The ability of a body of water to naturally purify itself of pollutants. …
Two or more species living in the same place at the same time. See also community. …
A measure of the likely occurrence of particular two species together, in association. …
A small, rocky or metallic star‐like body that orbits the Sun in the asteroid belt in between Mars and Jupiter. There are probably more than 100?000 asteroids in space, which might be remnants of a former planet or planets that disintegrated, or may be part of the original matter of the solar system that never became a planet. The risk of an asteroid impact on Earth is measured using the Torino …
The weak upper part of the mantle within the Earth's interior, just below the lithosphere. …
The Atlantic Ocean north of the equator, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. …
The Earth's second largest ocean, which covers about a fifth of its surface, and is bounded by North and South America to the west and by Europe and Africa to the east. It is relatively shallow, and is the warmest and most saline of the major oceans. …
1 The mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth, which includes nitrogen (78.08%), oxygen (20.94%) and carbon dioxide (0.035%). It is a major environmental system, which interacts with the lithosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere. It contains a variable amount of fine solid material, held up in suspension by air currents, wind systems, and convection currents, which comes from a variety of …
The deposition of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials from the air onto land or oceans. See also acid rain. …
The force exerted by the weight of the overlying atmosphere. Pressure is measured with a barometer and expressed in bars or millibars (mb), and pressure readings are normally adjusted to sea level equivalents in order to eliminate the effects of altitude. Mean atmospheric pressure on Earth is 1013.25?mb. High pressure cells within the atmosphere, which generally produce stable weather conditions, …
The movement of air pollutants from one region to another via the atmosphere, which may be for hundreds or even thousands of kilometres and can cross national boundaries to create international or trans‐frontier pollution. …
A region of the electromagnetic spectrum, from 8 to 12 micrometres, where the atmosphere is effectively transparent to longwave radiation. …
A low‐lying island composed of coral reef, which is usually circular or horseshoe‐shaped, with a lagoon in the middle. …
The smallest part of an element that can exist. An atom is composed of a nucleus containing protons and neutrons surrounded by motile electrons. See also electron, proton, neutron, subatomic. …
Energy that is released in a nuclear reaction, either by fission or fusion. …
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which defines and identifies the element, indicating its place in the periodic table of the elements. The atomic number is also equal to the number of electrons in the atom. …
Species whose survival is not guaranteed. These are often classified as endangered, threatened, or species of concern. See also imperilled species. …
A geographical area in which levels of a criteria air pollutant meet the national ambient air quality standard for that pollutant. An area may have an acceptable level for one criteria air pollutant but not for others, so it could be both an attainment and a non‐attainment area at the same time. See non‐attainment area. …
Weakening, such as the dilution of concentration of a compound or agent, or a reduction in the size and energy of a signal (such as a seismic wave). …
A chemical or agent that attracts insects or other pests by stimulating their sense of smell. …
The difference between the incidence rate (of a disease or effect) in groups who have been exposed to an environmental risk and that in non‐exposed groups. …
The wearing or grinding down of a substance by friction. …
An inspection or systematic examination of a process or activity, often carried out by an independent or external specialist, designed to ensure compliance with requirements. See also environmental audit. …
A US wildlife artist ( 1785 ? 1851 ) who published the book Birds of America (a collection of 435 life‐size prints). His name is synonymous with birds and bird conservation worldwide, although he played no role in the organization that bears his name (the Audubon Society). …
A non‐profit, US‐based environmental conservation organization whose mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of people and biodiversity. …
An instrument that is used for drilling holes, mainly for extracting samples of soil or peat. …
A type of surface mining that involves drilling large, closely spaced holes into a deposit, where the slope is too steep for contour strip mining or where there is a lot of overburden relative to the workable deposit. …
Spectacular lights and colours (usually green, red, or yellow) in the sky that can sometimes be seen within the ionosphere, particularly in polar regions. These are the aurora borealis (northern lights) in the northern hemisphere and the aurora australis (southern lights) in the southern hemisphere. They are created when the high speed solar wind interacts with the upper atmosphere. …
