APES

nonliving things

any compound that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Also a water solution that contains a surplus amount of hydrogen ions

enormous bodies of air that move as a unit

a soil horizon below the O horizon thats formed of weathered rock, with some organic material, aka topsoil

a basic structure; chemically a substance that absorbs hydrogen ions or releases hydroxide ions; a measure of the base content of water

land thats fit to be cultivated

the part if the mantle that lies just below the lithosphere

the gaseous mass or envelop surrounding a celestial body-the one around earth is retained by the celestial body's gravitational field

a long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland, built up by the zion of waves and currents and serving to protect the coast from erosion by surf and tidal surges

living or derived from living things

a soil horizon that receives the minerals and organic material that are leeched out of the A horizon

a soil horizon that is are up of larger pieces of rock that haven't undergone much weathering.

the finest soil, ,are up of particles that are less then .002 mm in diameter

the transmission or conveying of something through a medium or passage, especially the transmission of electrical charge or heat through a conducting medium without perceptible motion of the medium itself

the vertical movement of a mass of matter because of heating and cooling; this can happen in both the atmosphere and Earth's mantle

air currents caused by the vertical movement of air due to atmospheric heating and cooling

a plate boundary where two plates are moving toward each other

the observed effect of the Coriolis force, especially the deflection of an object moving above the earth, rightward in the northern hemisphere and leftward in the southern hemisphere as away from the equator

a usually triangular alluvia deposit at the mouth of the river

a plate boundary at which plates are moving away from each other. This causes an upwelling of magma from the mantle to cool and form new crust

a region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls

a climate variation that takes place in the tropical pacific about every three to seven years, for a duration of about a year

the part of the wide lower course of a river where its current is met by the tides

the place where two tectonic plates abut each other

the tome after the indrustial revolution when farming became mechanized and crop yields in industrialized nations boomed as farmers began using large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides

the phenomenon whereby the earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation, caused by the presence in the atmosphere of gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass throughout but absorb heat radiated back from the earth's surface

a system of vertical and horizontal air circulation that creates major weather patterns, predominately in tropical and subtropical

the water from which a river rises

the dark, crumbly, nutrient rich material that results from the decomposition of organic material, which is also a product of composting organic waste

the delivery rate of solar radiation per unit of horizontal surface

a high-speed, meandering wind current, generally moving from a westerly direction at speed often exceeding 400 km (250miles) per hour at altitudes of 15 to 25 km (10 to 15 miles)

deterioration of land quality, usually caused by its exploitation

a cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of south america, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns

the outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle approximately 100 km

soil composed of a mixture of sand, clay, silt, and organic material

the layer of the earth between the crust and the core

a wind system that influences large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally

the uppermost horizon of soil, made up of organic material.

when water rights are given to those who have historically used the water in a certain area

a bloom of dinoflagellates that causes reddish discoloration of costal ocean waters. Certain dinoflagellates of the genus gonyamlax produce toxins that kill fish and contaminate shell fish

The bedrock, which lies below all of the other layers of soil

the right as to fishing or to the use of a riverbed, of one who owns riparian land (the land adjacent to a river or stream)

occurs when soil becomes waterlogged from excess irrigation and then dries out. As the water evaporates, the salt crystalizes and forms a layer on the soil surface, preventing the growth of plants

the coarest soil with particles .05-2mm in diameter

soil with particles .0002-.05mm in diameter

the atmospheric pressure conditions corresponding to the periodic warming of el nino and the cooling of la nina

in tectonic plates, the sure at which an oceanic plate is sliding under a continental plate

a layer in a larger body of water that sharply separates regions differing in temperature, so that the temperature gradient across the layer is abrupt

the outermost shell of the atmosphere, between the mesosphere and outer space, where temperatures increase steadily with altitude

the A horizon of soil is ofter reffered to as this, its the most important thing for plant growth

boundaries at which plates are moving past each other, sideways

a cyclonic storm having winds ranging from approximately 48 to 121 km per hour

a process in which cold, often nutrient rich waters from the ocean depths rise to the surface

when the size of an organisms natural habitat is reduces or when development occurs that isolates a habitat

specs that originate and live or occur natural in an area or environment

matter can't be created or destroyed

the amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem

the process un which soil bacteria convert ammonium to a form that can be used by plants, either nitrate or no3

the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen unto compounds such as ammonia by natural agencies or various industrial processes

organisms that consume both producers and primary consumers

the process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source

organisms in the first staff of succession

a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area

when ecological succession begins in a virtually lifeless area

when a species occupies a smaller niche than it would be in the absence of competition

