An organism whose genetic makeup has been deliberately altered by inserting a modified gene or a gene from another variety or species, in order to create or enhance desirable characteristics from the same or another species. Also known as a genetically engineered organism . …
The study of how traits, and the genes that carry them, are passed from generation to generation, and how the interaction of genes and the environment results in particular traits. …
The progressive disappearance of a species as its genes are diluted through crossbreeding with a closely related species. See also genetic drift. …
The total genetic variability that is available within a cultivar or species. …
The DNA sequence of a gene, which determines the sequence of amino acids in a protein or enzyme, and thus determines the functions of a living organism. …
Damage that is caused to the chromosomes in the germ cells by environmental factors (for example radiation). Such changes can be passed on to offspring. Contrast somatic damage. …
A measure of the genetic similarity between any pair of populations, based on phenotypic traits, allele frequencies, or DNA sequences. …
The number of different types of genes in a species or population, which is a measure of biodiversity. …
Fluctuations in the frequencies of particular genes within a population over time that are caused by random events rather than by natural selection, and can lead, over successive generations, to a progressive change in the genetic composition of the population. See also founder effect, gene fixation, genetic assimilation. …
A heritable effect, that is passed on to descendants via genes. …
The selective, deliberate alteration of the genetic makeup (DNA) of an organism by removing, modifying, or adding genes to a chromosome in order to change the information it contains, which enables cells or organisms to make new or different substances (proteins) or perform new functions. Such manipulation is sometimes done for pure research purposes, to discover more about genetics and the way it…
The loss of genetic diversity between and within populations of the same species over time, as a result of environmental change or human impacts. …
Any organic material that contains functional units of heredity. …
The presence of several genetically controlled variants (for example, blue eyes versus brown eyes) within a population, which may be the result of chance processes, or may have been caused by external agents (such as viruses or radiation). …
Genetic material of plants, animals, or micro‐organisms that is of actual or potential value as a resource for humans. Examples include modern cultivars and breeds, primitive varieties and breeds, landraces and wild/weedy relatives of crop plants or domesticated animals. …
The study of genes, inheritance, and variation in organisms. …
All of the genetic information or hereditary material in the chromosomes of a particular organism. …
Scientific research that is designed to map and sequence the entire genome of an organism, such as a human being. …
The genetic make‐up or blueprint of an individual organism, the set of genes that it possesses. Contrast phenotype. …
A form of biological adaptation that is genetically determined, occurs by natural selection (because those individuals which have favourable genetically acquired traits tend to breed more successfully than those which lack these traits), and can be passed on to future generations. See adaptive strategy. …
The sixth highest (of seven) category in the scientific system of classification for organisms (taxonomy), below family and above species. Thus each family comprises more than one genus, and each genus comprises more than one closely related species. Scientists refer to living things by a combined genus and species name, using Latin terms. The genus name is always capitalized, and the species name…
The study of sediments and deposits at archaeological sites, in order to reconstruct local environmental history. …
The study of the chemical properties, abundance, and distribution of materials within the Earth's waters, crust, and atmosphere. …
The science of absolute and relative dating of geological formations and events. …
The shortest line connecting two points on the surface of a sphere, such as the Earth. …
The science of determining the size and shape of the Earth, and the precise location of points on its surface. …
A precise survey of a large area of ground that takes into account the shape of the Earth. …
A computer system that is designed for the storage, manipulation, analysis, and display of large volumes of spatial data in a map format, with different characteristics (such as soil type or vegetation) stored as separate layers which can be combined to display interactions of characteristics. Often simply referred to as GIS. …
The separation of a population from the rest of its species by a physical barrier such as a mountain range, ocean, or great distance. …
The location of a point on the surface of the Earth, usually expressed in terms of latitude and longitude. Also known as geocoordinates . See also global positioning system. …
A subdivision of a species with distinct morphology and a distinctive geographical range, which is given a unique Latin name. A taxonomic variety is known by the first validly published name applied to it and that nomenclature tends to be stable. See also variety. …
The study of the Earth's surface and of the ways in which people, plants, and animals live on and use it. …
The figure of the Earth assuming that its whole surface is at current sea level (that is, it ignores topography on land and below the sea), which provides the reference level for astronomic observations and for geodetic surveying. …