Relating to high southern latitudes. See also boreal …
A biogeographical realm which is largely desert, surrounded by tropical forest and savanna. …
The study of individual organisms or species, with particular reference to their interaction with their environment. See also genecology. Contrast synecology. …
A network of automatic rain gauges in the USA that transmit via VHF radio link when precipitation occurs. Some sites are also equipped with other sensors to report temperature, wind, pressure, river stage, or tide level. …
A climate monitoring system that automatically collects and stores continuous information from a place or area about factors such as sky conditions, temperature and dew point, wind speed and direction, and atmospheric pressure. …
An unmanned station that has a range of sensors to measure weather elements such as temperature, wind, and pressure and that transmits these readings for use by meteorologists in weather forecasting. …
An organism that makes its own food by synthesizing organic matter from inorganic substances, unlike a heterotrophic organism which derives food from organic matter. Higher plants and algae use carbon dioxide as a source of carbon and obtain their energy from the Sun, via photosynthesis, and are called *photoautotrophs. Bacteria and other autotrophs oxidize inorganic substances such as sulphur, hy…
The season of the year, between summer and winter, when temperatures at mid‐latitudes decrease as the Sun approaches the winter solstice. Astronomically this is the period between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, which covers the months of September, October, and November in the northern hemisphere, and March, April, and May in the southern hemisphere. This is the season when leaves…
The equinox at which the Sun approaches the southern hemisphere and passes directly over the equator, which occurs around 23 September each year. See also vernal equinox. …
The elements in the soil solution that can readily be taken up by plant roots, usually only a fraction of the total amount of a nutrient that is present in the soil. Also known as available element . …
The water in soil that can be taken up by plant roots. Contrast unavailable water. …
A sudden, rapid mass movement process like a landslide, but involving a large mass of snow, ice, and rock crashing down a mountainside under its own weight. Most avalanches occur in spring when the snow starts to melt, although some are triggered by earthquakes. …
The number of years that an average person can expect to live, in a particular country or area. …
A naturally occurring toxicantibiotic that is produced by the bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis and is often used to control mites. …
A building or large enclosure in which birds are kept. …
The birds of a particular region, habitat or period of time. …
A risk which it is not necessary to take because the individual or public goals can be achieved by other means, at the same or less total cost, without taking the risk. Contrast acceptable risk, unacceptable risk. …
Emissions of greenhouse gases that have not occurred, either because of improvements in energy efficiency (thus less energy is used) or because of a switch in energy sources (from high to low or no emission). …
The actual or estimated cost of preventing environmental damage by adopting alternative production and consumption processes, or by reducing or abstaining from particular activities. …
Emissions of greenhouse gases that would have been made under a business‐as‐usual scenario, but have been avoided through the implementation of an emissions reduction project. …
The angle along the Earth's horizon made with magnetic north, which is measured clockwise. See also aspect. …
A poorly developed soil with young and evolving horizons. Examples include alluvium and loess. Through time these types of soils are likely to mature and develop into a zonal soil. …
The upper layer of soil within a soil profile. This is the fertile topsoil of a mineral soil, that contains much organic material (from the decomposition of litter) and minerals, and is the location of much biological activity (by earthworms and other soil organisms). The organic‐rich layer in the A‐horizon is termed the O‐horizon. Fine materials (such as iron, aluminium oxides, and silicate…
A naturally occurring bacterium that produces a protein which kills caterpillars and some moths and butterflies. It is a biopesticide that is used extensively by the microbialpesticide industry. …
A general term used in North America for all parts of wildlands in which there are no permanent, improved, or maintained access roads or working facilities (such as lumber mills, ski resorts, or settlements with permanent residents). Any current uses of the area only have primitive facilities, such as cabins, base camps, or undeveloped campgrounds. …
A simple or primitive recreation experience in a roadless backcountry area, where travel is mostly by horse, foot trails, or canoe. …
The process of filling in an excavation, and the material that is used in doing so. …
A reverse flow condition in a potable water supply system, caused by a difference in water pressures, which makes water flow back into the distribution pipes from a unintended source. …