a place where a large quantity of a resource sits for a long period of time

the amount of time a resource spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool

organisms that are capable of breeding with oe another and incapable of breeding with other species

organisms that consume secondary consumers or other tertiary consumers

the act or process or transpiring, or releasing water vapor, especially through that stomata of plant tissue or the pores of the skin

the region draining into a river system or other body of water

countries that have a renewable annual water supply of less than 100m³ per person

countries that have a rewneable annual water supple that of about 1,00- 2,00 m³ per person

the production of ammonia or ammonium compounds in the decomposition of organic material, especially thought the action of bacteria

the process in which plants absorb ammonium, ammoia ions, and nitrate ions through their roots

produces; organisms that can prouduce their own organic compounds from inorganic compounds.nThey use energy from the sun or from the oxidant of inorganic substances

the accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism

the process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain

the part of the earth and its atmosphere where living organisms exists or that id capable of supporting life

an organism that obtains its nourishment through the oxidation of inorganic chemical compounds as opposed to photosynthesis

a stable, mature community in a successive series that has reached equilibrium after having evolves through stages and adapted to its environment

a few individuals exists but the effort needed to locate and harvest them isn't worth the expense

formed from populations of different species occupying the same geographic area

the process that occurs when 2 different species in a region compete and the better adapted species wins

the process by which specialized bacteria convert ammonia to no3, no2, and n2 and release it back to the atmosphere

organisms that derive energy from consuming nonliving organic material

there are so few individuals of a species that this species can no longer perform its ecological function

transition in species composition of a biologic, community often following ecological disturbance of the community; the establishment of a biological community in any are virtually barren of life

the condition in which, at the ecosystem boundaries, there is a greater species diversity and density then there is in the heart of the ecological communities.

the structure obtained if we organize the amount of energy contained in producers and consumers in an ecosystem, by kilocalories per square meter, from largest to smallest

change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations as result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals and resulting in the development of new species

a succession of organisms in an ecological community that constitutes a continuation of ford energy from one organism to another as each consumes a lower member and in turn is preyed upon by a higher member.

a complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community

states that no 2 species can occupy the same niche at the same time, and that the species that is less fit to live in the environment will either relocate, die out, or occupy a smaller niche

the amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis and subtracting from it the amount of energy the plants need for growthm maintenance, repair, and reproduction

begins with the very shallow water at the shoreline. Plants and animals that reside in the littoral zone receive abundant sunlight. The end of this zone is defined as the depth at which rooted plants stop growing

surface of open water; the region that extends to the depth that sunlight can penetrate. Organisms that are residents in this zone are short-lived and rely on sunlight to carry out photosynthesis

water that is too deep for sunlight to penetrate. Because the profundal zone is an aphasic zone ( a zone that light cannot reach) photosynthesizing plants and animals cannot live in this region

the deepest layer in a body of water; characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels

the fraction of solar energy that is reflected back into space

the amount that the population would grow if there were unlimited resources in its environment

a model thats used to predict population trends based on the birth and death rates as well as economic status of a population

the amount of the earths surface thats required to supply the needs of and dispose of the waste from a particular population

the random fluctuations in the frequency of the appearance of a gene in a small isolated population, presumably owing to chance rather than natural selection

when a population is well below the size dictated by the carrying capacity of its region, it will grow exponentially, but as it approaches the carrying capacity, its growth rate will decrease and the side of the population will eventual become stable

the number of individuals of a population that inhabit a certain unit of and or water area

when tress and crops are planted together, creating a mutualistic symbiotic relationship between them

the raising of fish and other aquatic species in captivity for harvest

fish production in which fish are caught in the wild and not raised in captivity for consumption

the management or regulation of a resource so that its use does not exceed the capacity of the resource to regenerate itself

a process in which rows of crops are plowed across the hillside; this prevents the erosion that can occur when rows are cut up and down on a slope

the value of natural resources

open or forested area built at the outer edge of a city

smoldering fires that take place in bogs or swamps and can burn undergrounds for days or weeks. difficult to detect or extinguish

a forest that has never been cut or seriously disturbed for several hundred years

the maintenance of a specs or ecosystem in order to ensure its perpetuation, with no concern as to their potent ion monetary value

area where cutting has occurred and a new, younger forest as arisen

the management of forest plantations for the purpose of harvesting timber

fires that typically burn only the forests underbrush and do little damage to mature trees. These fires actually serve to protect the forest from more harmful fires by removing underbrush and dead materials that would burn quickly at high temperatures

