sets of conditions (niches) of an ecosystem

an organism's basic unit of inheritance between a parent and its offspring

alternate form of a gene

ability for genes to exchange between individuals/populations

goods humans consume that are directly provided by ecosystems (ex: food, fresh water, fuel, etc)

natural processes of ecosystems that provide favorable conditions for humans (ex: climate, flood, disease, water regulation)

benefits to humans from the environment that may not be essential to survival but that greatly enhance our quality of life (ex: aesthetic, spiritual, educational, recreational)

the fundamental natural conditions on which many other ecosystem services depend

changes in gene pool due to random chance