The part of a scene or landscape that is furthest away from the viewer. See also foreground, middleground. …
The normal rate of extinction of species, which reflects changes in local environmental conditions, in the absence of human influences. See also mass extinction. …
The ambient or typical level of a substance that occurs in an environmental medium (air, water, or soil) in a particular place or area, through natural processes or from natural sources. This is often used as a baseline against which to measure changes that result from human activities, including pollution control. …
Low‐intensity radiation in the natural environment that originates from cosmic rays and from the naturally radioactive elements of the Earth. See also radon. …
An anti‐clockwise change in wind direction that might, for example, be associated with cold air advection. …
The return flow of water down a beach after a wave has broken. …
A small, generally shallow body of stagnant water that is attached to the main channel but has little or no current of its own. …
A remote, undeveloped area where few people live. …
The composting of organic food waste and organic garden waste in one's yard, using bacteria and fungi to decompose it into a humus‐like product. It is regarded as a source reduction form of waste management. …
A diverse group of single‐celled microscopic organisms (singular ?bacterium?) that lack chlorophyll and break down organic matter, making its components available for reuse by other organisms. Some bacteria help to control pollution by consuming or breaking down organic matter in sewage or by similarly acting on oil spills or other water pollutants. Bacteria in soil, water, or air can also cause…
A live pathogenicorganism that can cause disease, illness, or death. …
That which destroys bacteria, such as antibiotics and disinfectants. …
Steep, barren land, usually broken by narrow channels and sharp crest ridges that result from rapid erosion, often of unconsolidated sediments. Most common in dry areas. …
A fabric filter device that is used to remove particulate pollutants from air. …
The maximum number of animals that a hunter may legally harvest during one hunting season. See also game bag, game species. …
A gentle slope of unconsolidated material where several alluvial fans overlap at the foot of a mountain. …
The compacting of solid waste into blocks, in order to reduce volume. …
Water that is carried in the lower hold of ships to make them heavier, which causes them to float lower in the water and thus be less likely to roll. The water is discharged from the ship when it enters harbour. …
A sedimentary rock composed of alternating layers of chert and ferric iron oxides (haematite and limonite). …
The wearing back of a river bank, usually during a flood. …
The height (stage) of water in a river channel that equals the level of the surrounding floodplain, so that flooding would occur if the water level increased further. See also flood stage. …
US legislation that authorized federal acquisition of eroded and exhausted farm lands, which were ultimately designated National Grassland. …
A stationary layer cloud that extends downward from an isolated mountain peak, often on an otherwise cloud‐free day, and is produced by rising air downwind of the mountain peaks. …
1 A shoal of coarse‐grained sediment (sand, gravel, and pebbles) that has been deposited either on the bed of a river (see also point bar) or along a coast, offshore from the beach (see also longshore drift). 2 A measure of atmospheric pressure. One bar is the force required to lift a column of mercury up a distance of 750.1 millimetres in a glass tube at 0?C at 45? latitude. Scientists usually …
A crescent‐shaped dune form common in hot deserts with strong prevailing winds. The convex side faces upwind and the concave side faces downwind. The horns of the barchan point downwind, and the dunes migrate continuously downwind across the desert floor. …
A soft, silver‐grey alkaline‐earth metal that is naturally abundant in nature and is found in plant and animal tissue. It has lots of uses, including in various alloys, paints, soap, paper, rubber, ceramics, glass, and insecticides. Barium can bioaccumulate in the human skeleton and it can cause muscular problems if ingested. …
The tough protective outer covering of the branches and roots of trees and other woody plants. …
An insect that bores through the bark of forest trees to eat the inner bark and lay its eggs. Many forest trees are killed by bark beetles. …
A barometer that provides a continuous record of variations in atmospheric pressure through time. …
An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure, which is used in making weather forecasts. The two most common types are the aneroid barometer and the mercury barometer. …
An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure and temperature, for use in making weather forecasts. …
Land that is uninhabited wilderness, often in a hostile climate, and offers no prospect of being developed or used for agriculture or other economic activities. See also forestland. …
A hedge that is grown to help prevent runoff and soil erosion from a field. See also contour hedge, hedge. …
