This is a glossary of environmental science.
Environmental science is the study of interactions among physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment. Environmental science provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.
0-9 1-in-100 flood – a flood with 1 in 100 chance of occurring in any given year (used as a safety requirement for the construction industry.) 20/30/10 standard - 20 mg/L Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), 30 mg/L Suspended Solids (SS), 10 units of E. coli: the water quality standard for greywater use in toilets, laundry and surface irrigation. 5Rs - (sustainability) reduce, remanufacture, reuse, recycle, recover.
A abiotic component - Any non-living chemical or physical part of the environment that affects living and the functioning of , such as the atmosphere and water resources. (see also biotic). absorption pit (soakaway) – a hole dug in permeable ground and filled with broken stones or granular material and usually covered with earth allowing collected water to soak into the ground. absorption - one substance taking in another, either physically or chemically. acclimation - the process of an organism adjusting to chronic change in its environment. acid mine drainage - the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines. acid rain - rain or other forms of precipitation that is unusually acidic. adaptation - a characteristic of an organism that has been favoured by natural selection. adaptive radiation - closely related species that look very different, as a result of having adapted to widely different ecological niches. additionality - (of biodiversity offsets) where the conservation outcomes delivered by a biodiversity offset are demonstrably new and would not have resulted without the offset. adsorption - one substance taking up another at its surface. aerobic - requiring air or oxygen; used in reference to decomposition processes that occur in the presence of oxygen. aerosols - solid or liquid particles suspended within the atmosphere. affluenza - as defined in the book of the same nameHamilton, C. & Denniss, R. (2005). Affluenza: when too much is never enough. Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, Sydney. 1. the bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. an epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the Australian dream. 3. an unsustainable addiction to economic growth. The traditional Western environmentally unfriendly high consumption life-style: a play on the words affluence and influenza cf. froogle, freegan. afforestation - planting new forests on lands that have not been recently forested. agroforestry - (sustainability) an ecologically based farming system, that, through the integration of trees in farms, increases social, environmental and economic benefits to land users. air pollution - the modification of the natural characteristics of the atmosphere by a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent. albedo - reflectance; the ratio of light from the Sun that is reflected by the Earth's surface, to the light received by it. Unreflected light is converted to infrared radiation (heat), which causes atmospheric warming (see "radiative forcing"). Thus, surfaces with a high albedo, like snow and ice, generally contribute to cooling, whereas surfaces with a low albedo, like forests, generally contribute to warming. Changes in land use that significantly alter the characteristics of land surfaces can alter the albedo. algal bloom - the rapid and excessive growth of algae; generally caused by high nutrient levels combined with other favourable conditions. Blooms can deoxygenate the water leading to the loss of wildlife. alien species - see introduced species. alloy - composite blend of materials made under special conditions. Metal alloys like brass and bronze are well known but there are also many plastic alloys. alternative fuels - fuels like ethanol and compressed natural gas that produce fewer emissions than the traditional fossil fuels. anaerobic digestion - the biological degradation of organic materials in the absence of oxygen to yield methane gas (that may be combusted to produce energy) and stabilised organic residues (that may be used as a soil additive). anaerobic - not requiring air or oxygen; used in reference to decomposition processes that occur in the absence of oxygen. ancient forest - see old growth forest. anoxic - with abnormally low levels of oxygen. anthropogenic - man-made, not natural. anthroposophy - spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) which postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development - more specifically through cultivating conscientiously a form of thinking independent of sensory experience. Steiner was the initiator of biodynamic gardening. application efficiency - (sustainability) the efficiency of watering after losses due to runoff, leaching, evaporation, wind etc. appropriated carrying capacity - another name for the Ecological Footprint, but often used in referring to the imported ecological capacity of goods from overseas. aquaculture - the cultivation of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions. aquifer – a bed or layer yielding water for wells and springs etc.; an underground geological formation capable of receiving, storing and transmitting large quantities of water. Aquifer types include: confined (sealed and possibly containing “fossil” water); unconfined (capable of receiving inflow); and Artesian (an aquifer in which the hydraulic pressure will cause the water to rise above the upper confining layer). arable land - land that can be used for growing crops. atmosphere – general name for the layer of gases around a material body; the Earth's atmosphere consists, from the ground up, of the troposphere (which includes the planetary boundary layer or peplosphere, the lowest layer), stratosphere, mesosphere, ionosphere (or thermosphere), exosphere and magnetosphere. autotroph - an organism that produces complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules using energy from light or inorganic chemical reactions. available water capacity – that proportion of soil water that can be readily absorbed by plant roots. avoidance – (sustainability) the first step in the waste hierarchy where waste generation is prevented (avoided).