The use of computers and statistical methods in the classification, storage, retrieval, and analysis of information about the Earth. See also informatics. …
The arrangement of rock units in their proper chronological order, from youngest to oldest. …
A detailed description of all of the underground features (depth, thickness, and type of rock formations) that are discovered during the drilling of a well. …
Any natural process that affects the surface or interior of the Earth, including erosion, deposition, folding, faulting, plate tectonics, and sea‐floor spreading. See also landform. …
The study of the origin, history, and structure of the Earth. …
A worldwide disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field which is created when particles sent from the Sun in solar flares are drawn towards the Earth by its magnetic field. It often coexists with an aurora. …
A pattern of growth that increases at a geometric rate over a specified time period, such as 2, 4, 8, 16 (in which each value is double the previous one). Contrast arithmetic growth, exponential growth. …
Processes that change the form or shape of the surface of the Earth, including desertification, erosion, fluvial processes, glaciation, and weathering. …
The study of the physical characteristics and properties of the Earth, which includes geodesy, seismology, meteorology, oceanography, atmospheric electricity, terrestrial magnetism, and tidal phenomena. …
A perennialherbaceous plant that reproduces by underground bulbs, tubers, or corms. …
The combination of geographical and political factors that affect a country or area. …
The height above sea level (in metres) at which the atmosphere has a particular pressure. …
The solid, abiotic portion of the Earth, excluding the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. …
A series of geostationary satellites that were launched by the USA starting in 1968 , and use a variety of remote sensing devices for weather forecasting and environmental monitoring. GOES‐E is positioned over the USA and South America, and GOES‐W is positioned over the Pacific Ocean. …
A satellite that orbits the Earth at the same rate that the Earth rotates and so remains over a fixed place above the equator. …
A wind that flows parallel to isobars, which is produced when the pressure gradient is balanced by the Coriolis force, usually at some height above the ground surface where friction is reduced. …
A large depositional basin on the ocean floor, in which sediments accumulate to thicknesses of many kilometres. …
Moving in response to the Earth's gravitational field. …
Relating to or produced by the internal heat of the Earth, which is generated by a number of processes, including radioactive decay of rocks and compression at great depth. See also hydrothermal. …
An area where the geothermal gradient is unusually steep, where geothermal energy might be exploited. …
Heat energy that is derived from the Earth's interior, either through geysers, fumaroles, hot springs, or other natural geothermal features, or the use of geothermal heat to generate usable energy, for example through using heat from hot rocks to drive turbines and produce electricity. To be useful the geothermal energy must be available in the form of superheated water or steam. Hot water is pump…
The natural increase in rock temperature with increasing depth within the Earth's crust. Direct observation, in places such as deep mines and wells, has shown that this gradient varies from place to place, but the average is about 20?40?C for every kilometre of depth. In some places the geothermal gradient is much steeper than the norm, and this can be exploited as a source of geothermal energy. …
A chemical pesticide that is used to control or kill germs or micro‐organisms. …
The initial stages in the growth of a seed to form a seedling. …
The hereditary genetic material of which an organism is composed, which is transmitted from one generation to the next by the gametes. …
A pattern or structure whose qualities as a whole exceed the sum of its constituent parts. …
A violent ejection of superheated water and steam from a hole in the ground. The underground reservoir consists of water‐filled chambers that are connected by a central pipe. See also geothermal gradient, hydrothermal activity, hot spring. …
A protozoanmicro‐organism that is frequently found in rivers and lakes, which (if not treated properly) can cause diarrhoea, fatigue, and cramps in humans who ingest it. …
A unit of frequency that is equal to 1000 million hertz (Hz). …
A unit of mass that is used for large quantities (such as the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere). 1 Gt = 1000 million tonnes = 1015 grams. …
A respiratory organ in aquatic organisms (such as fish) that is used for obtaining oxygen which is dissolved in the water. …
A net that is set upright in water in order to catch fish by entangling their gills in its mesh. …
A method of killing a tree by removing a strip of bark from around its trunk or a branch, which interrupts the flow of nutrients between the leaves and the rest of the tree. …
1 Relating to a glacier. 2 A period when ice sheets expand, and global climate is colder and drier. See also ice age. …
*Sediment that is transported by a glacier and left behind as a deposit when the ice melts. See also boulder clay. …
The processes of erosion that are associated with glaciers and ice sheets, which include quarrying and abrasion. See also U‐shaped valley. …
Very fine particles of rock that are carried by a glacier and contribute to abrasion processes and glacial polish. …
A very dense form of ice that is formed from the accumulation and recrystallization of snow, is relatively impermeable, and is much harder than snow, n?v?, or firn. …