A long, low, narrow, sandy island that forms offshore from a coastline, parallel to the coast. Such features help to protect the mainland during hurricanes, tidal waves, and other maritime hazards. …
A coral reef that is separated from a mainland or island shore by a lagoon too deep for coral to grow in. …
The ice at the bottom of a glacier, which is in direct contact with (and both affects and is affected by) the sediment and rock beneath the glacier. …
A layer of proteins and glycoproteins that surrounds tissues in a body. …
The sediment (till) that is transported at, or deposited from, the bottom of a glacier. …
The process by which the bottom of a glacier slides directly over the bedrock below, often lubricated by meltwater. …
A fine‐grained, dark‐coloured, basic, extrusiveigneous rock. It is the most common type of volcanic rock in the Earth's crust, and is rich in iron and magnesium and has a relatively low silica content. Under suitable climatic conditions basalt can weather into deep productive soils. …
A metal oxide, hydroxide, or compound (such as ammonia) that gives off hydrogen ions in aqueous solution. See also alkali. …
The portion of streamflow that comes from the seepage of groundwater and throughflow into the channel, rather than from direct runoff or precipitation. …
An international convention that seeks to minimize the generation of hazardous wastes, ensure that such wastes are disposed of in the countries that generate them, and control the import, export, and movement of hazardous waste. …
The level below which a river cannot erode. This is usually sea level, but local base levels are provided by resistant layers of rock or the level of a lake or reservoir. See also long profile, waterfall. …
The emissions that would occur in a business‐as‐usual scenario, without any change or intervention. Estimates of what these emissions would be are needed in order to determine the effectiveness of emissions reduction programmes. …
Information collected at the start of a study or programme which gives an initial or known value as a standard against which later measurements can be compared. …
A description and analysis of the existing conditions and trends in a location or area where some form of change is proposed or likely, such as a change in land use, or the likelihood of air or water pollution. This provides a reference point from which effects of proposed actions might be predicted, or against which observed effects can be compared. …
A map that shows important basic information, on which can be superimposed more specialized information relevant to a particular study or purpose. …
The oldest rocks in a given area. Usually a complex of metamorphic and igneous rocks underlying sedimentary formations. …
A non‐precious metal, such as copper, lead, or zinc, which is inferior in value to gold and silver but still has commercial uses and value. Base metals easily corrode, oxidize, and tarnish in air, moisture, or heat. …
The pair of complementary, nitrogen‐rich molecules within a strand of DNA which are held together by weak chemical bonds. The bonds between the base pairs hold the two strands of DNA held together in the shape of a double helix. …
In environmental regulation the year for which a national inventory is to be taken, or the baseline year against which changes are measured. For Annex I countries, for example, the base year is 1990 . Under the Kyoto Protocol, the base year for hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulphur hexafluoride is 1995 . …
Containing an abundance of basic (less acidic) materials. …
The basic items and services that a person needs to ensure a reasonable standard of living. …
Any of a number of igneous rocks that are rich in the heavy compounds of iron, magnesium, and calcium. They tend to be darker than acidic rocks and many of them are weathered by chemical weathering which breaks down the crystal structure into the main mineral constituents. Basic rocks produce more fertile and productive soils than acidic rocks because nutrients are more freely available for plants…
1 An area of land that drains into a lake or river. See also drainage basin. 2 A circular depression of rock strata which dips towards the centre. 3 The site where a large thickness of sediments accumulates by deposition. …
Topography dominated by numerous mountain ranges separated by broad valleys (basins), found in the west and south‐west of the USA. …
A large rock outcrop which projects out from the side of a valley or from an ice field. …
A form of mimicry in which one non‐poisonous species (the Batesian mimic) evolves to resemble the coloration, body shape, or behaviour of another species that is protected from predators by some defensive adaptation (such as a venomous sting or a bad taste). This adaptation gives the mimic species a much better chance of survival. Contrast m?llerian mimicry. …
The state of purity or pollution of water that people have access to for swimming, usually along a coastline. …
The largest and most common type of discordant igneous intrusion, most often composed of granite, similar in form to but much larger than a laccolith. They vary in size between 100 and several thousand square kilometres. Batholiths often form the core of major mountain ranges, such as parts of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains in the USA. …
