Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Environmental Physics
Chapter 1-8 for Midterm
63
Physics
Undergraduate 1
03/03/2013

Additional Physics Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
environment
Definition
the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or a group of organisms as well as the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual or a community
Term
climate
Definition
a description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area
Term
biodiversity
Definition
the genetic, species, and ecological diversity of the organisms in a given area
Term
sustainability
Definition
ecological, social, and economic systems that can last over the long term
Term
deductive reasoning
Definition
"top down" reasoning in which we start with a general principle and derive a testable prediction about a specific case
Term
inductive reasoning
Definition
"bottom-up" reasoning in which we study specific examples and try to discover patterns and derive general explanations from collected observations
Term
probability
Definition
the likelihood that a situation, a condition, or an event will occur
Term
histogram
Definition
a bar graph, generally with upright bars
Term
mean
Definition
average
Term
system
Definition
networks of interdependent components and processes
Term
throughputs
Definition
the flow of energy and/or matter into and out of a system
Term
positive feedback
Definition
factors that result from a process and, in turn, increase that same process
Term
negative feedback
Definition
factors that result from a process and, in turn, reduce that same process
Term
conservation of matter
Definition
in any chemical reaction, matter changes form; it is neither created nor destroyed
Term
atoms
Definition
the smallest particle that exhibits the characteristics of an element
Term
molecules
Definition
combinations of two or more atoms
Term
compounds
Definition
substances composed of different kinds of atoms
Term
acids
Definition
substances that release hydrogen atoms in water
Term
bases
Definition
substances that readily bond with hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution
Term
organic compounds
Definition
complex molecules organized around skeletons of carbon atoms arranged in rings or chains; includes biomolecules, molecules synthesized by living organisms
Term
energy
Definition
the capacity to do work, such as moving matter over a distance
Term
heat
Definition
total kinetic energy of atoms or molecules in a substance not associated with the bulk motion of the substance
Term
thermodynamics
Definition
the branch of physics that deals with transfers and conversions of energy
Term
first law of thermodynamics
Definition
states that energy is conserved; that is, it is neither created nor destroyed under normal conditions
Term
second law of thermodynamics
Definition
states that, with each successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do work
Term
chemosynthesis
Definition
extracting energy for life from inorganic chemicals, such as hydrogen sulfide, rather than from sunlight
Term
carbon cycle
Definition
the circulation and reutilization of carbon atoms, especially via the processes of photosynthesis and respiration
Term
nitrogen cycle
Definition
the circulation and reutilization of nitrogen in both inorganic and organic phases
Term
hydrologic cycle
Definition
the natural process by which water is purified and made fresh through evaporation and precipitation. This cycle provides all the freshwater available for biological life
Term
phosphorous cycle
Definition
the movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks
Term
sulfur cycle
Definition
the chemical and physical reactions by which sulfur moves into or out of storage and through the environment
Term
adaptation
Definition
physical changes that allow organisms to survive in a given environment
Term
endemic
Definition
a species that is restricted to a single region, country, or other area
Term
exponential growth
Definition
growth at a constant rate of increase per unit of time; can be expressed as a constant fraction or exponent
Term
logistic growth
Definition
growth rates regulated by internal and external factors that establish an equilibrium with environmental resources
Term
habitat
Definition
the place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives
Term
demography
Definition
the statistical study of human populations relating to growth rate, age structure, geographic distribution, etc, and their effects on social, economic, and environmental conditions
Term
biomes
Definition
broad, regional types of ecosystems characterized by distinctive climate and soil conditions and distinctive kinds of biological community adapted to those conditions
Term
thermocline
Definition
in water, a distinctive temperature transition zone that separates an upper layer that is mixed by the wind (the epilimnion) and a colder deep layer that is not mixed (the hypolimnion)
Term
telemetry
Definition
locating or studying organisms at a distance using radio signals or other electronic media
Term
desertification
Definition
denuding and degrading a once fertile land, initiating a desert-producing cycle that feeds on itself and causes long-term changes in soil, climate and biota of an area
Term
corridors
Definition
strips of natural habitat that connect two adjacent nature preserves to allow migration of organisms from one place to another
Term
genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Definition
organisms created by combining natural or synthetic genes using the techniques of molecular biology
Term
pathogens
Definition
organisms that produce disease in host organisms, disease being an alteration of one or more metabolic functions in response to the presence of the organisms
Term
disease
Definition
a deleterious change in the body's condition in response to destabilizing factors, such as nutrition, chemicals, or biological agents
Term
LD50
Definition
a chemical dose lethal to 50 percent of a test population
Term
biomagnification
Definition
increase in concentration of certain stable chemicals (for example, heavy metals or fat-soluble pesticides) in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web
Term
indigenous
Definition
native
Term
third law of thermodynamics
Definition
law stating that the entropy of a substance approaches zero as its temperature approaches absolute zero
Term
toxicology
Definition
the study of the adverse effects of external factors on an organism or a system. This includes environmental chemicals, drugs, and diet as well as physical factors, such as ionizing radiation, UV light, and electromagnetic forces.
Term
hadal zone
Definition
delineation for deepest trenches in the ocean. this zone is found around the depth of 6,000 meters. has low population and low marine life.
Term
natural experiment
Definition
one that involves observation of events that have already happened.
Term
manipulative experiment
Definition
conditions are deliberately altered and all other variables are held constant
Term
blind experiment
Definition
the researcher doesn't know which group is treated until after the data have been analyzed
Term
double-blind experiments
Definition
neither the subject nor the researcher knows who is in the treatment group and who is in the control group
Term
distribution
Definition
A theoretical frequency distribution for a set of variable data, usually represented by a bell-shaped curve symmetrical about the mean.
Term
inorganic compounds
Definition
any compound that does not contain carbon
Term
respiration
Definition
the process in which a cell breaks down sugar or other organic compounds to release energy used for cellular work; may be anaerobic or aerobic, depending on the availability of oxygen
Term
biological community
Definition
the population of plants, animals, and microorganisms living and interacting in a certain area at a given time
Term
tolerance
Definition
there are minimum and maximum tolerance limits. tolerance limits are beyond what a particular species cannot survive or is unable to reproduce
Term
forest
Definition
any area where trees cover more than 10% of the land
Term
competition
Definition
A symbiotic relationship between or among living things for resources, such as food, space, shelter, mate, ecological status, etc "survival of the fittest"
Term
erosion
Definition
The process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents. The slow destruction of habitats and the environment
Supporting users have an ad free experience!