A natural lake that is formed by the damming of meltwater by glacial deposits in front of a glacier. …
The position or time of the greatest advance of a glacier, before its starts to recede and melt. …
Glacial meltwater which is light coloured and cloudy because of the large quantities of clay‐sizedsediment that are held in suspension within it. …
Well‐sorted sand, or sand and gravel, that is deposited by a meltwater stream in front of a glacier. …
The smoothing of a bedrock surface as a result of abrasion by sediment that is transported on the bottom of a glacier. …
The isostatic adjustment of an area after the retreat of a continental glacier. Also known as glacial uplift . …
The backward movement of the front of a glacier, as the glacier melts and shrinks. …
A rapid forward movement of the front of a glacier. …
A valley that is or was occupied and shaped by a glacier. See also U‐shaped valley. …
1 The formation, movement, and recession of glaciers or ice sheets. 2 The geological processes of glacial activity, including erosion and deposition, and the effects of such action on the Earth's surface. 3 The process by which cloud particles change from water drops to ice crystals. …
A large, slow‐moving river of ice made of compressed snow, which moves downslope under its own weight and survives from year to year. The most common types are alpine glacier, continental glacier, ice cap glacier, and piedmont glacier. See also ice cap, ice sheet. …
The mass balance of a glacier, which takes into account inputs (new snow and ice) and outputs (including evaporation and meltwater). The larger the positive balance the faster the glacier grows; when the mass balance is negative, outputs exceed inputs and the glacier melts and shrinks …
The slow but continuous downward or outward movement of ice in a glacier that is driven by gravity. Also known as ice flow . …
A shallow downslope wind above the surface of a glacier. …
Relating to meltwater coming from a glacier, which creates such features as eskers and kames, outwash plains, pro‐glacial lakes, and meltwater channels. Also known as fluvioglacial . …
The study of the formation, movement, and properties of glaciers and ice in general. …
A solid that results from cooling of magma that is too fast to allow crystals to grow. …
A layer or coating of ice that is generally smooth and clear, and forms on exposed objects by the freezing of raindrops, drizzle, or fog. See also icing. …
A dark grey to black soil that forms slowly in a wet, poorly drained environment, has a thick organic horizon over a horizon of chemically reduced clay, and has low fertility. …
The reduction of iron in an anaerobic environment, which creates grey or blue colours mixed with rusty colours in soils. Also known as gleization . …
An initiative of the World wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which seeks to ensure that the full range of ecosystems will be represented in regional conservation and development strategies. WWF have identified 867 terrestrial ecoregions, as well as freshwater and marine ecoregions, and selected 233 of them (136 terrestrial, 36 freshwater, and 61 marine) to represent the Global 200 network of ecoregions …
A report on global environmental trends that was commissioned by US President Carter in 1977 and published in 1980 , which concluded that by the year 2000 the world would be more crowded, more polluted, and more fragile if global trends continued. …
The number of different species in the world at a particular point in time. See also biodiversity. …
A US non‐profit anti‐environmentalfront group comprising mainly US businesses that for reasons of self‐interest oppose immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It disbanded in 2002 after losing most of its members. …
Natural systems and resources (such as the atmosphere and the oceans) that do not belong to any one country. See also common resources, Tragedy of the Commons. …
The gradual reduction in the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface, which is estimated at 2?3% per decade, believed to be caused by the increased presence of aerosols and other particulates in the atmosphere. …
A global environmental monitoring system that was established in 1973 under the United Nations Environment Programme, which collects data relating to atmosphere, climate, pollution, and renewable resources. …
Research into environmental issues at the global scale, which reflects growing interest in two sets of processes. First, there are the natural environmental processes that are global in scale. This includes plate tectonics, atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, the water cycle, and the biogeochemical cycles. Second, there are induced environmental changes at local and regional scales which are …
An international fund set up in 1991 under the umbrella of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to help meet the costs of Agenda 21. …
A private, non‐profit, international funding organization, established in 2001 , whose mission is the conservation of around 200 archaeological sites in the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific where the threats of neglect and destruction are most urgent, and which provide major opportunities for sustainable tourism and development. Contrast World Heritage Fund. …
Growth to a world‐wide scale, the transition from national and regional economies to global economies. …
A native species that is both a rare species and one that is found in only one or a few particular places. …
A taxon that is threatened on a world‐wide scale. …
An instrument that utilizes satellite signals to pinpoint exact geographical position. …