The upper boundary of the continental shelf, comprising the continental slope and continental rise …
Measurement of the depths of large bodies of water (particularly seas and oceans) in order to determine the bottom topography. …
The deep aphotic zone of a waterbody (including lakes and the sea) into which no light penetrates, so no photosynthetic organisms are found here. Contrast photic zone. …
See Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Costs. …
A rock composed mainly of hydroxides of aluminium, formed by weathering of aluminate silicate rocks in tropical areas with good drainage. Bauxite is the major ore of aluminium, from which the metal is extracted. …
See Biodiversity Conservation Information System. …
A strip of land that borders the sea. The upper and lower limits of a beach are usually defined by the high water mark and the low water mark, respectively. …
A sand dune on a beach, formed by deposition of fine particles of sediment that are carried by the wind, in the same way that dunes develop in hot deserts. …
The deliberate addition of sand to beaches where erosion is a major problem, in order to stabilize losses and restore badly eroded (and sometimes unsightly) beaches. Also known as beach nourishment. Contrast sand mining. …
A scale that is widely used to describe wind speed. It was defined in 1806 by Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort ( 1774 ? 1857 ), and uses the effect that wind has on certain familiar objects such as trees and the sea surface. The scale is given in Appendix 3. …
The SI unit for measuring radioactivity. 1 Bq represents the activity of a radionuclide which decays on average at one spontaneous nuclear transition per second. This unit replaced the curie and picocurie. …
A layer of deposited sediment within a sedimentary rock. Also known as a stratum (plural strata). …
The junction between the layers in a sedimentary rock (such as sandstone), which shows the original surface onto which sediment was deposited. See also dip. …
Patterns that are produced on the surface of sediment by the flow of air or water, such as ripples in water or dunes in a desert. …
The coarse portion of the sediment load in a river that is too large or too heavy to move in the body of water as suspended load, but instead rests on the river bed and is pushed or rolled along by the flow of water. …
A general term for the solid, unweathered rock that lies beneath soils or deposits and is often exposed at the ground surface. See also outcrop. …
A river that flows directly on bedrock, rather than through alluvium. …
A reference point or standard for comparison. For example, a site for measuring natural processes or features, where there has been no human impact, or a set of observations that is used to establish standards by which to compare the effectiveness of alternative policies or strategies. See also reference site, reference year. …
The degree to which effects are judged desirable, through giving advantage, profit, or gain. …
An estimate or projection of the expected positive results or outputs of a proposed activity, project, or programme, expressed in either monetary or non‐monetary terms. See also cost?benefit analysis. …
The eastern boundary current of the South Atlantic subtropical gyre, which flows north from the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica and moves cold water along the west coast of Africa. …
A mild, non‐lethal illness or disease, which is not dangerous to health. Contrast malignant. …
The cycling of nutrients in a body of water between the water itself and the sediments on the bottom. …
An organism that lives on or in the bottom of a body of water such as a river, lake, or sea. Unlike plankton and nekton, benthic organisms are not free‐floating but are attached to or lie on the sediment. Nearly 98% of all marine animals are benthic organisms. There are two type of benthic organisms?epifauna and infauna. See also macrobenthos, meiobenthos, microbenthos. Contrast pelagic. …
A type of clay, derived from weathered volcanic ash, that is highly plastic and expands when wet, and is used to seal landfills, lagoons, and wells. See also montmorillonite. …
A colourless, highly flammable liquid hydrocarbon present in coal tar and petroleum, from which it is distilled for use as a solvent and in making dyes and drugs. See also aromatic. …
The value that people place on knowing that future generations will have the option to enjoy a particular environmental asset, which is usually measured by willingness to pay. …
A 19th century ecogeographical rule that the colder the climate (or higher the latitude), the larger the body size of a warm‐blooded animal when compared with close relatives in warmer regions. See also Allen's rule, Golger's rule. …
A deep gap (crevasse) that forms between the ice and headwall (back wall) in a cirque glacier as the ice is pulled away from the headwall and moves downslope. …
A proposal under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that was adopted in 1995 and was designed to make reductions of greenhouse gas emissions mandatory. Under the Framework Convention, developed countries pledged to take measures designed to return their greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000 . The Berlin Mandate established a process that would enable co…
