ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Aerosols - ANS-Very fine liquid droplets or solid particles aloft in the atmosphere. Affluenza - ANS-Term coined by social critics to describe failure of material good to bring happiness to people who have the financial needs to afford them. Age Distribution (Age Structure) - ANS-The relative number of organisms of each age within a population. Effects population growth or decline and are expressed in ratios. Acid Deposition - ANS-The settling of acidic or acid-forming pollutants from the atmosphere onto Earth's surface. This may take place by precipitation, fog, gases, or the deposition of dry particles. Acid Drainage - ANS-A process in which sulfide minerals in newly exposed rock surfaces react with oxygen and rainwater to produce sulfuric acid, which causes chemical runoff as it leaches metals from the rocks. Mining greatly accelerates it by exposing many new surfaces. Acidic - ANS-There property of a solution in the the concentration of hydrogen ions is greater than the concentration of hydroxide ions. Acid-Neutralizing Capacity - ANS-The capacity of soil, rock, or water to resist pH change from acid deposition, due to its alkaline chemistry. Acid Rain - ANS-Acid deposition that takes place through rain. Active Solar Energy Collection - ANS-An approach in which technological devices are used to focus, move, or store solar energy. Acute Exposure - ANS-Exposure to a toxicant occurring in high amounts for short periods of time. Adaptation (Climate Change) - ANS-The pursuit of strategies to protect ourselves from the impacts of climate change. Adaptation (Evolution) - ANS-The process by which traits that lead to increased reproductive success in a given environment evolve in a population through natural selection. Adaptive Management - ANS-The systematic testing of different management approaches to improve methods over time. Adaptive Trait - ANS-A trait that confers greater likelihood that an individual will reproduce. Aerobic - ANS-Occurring in an environment where oxygen is present. (decay of rotting logs) Agricultural Revolution - ANS-The shift around 10,000 years ago from a huntergatherer life-style to an agricultural way of life in which people began to grow crops and raise domestic animals. Agriculture - ANS-The practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock for human use and consumption. Air Pollutants - ANS-Gases and particulate material added to the atmosphere that can affect climate or harm people or other organisms. Air Pollution - ANS-The act of pollution the air, or the condition of being polluted by air pollutants. Air shed - ANS-The geographic area that produces air pollutants likely to end up in a waterway. Albedo - ANS-The capacity of a surface to reflect light. higher albedo values refer to greater reflectivity. Allergen - ANS-A toxicant that over activates the immune system, causing an immune response when one is not necessary. Allopatric Speciation - ANS-Species formation due to the physical separation of populations over some geographic distance. Alloy - ANS-A substance created by fusing a metal with other metals or nonmetals. Anaerobic - ANS-Occurring in an environment that has little or no oxygen. Anthropocentrism - ANS-A human-centered view of our relationship with the environment. Anthropogenic - ANS-Caused by human beings Aquaculture - ANS-The cultivation of aquatic organisms for food in controlled environments. Aquifer - ANS-An underground water reservoir. Archipelago - ANS-A group of islands, most often in a linear arrangement. Area Effect - ANS-In island biogeography theory, the pattern that large islands host more species than smaller islands, because larger islands provide larger targets for immigration because extinction rates are reduced. Artesian Aquifer (Confined Aquifer) - ANS-A water-bearing, porous layer of rock, and, or gravel that is trapped between an upper and lover layer of less permeable substrate, such as clay. Water is under pressure because it is trapped between two impermeable layers. Artificial Selection - ANS-Natural selection conduction under human direction. Asbestos - ANS-Any of several types of mineral that form long, thin microscopic fibers, a structure that allows asbestos to insulate buildings for heat, muffle sound, and resist fire. When inhaled, leads to lung cancer. Asian Brown Cloud (Atmospheric Brown Cloud) - ANS-A persisten 2-mile-thick layer of air pollution from southern Asia that hangs over the Indian subcontinent throughout the dry season, each December through April. Asbestosis - ANS-A disorder resulting from lung tissue scarred by acid following prolonged inhalation of asbestos. Asthenosphere - ANS-A layer of the upper mantle, just below the lithosphere, consisting of especially rock. Atmosphere - ANS-The thin layer of gases surrounding planet Earth. Atmospheric Blocking Pattern - ANS-A condition in which the atmosphere's jet stream slows and meanders widely into a north-south orientation that blocks the eastward movement of weather systems across the midlatitudes.