The global conservation status rank of a species, subspecies, or variety of plant or animal, based largely on the total number of known sites occupied by it world‐wide, and the degree to which they are potentially or actively threatened with destruction. See also provincial rank. …
Large scale, at the scale of the whole world. Also known as planetary scale . …
An increase in the temperature of the troposphere, which has occurred in the past as a result of natural processes but is now believed to be accelerating as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases associated with the burning of fossil fuels. Scientists expect global warming to change world climate in a number of ways. For example, cold seasons are likely to become shorter and warm ones…
An index (created under the Kyoto Protocol) that allows for direct comparison of the various greenhouse gases, based on the radiative forcing (amount of global warming) that results from the addition of 1 kilogram of a particular gas to the atmosphere compared with 1 kilogram of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide has a GWP of 1, and methane has a GWP of 21 (it produces 21 times as much warming as carb…
A simple sugar that is a major energy source, and is made in plants by photosynthesis and in animals from the carbohydrates in food. …
A hard, coarse‐grained, banded metamorphic rock that is composed of quartz, feldspar, amphibole, and mica. …
See Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. …
A bright, yellow precious transition element that occurs naturally in rock, is widely mined, and has many uses, including currency, jewellery, printed circuits, and semiconductors. …
A 19th century ecogeographical rule that the drier the climate, the lighter the colour of animals relative to closely related taxa of more humid regions. Thus, for example, yellows and light browns are dominant in arid regions, and dark browns and blacks in humid regions. See also Bergmann's rule. …
A large former continent that was located mainly in the southern hemisphere and broke apart by plate tectonics in the late Palaeozoic, to form parts of what is today Africa, Australia, Antarctica, South America, and India. See also Laurasia. …
Describing a sexually reproducing species in which individuals are distinctly male or female. Contrast hermaphrodite. …
1 A deep ravine with a river running through it. 2 A narrow pass between adjacent mountains. See also canyon. …
A valley or trough that is produced by faulting and uplift of adjacent blocks of the Earth's crust. Contrast horst, intermontane basin. …
1 The slope of the surface of the Earth. 2 Organisms that have the same morphological features but are not genetically related. 3 The size range of sediment. For example sand grade. 4 Stream, or river grade is the balance between erosion and deposition. 5 The grade of a mineral ore is a description of its quality. For example high‐grade ore. …
A measure of the variation of sizes in soil or an unconsolidatedsediment; well‐graded materials have many sizes, whereas poorly graded materials are more uniform in size. …
A layer of sediment in which the coarsest particles are concentrated at the bottom and particle size decreases upward into fine silt. …
A stream that maintains an equilibrium between the processes of erosion and deposition, and thus between aggradation and degradation. …
1 The slope of a surface, usually expressed as a percentage. 2 A variation in one quantity relative to another, such as a temperature gradient (how temperature changes with elevation). …
A theoretical wind that blows parallel to curved isobars. …
1 Sorting and evaluation of a natural resource, such as grading fish by size or timber by quality. 2 Altering a land surface by cutting, filling, and/or smoothing in order to create a desired surface. …
A model of evolution that assumes slow, steady rates of change, such as Darwin's concept of evolution by natural selection. Contrast punctuated equilibrium. …
A transplant; a tissue or organ that is transferred from one individual plant or animal to another. …
1 The dry, starchy seed‐like fruit that is produced by cereal grasses. 2 The texture of wood, which is determined by the type of xylem cells that it contains. …
A metric unit of weight equal to one‐thousandth of a kilogram. …
The grass family of plants, which are mostly herbaceous but also includes some woody plants such as cereals, bamboo, reeds, and sugar cane. …
Of grasses (Gramineae) and grass‐like plants, including sedges and rushes (marsh plants). …
In greenhouse gasemissions allocation, under the Kyoto Protocol, an approach that allows existing emitters to continue their previous levels of emissions while new sources must meet new standards. …
A hard, coarse‐grained, light‐coloured intrusiveigneous rock that accounts for nearly 15% of the rocks exposed at the Earth's surface. …
An animal that lives on a diet of grain or seeds. …
A wastewater filtering system that is used in small water systems and individual homes, which uses activated carbon to remove organics. …
A member of the Gramineae family of flowering plants, which have long, narrow leaves and stems that are hollow or pithy in cross section. …
A plant community dominated by various types of grass, which is home to herds of grazing animals. It is common in areas that are too dry during the summer months to support forest or shrubland. Temperate grassland vegetation in North America includes bunchgrass, California grassland, desert grassland, mixed grass, Palouse prairie, shortgrass, sodgrass, and tallgrass. Tropical grassland in Africa i…
Organizations or movements, people or society at a local level rather than at the centre of major political activity. Local, or person‐to‐person. …