1 A narrow embankment (often made from earth, bales of hay, or timber framing) along a slope, which is often used as dike or dam. 2 A strip of large rocks placed at the bottom of a spoil pile to help hold the material in position. 3 A small mound of earth piled up on the outer edge of a mountain or secondary road. 4 An embankment at the rear of a beach, above the high tide mark. …
An international nature conservation treaty, signed by 40 nations in 1979 , which came into force in 1982 . Its full title is the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, and it seeks to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats. …
A greyish‐white, brittle, toxic, metallic substance that occurs naturally in certain rocks, soils, and volcanic dust. It is one of the lightest of all metals, resists oxidation in air, and is non‐magnetic. It is used in nuclear reactors, radio and television tubes, fluorescent tubes, and powders, is discharged by machine shops, ceramic and propellant plants, and foundries, and also enters the …
An approach to pollution control in the USA that is based on adopting the most effective methods of controlling emissions of pollutants from sources such as roadway dust, soot and ash from woodstoves, and open burning of timber, grasslands, or rubbish. …
An approach to pollution control in the USA that is based on adopting, for any specific source, the technology that is currently available and produces the greatest reduction in emissions of air pollutants, taking into account energy, environmental, economic, and other costs. In the USA, major sources are required to use BACT unless they can show that it is not feasible for energy, environmental, …
An approach to pollution control in the UK that is based on adopting the most effective techniques for an operation at the appropriate scale which are commercially available and where the benefits gained are more than the costs of obtaining them …
An approach to pollution control in the USA that is based on adopting the best technology, treatment techniques, or other means which are available, taking account of cost. …
An approach to pollution control in the USA that is based on adopting the most effective commercially available means of treating specific types of hazardous waste. …
An approach to pollution control in the USA that is based on adopting methods that have been determined to be the most effective, practical means of preventing or reducing water pollution from non‐point sources. …
An approach to pollution control in the UK that is based on seeking to establish the option which causes the least damage to the environment at an acceptable cost, taking into account the total pollution from a process and the technical possibilities for dealing with it. …
An approach to pollution control that is based on adopting the best technology for pollution control available at reasonable cost and operable under normal conditions. …
An approach to decision‐making in resource management that uses current data collected through new or existing sampling programmes. Managers analyse the data using the latest techniques, assess their management options, and then choose the best option to implement. …
The process of radioactive decay in which a neutron is converted to a proton (emitting an electron and an antineutrino) or a proton is converted to a neutron (emitting a positron and a neutrino). The result is that an unstable atomic nucleus becomes stable by altering its proton number. …
The difference in diversity of species between two or more ecosystems in an area, expressed as the total number of species that are unique to each of the ecosystems being compared. A measure of biodiversity. Also known as species turnover . See also alpha diversity, gamma diversity. …
A high‐energy electron that is emitted from a nucleus during beta decay. It has a single negative electric charge, is halted by a thin sheet of metal, and cause skin burns. …
The location in India of the world's worst industrial accident in terms of loss of life. A major explosion at the Union Carbide pesticide factory there, in December 1984 , released nearly 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanide which blew over the residential area nearby. Nearly 200 000 people were exposed to the poison, and within ten years more than 4000 had died as a result. Many more have suffered lon…
A sodium salt (NaHCO3) of carbonic acid that can act as a buffer and resists changes in the pH of soil and waterbodies. …
The price that a prospective buyer is willing to pay in greenhouse gasemissions trading. …
A plant that completes its life cycle in two years, producing leaves in the first year, blooming and producing seed in the second year, and then dying. Contrast annual, perennial. …
The collective term for large mammals, such as deer, elk, bear, bison, and antelope, that are hunted for sport. See also game. …
A direct trade between two parties, on a one‐to‐one basis, with no intermediary exchange or third party involvement. …
A disease in humans caused by an infestation of or an infection caused by a parasite of the genus Schistosoma , that is common in the tropics and South East Asia. The symptoms depend on the part of the body infected. Also known as schistosomiasis. …