the use of devices to collect, focus, transport, or store energy

almost pure carbon, this is the cleanest burning coal

the unit used to describe the volume of fossil fuels

the second purest form of coal

a nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits into fragments, usually 2 of comparable mass, releasing from 100 million to several hundred million electron volts of energy

energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only transferred and transformed

a waste product by the burning of coal

n influential theory that concerns the long-term rate of conventional oil (and other fossil fuel) extraction and depletion. It predicts that the future world oil production will soon reach a peak and then rapidly decline

the energy of motion

the least pure coal

the process of using 2 nuclei

the rocks and earth that removed when strip mining for a commercially valuable mineral resource

oil, a hydrocarbon that forms as sediments are buried and pressurized

a semiconductor device that converts the energy of sunlight into electric energy

energy at rest or stored energy

an estimate of the amount of fossil fuel that can be obtained from reserve

sunlight

devices containing alkaline substances that precipitate out much of sulfur dioxide from industrial plants air effluent

the disorder of the universe is increasing. one corollary is the concept that in most energy transformations, a significant fraction of energy is lost to the universe as heat

the removal of the earth surface all the way down to the level of the mineral seam

the third purest form of coal

the sinking of shafts to reach underground deposits. Networks of tunnels are dug pr blasted and humans enter these tunnels in order to manually retrieve the coal

a platinum coated device that oxidizes most of the VOCs and some of the CO that would otherwise be emitted un exhaust, converting them to CO2

when materials such as plastic or aluminum are used to rebuild the same product.

the process that allow the organic material in solos waster to be decomposed and reintroduced into the soil, often as fertilizer

when the signs and symptoms of an illness can be attributed to a specify infectious organism that resides in the building

an effect that results from long term exposure to low levels of toxin

drilling a hole in the ground that below the water table to hold waste

occurs when infection causes a change in the state of health

a process in which on organism is exposed to a toxin at different concentrations, and the dosage that causes the death of an organism.

the result of graphing a dose- response analysis

the point at which 50% of the test orgaisms show a negative effect from a toxin

an intensification of the Greenhouse Effect due to the increased presence of heat trapping gases in the atmosphere

smog resulting from emissions of industry and other sources of gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels, especially coal

any waste that poses a danger to human health; it must be dealt with in a different way from other types of waste

urban areas that heat up more quickly and retain heat better than non urban area

radioactive wastes that produce high levels on ionizing radiation

the result of a pathogen invading a body

the point at which 50% of the test organisms die from a toxin

the liquid that percolates to the bottom of a landfill

radioactive wastes that produce low levels of ionizing radiation

when materials are reused to form new products

the thinning of the ozone layer or antartica

bacteria, virus, or other microorganisms that can cause disease

usually formed on hot sunny days when no NOx compounds, VOCs, and ozone combine to form smog with a brownish hue

any substance that has and LD₅₀ of 50 mg or less per kg of body weight

in a sewage treatment plant, the initial filtration that is done to remove debris such as stones, sticks, rags, etc that were flushed

pollutants that are real eased directly into the lower atmosphere

when physically treated sewage water is passed into a settling tank where suspended soils settle out as sludge; chemically treated polymers may be added to help suspended solids separate and settle out

calculating risk, or th degree of likelihood that a person will become ill upon exposure to a toxin or pathogen

pollutants that are formed by the combination of primary pollutants in the atmosphere

the biological treatment of wastewater in order to continues to remove biodegradable waste

a condition in which the majority of a buildings occupants experience certain symptoms that vary with the amount of time spent in the building, without being able to identify a specified cause or illness

the solids that remain after the secondary treatment of sewage

a tan filled with aerobic bacteria thats used to treat sewage

can consist of hazardous waste, industrial solid waste, or municipal waste. Many types of solid waste provide a threat to human health and the environment

a program funded by the federal government and a trust thats funded by taxes on the chemicals; identifies pollutants and cleans ip hazardous waste sites

the dosage level of a toxin at which a negative effect occurs

the degree to which a substance is biologically harmful

any substance that is inhaled, ingested, or absorbed at dosages suffienct to damage a living organism

ozone that exists in the troposphere

gave the EPA power to set emission standards for major sources of noise including transpiration, machinery, and construction

the carrier organism through which pathogens can attack, such as a tick

any water that has been used by humans

when everyday released from waste incineration is used to generate electricity

a fiscal policy that lower taxes on income, including wages and profit, and raises taxes on consumption, particually the unsustainable consumption of non-rewnable resources

when companies are allowed to buy permits that allow them a certain amount of discharge substances into certain environmental outlets. If they can reduce their amount of discharge, they are allowed to sell the remaining portion of their permit to another company