Botkin Environmental Science Earth as Living Planet 8th txtbk

Glossary G-7
environmental impacts resulting from a particular project,
often at the state level.
Environmental impact statement (EIS) A written statement
that assesses and explores possible impacts associated with
a particular project that may affect the human environment.
The statement is required in the United States by the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
Environmental justice The principle of dealing with environmental
problems in such a way as to not discriminate
against people based upon socioeconomic status, race, or
ethnic group.
Environmental law A field of law concerning the conservation
and use of natural resources and the control of pollution.
Environmental tobacco smoke Commonly called secondhand
smoke from people smoking tobacco.
Environmental unity A principle of environmental sciences
that states that everything affects everything else, meaning
that a particular course of action could lead to a string of
events. Another way of stating this idea is that you can’t do
only one thing.
Environmentalism A social, political, and ethical movement
concerned with protecting the environment and using its
resources wisely.
Epidemic disease A disease that appears occasionally in the
population, affects a large percentage of it, and declines or
almost disappears for a while only to reappear later.
Equilibrium A point of rest. At equilibrium, a system remains
in a single, fixed condition and is said to be in equilibrium.
Compare with Steady state.
Eukaryote An organism whose cells have nuclei and organelles.
The eukaryotes include animals, fungi, vegetation, and many
single-cell organisms.
Eutrophic Referring to bodies of water having an abundance
of the chemical elements required for life.
Eutrophication Increase in the concentration of chemical
elements required for living things (for example, phosphorus).
Increased nutrient loading may lead to a population
explosion of photosynthetic algae and blue-green bacteria
that become so thick that light cannot penetrate the water.
Bacteria deprived of light beneath the surface die; as they
decompose, dissolved oxygen in the lake is lowered and
eventually a fish kill may result. Eutrophication of lakes
caused by human-induced processes, such as nutrient-rich
sewage water entering a body of water, is called cultural
eutrophication.
Even-aged stands A forest of trees that began growth in or
about the same year.
Evolution, biological The change in inherited characteristics
of a population from generation to generation, sometimes
resulting in a new species.
Evolution, nonbiological Outside the realm of biology, the
term evolution is used broadly to mean the history and
development of something.
Exotic species Species introduced into a new area, one in
which it had not evolved.
Experimental errors There are two kinds of experimental
errors, random and systematic. Random errors are those
due to chance events, such as air currents pushing on
a scale and altering a measurement of weight. In contrast,
a miscalibration of an instrument would lead to a
systematic error. Human errors can be either random or
systematic.
Exponential growth Growth in which the rate of increase is a
constant percentage of the current size; that is, the growth
occurs at a constant rate per time period.
Exponential growth rate The annual growth rate is a constant
percentage of the population.
Externality In economics, an effect not normally accounted
for in the cost–revenue analysis.
Extinction Disappearance of a life-form from existence; usually
applied to a species.
Facilitation During succession, one species prepares the way
for the next (and may even be necessary for the occurrence
of the next).
Fact Something that is known based on actual experience and
observation.
Fall line The point on a river where there is an abrupt drop
in elevation of the land and where numerous waterfalls
occur. The line in the eastern United States is located where
streams pass from harder to softer rocks.
Fallow A farm field unplanted or allowed to grow with a cover
crop without harvesting for at least one season.
Fecal coliform bacteria Bacteria that occur naturally in
human intestines and are used as a standard measure of
microbial pollution and an indicator of disease potential
for a water source.
Feedback A kind of system response that occurs when output
of the system also serves as input leading to changes in the
system.
First law of thermodynamics The principle that energy may
not be created or destroyed but is always conserved.
First-law efficiency The ratio of the actual amount of energy
delivered where it is needed to the amount of energy supplied
in order to meet that need; expressed as a percentage.
Fission The splitting of an atom into smaller fragments with
the release of energy.
Flood Inundation of an area by water, often produced by
intense rain storms, melting of snow, storm surges from
a hurricane, or tsunami, or failure of a flood-protection
structure such as a dam.
Flooding, natural The process whereby waters emerge from
their stream channel to cover part of the floodplain. Natural
flooding is not a problem until people choose to build homes
and other structures on floodplains.
Floodplain Flat topography adjacent to a stream in a river
valley that has been produced by the combination of overbank
flow and lateral migration of meander bends.
Fluidized-bed combustion A process used during the combustion
of coal to eliminate sulfur oxides. Involves mixing finely
ground limestone with coal and burning it in suspension.
Flux The rate of transfer of material within a system per unit
time.
Food chain The linkage of who feeds on whom.
Food-chain concentration See Biomagnification.