Glossary of environmental science

The Glossary of Environmental Science is a comprehensive list of terms and definitions used in the field of environmental science. This glossary serves as a fundamental tool for students, researchers, and professionals within the discipline, providing clear and concise explanations of key concepts, phenomena, and technologies related to the study and management of the environment.

A

• Abiotic factor - Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.
• Acid rain - Rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm, typically to forests and lakes.
• Aerosols - Tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere, which can affect climate by scattering solar radiation and modifying cloud properties.

B

• Biodiversity - The variety and variability of life on Earth, typically measured as the variability within species, between species, and between ecosystems.
• Biome - A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.
• Biosphere - The global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

C

• Carbon footprint - The total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly and indirectly by a person, organization, event, or product.
• Climate change - A change in global or regional climate patterns, particularly a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.
• Conservation biology - The study of the preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife.

D

• Deforestation - The clearing, clearing away, or removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use.
• Desertification - The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

E

• Ecosystem - A community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system.
• Endangered species - Species that are at risk of extinction due to sudden rapid decrease in their population or loss of their critical habitat.

F

• Fossil fuels - Natural fuels such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

G

• Global warming - The long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system, an aspect of climate change shown by temperature measurements and by multiple effects of the warming.

H

• Habitat - The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

I

• Invasive species - Plants, fungi, or animals that are not native to a specific location (an introduced species), and which have a tendency to spread to a degree believed to cause damage to the environment, human economy or human health.

J

• Jet stream - A narrow, variable band of very strong, predominantly westerly air currents encircling the globe several miles above the earth.

K

• Keystone species - A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

L

• Land degradation - The process by which the quality of the land is diminished due to human activity or natural phenomena.

M

• Mitigation - The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something, especially in terms of environmental impact.

N

• Nitrogen cycle - The series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms, including nitrogen fixation and decomposition.

O

• Ozone depletion - The reduction in the amount of ozone in the stratosphere, which is caused by the release of certain chemicals from industries and other human activities.

P

• Pollution - The introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.

Q

• Quaternary recovery - An advanced method used to enhance the extraction of oil and gas from a reservoir after the conventional recovery methods have been exhausted.

R

• Renewable energy - Energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.

S

• Sustainability - The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level, especially referring to the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.

T

• Trophic level - The position that an organism occupies in a food chain - what it eats, and what eats it.

U

• Urban sprawl - The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas.

V

• Vulnerability assessment - The process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing (or ranking) the vulnerabilities in a system.

W

• Wetlands - Land areas that are saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem.

X

• Xeriscaping - A landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques.

Y

• Yield (ecology) - The full amount of an agricultural, forest, or natural product that can be produced from a site.

Z

• Zero-emissions - A process or technology that emits no waste products that pollute the environment or disrupt the climate.