A piece of legislation introduced by government that is intended to become law. …
A distinctive type of cloud in the form of broad parallel bands oriented at right angles to the wind, with distinct clear areas between the bands. …
An agreed or mandatory environmental standard (such as a reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases) that a country must meet in the future, usually within a defined period of time. …
A substance that increases in concentration through time in living organisms, as they take in contaminated air, water, or food, because the substance is used or excreted only very slowly. See also bioaccumulation. …
The tendency for a pollutant (particularly a toxic substance, such as mercury, PCBs, and some pesticides) to accumulate in the tissues of plants or animals because it is absorbed faster than the organism can break it down through metabolism. The organism absorbs the pollutant either through exposure to it or through digestion (via food), and organisms towards the top of the food chain can have hig…
The study of plant and animal remains collected from archaeological sites, in order to reconstruct the environment in which they grew. …
A laboratory test using living organisms (tissues, cells, live animals, or humans), designed to measure the effects of various substances on them. …
The deliberate addition of microbes to soil or groundwater in order to enhance biodegradation or the bioremediation of organic contaminants. …
The degree to which chemicals (such as contaminants) can be absorbed by organisms. …
An obstruction (such as a filled trench or a membrane) that inhibits living tissue. Used, for example, to control plant root growth in contaminated soils. …
An enzyme that activates or speeds up a biochemical reaction in a bioprocess. See also biotechnology, industrial biocatalyst. …
Chemicals that are present in living organisms, and reactions associated with them. …
The breakdown of pollutants in water through the action of bacteria. …
A sedimentary rock, such as limestone, that has formed from elements extracted from seawater by living organisms. …
Chemicals (such as hormones, pheromones, and enzymes) that are found naturally occurring in living organisms and are synthesized by them. Biochemicals can be very effective pesticides by disrupting the mating pattern of insects, regulating growth, or acting as repellents. …
The chemistry of living organisms, especially the chemical components, their processes, and reactions. …
A chemical agent that kills a wide range of organisms. …
A sedimentary rock made up of broken fragments of organic skeletal material. …
The conversion of a compound from one form to another by the actions of organisms or enzymes. Also known as biotransformation. …
Biological measures of the health of an environment, such as the incidence of a particular disease in a particular species. …
Capable of being decomposed rapidly by natural biological processes. Most organic waste such as food, wood, paper, wool, and cotton is biodegradable. …
A renewable, biodegradable, alternative fuel or fuel additive for diesel engines, produced from organic material such as soybean or sunflower seed oil. …
Short for biological diversity. A measure of variation (the number of different varieties) amongst living things. The word is most commonly used to describe ?species diversity??the number and relative abundance of different species, within a particular area (local biodiversity) or within the world (global biodiversity), which is not the same as species richness (the count or number of species). A …
An international network of non‐governmental organizations working to strengthen biodiversity policy and law. …
A national plan, programme or strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, drawn up in response to the United Nations Framework Convention on Biological Diversity. …
An international initiative that seeks to support environmentally sound decision‐making and actions affecting the status of biodiversity and landscapes at the local, national, regional, and global levels through cooperative provision of data, information, advice, and related services. …
See United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. …
A web‐based forum funded by the US National Science Foundation, that allows people to express and exchange views on topics related to biodiversity loss and conservation. …
A biogeographical region define by Conservation International (CI) that is both a significant reservoir of biodiversity and threatened with destruction. The CI list includes 25 hotspots that cover 1.4% of the land area of the Earth but support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species. The CI hotspots are larger than the ecoregions identified by the Worldwide F…
The search for new products among genes found in wild organisms, which may be of potential commercial value. …
Energy that is made available by the combustion of materials derived from biological sources. …
The application to biological science of engineering principles or equipment. …
The study of the ethical implications of biological research and applications, including biomedicine and biotechnology. …
A layer of micro‐organisms that is attached to a surface such as the rocks in natural streams. …