B backflow - movement of water back to source e.g. contaminated water in a plumbing system. baffle - (landscape design) an obstruction to trap debris in drainage water. bagasse - the fibrous residue of sugar cane milling used as a fuel to produce steam in sugar mills. baseload - the steady and reliable supply of energy through the grid. This is punctuated by bursts of higher demand known as “peak-load”. Supply companies must be able to respond instantly to extreme variation in demand and supply, especially during extreme conditions. Gas generators can react quickly while coal is slow but provides the steady "baseload". Renewable energies are generally not available on demand in this way. batters - (landscape design) the slope of earthworks such as drainage channels. best practice - a process, or innovative use of technology, equipment or resources or other measurable factors that have a proven record of success. bioaccumulation - the accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of a living organism. biocapacity - a measure of the biological productivity of an area. This may depend on natural conditions or human inputs like farming and forestry practices; the area needed to support the consumption of a defined population. biocoenosis (alternatively, biocoenose or biocenose ) – all the interacting organisms living together in a specific habitat (or biotope). biodegradable - capable of being decomposed through the action of organisms, especially bacteria. biodiversity - the variety of life in all its forms, levels and combinations; includes ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity. biodiversity banking - a market system for biodiversity offsetting that turns offsets into assets that can be traded.eftec, IEEP et al. (2010) The use of market-based instruments for biodiversity protection – The case of habitat banking – Summary Report. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enveco/index.htm biodiversity credit - a certificate that represents a measured and evidence-based unit of positive biodiversity outcome that is durable and additional to what would otherwise have occurred. biodiversity offset - measurable conservation outcomes that result from actions designed to compensate for significant residual impacts on biodiversity, arising from a project and persisting after appropriate avoidance, minimization and restoration measures have been taken. The goal of biodiversity offsets is to achieve "no net loss" while adhering to a "like- for-like" principle, where offsets conserve the same biodiversity values that a project impacts. bioelement - an element required by a living organism. bioenergy - used in different senses: in its most narrow sense it is a synonym for biofuel, fuel derived from biological sources. In its broader sense it encompasses also biomass, the biological material used as a biofuel, as well as the social, economic, scientific and technical fields associated with using biological sources for energy. biofuel - the fuel produced by the chemical and/or biological processing of biomass. Biofuel will either be a solid (e.g. charcoal), liquid (e.g. ethanol) or gas (e.g. methane). biogas - landfill gas and sewage gas, also called biomass gas. biogeochemical cycle - a circuit or pathway by which a chemical element or molecule moves through both biotic ("bio-") and abiotic ("geo-") parts of an ecosystem. biogeochemical cycles - the movement of chemical elements between organisms and non-living components of the atmosphere, aquatic systems and soils. biological oxygen demand (BOD) - a chemical procedure for determining how fast biological organisms use up oxygen in a body of water. biological pest control - a method of controlling pests (including insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases) that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms. biological productivity - (bioproductivity) the capacity of a given area to produce biomass; different ecosystems (i.e. pasture, forest, etc.) will have different levels of bioproductivity. Biological productivity is determined by dividing the total biological production (how much is grown and living) by the total area available. biologically productive land - is land that is fertile enough to support forests, agriculture and / or animal life. All of the biologically productive land of a country comprises its biological capacity. Arable land is typically the most productive area. biomass - the materials derived from photosynthesis (fossilised materials may or may not be included) such as forest, agricultural crops, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, aquatic plants, and municipal and industrial wastes; the quantity of organic material present in unit area at a particular time mostly expressed as tons of dry matter per unit area; organic matter that can be used as fuel. biome - a climatic and geographically defined area of ecologically similar communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, often referred to as ecosystems. biophysical - the living and non-living components and processes of the ecosphere. Biophysical measurements of nature quantify the ecosphere in physical units such as cubic metres, kilograms or joules. bioregion - (ecoregion) an area comprising a natural ecological community and bounded by natural borders.