A form of environmental activism that is local and based on grassroots activities. …
Conservation activities that are undertaken by individuals and citizen‐based groups, usually on a voluntary basis. …
Unconsolidatedsediment that is composed of particles of between 2 and 75 millimetres in diameter. …
Soil water that is pulled down into soil by gravity, moves between the soil particles, and fills the pore spaces between them. …
The force that pulls a body towards the centre of the Earth or another celestial body. …
The SI unit for the absorbed dose of radiation. It replaced the rad. 1 Gy = 100 rad. …
To feed on vegetation, usually in a field, pasture, or meadow. …
The time elapsed between the beginning of one grazing period and the beginning of the next grazing period in the same paddock where the forage is regularly grazed and rested. One grazing cycle includes one grazing period plus one rest period. …
Any land that is covered with vegetation and is suitable for grazing by livestock. …
The period of time during which grazing can normally be practiced each year. …
A chain of coral reefs nearly 2010 kilometres long in the Coral Sea, off the north‐eastern coast of Australia. This unique environment is the world's largest coral reef system, and it appears on the Unesco World Heritage List. The reef is economically important to the state of Queensland and the country of Australia, because it supports significant tourism and fishing industries. Since the early…
A North American cold desert produced by the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, which has long, cold winters and much of its precipitation falls as snow. …
An approach to conservation in North America which is based on a core protected area surrounded by a defined region of controlled development or some form of cooperative management. Examples include the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Greater Fundy Ecosystem, and the Greater Salt Lake Ecosystem. …
The five connected lakes along the border of the USA and Canada which make up the world's largest body of freshwater. They are Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron. …
A prairie region in the western USA that extends from North Dakota south to Texas and from the Rocky Mountains east to western Minnesota and Missouri. …
A broad group of soils that share common characteristics which are usually associated with particular climates and vegetation types. …
A buffer zone that is designed to restrict development from particular areas. …
A tree‐planting programme in Kenya that was initiated by Wangari Maathai and the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK). It is based on turning small‐scale farmers into agroforesters, with a particular emphasis on training women to plant and cultivate seedlings in order to assist in reforestation and generate a source of income for themselves. …
Purchasing environment‐friendly products, such as vehicles that run on lead‐free petrol, aerosols that don't contain CFC propellants, wooden products that don't contain tropical hardwoods, and paper that is recycled. …
Products and services that have been specifically designed to cause less harm to the environment. …
Land in rural and urban areas that has not already been developed. See also brownfield. …
A building with glass walls and roof, in which plants are grown under controlled conditions. See also passive solar heating. …
The mechanism in which radiation from the Earth's surface is trapped by the presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which warms the lower atmosphere and maintains temperatures suitable for the survival of organisms. The Earth is a much cooler body than the Sun, and it radiates energy of much longer wavelengths. Thus insolation is of short wavelength and re‐radiant energy from the Earth i…
A gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, by absorbing radiation in wavelengths similar to those emitted by the Earth, which prevents excessive loss of terrestrial radiation and accompanying heat loss, and leads to global warming. The most important greenhouse gases are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and CFCs. Others include methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. …
Any crop that is grown to be ploughed into the soil, in order to increase soil organic content and improve soil quality. …
The amount of living material (biomass) in vegetation. …
An international non‐government organization that works for environmental conservation and the preservation of endangered species. …
An integrated environmental plan that is designed to reduce pollution and resource consumption, achieve sustainable development, and increase environmental restoration. …
An approach to politics in which environmental issues are taken seriously. …
The development of high yield cereal crops and their introduction to the less economically developed world from the 1960s, along with the use of machines, fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation, and the growth of hybrid varieties of rice, wheat, and corn. See also Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution. …
1 Leafy plants or their leaves and stems which are eaten as vegetables. 2 Individuals and political parties that have an environmental agenda. …
Environmental discourse. The term is most commonly used to describe the use of environmental terms and language by individuals or groups who are intent on portraying themselves and their causes as pro‐environmental, even when they are not (greenwash). …
A tax or surcharge that is imposed on activities that pollute, deplete, or degrade the environment. …
A term (combining green and whitewash) that environmentalists use to describe the activity (for example by corporate lobby groups) of giving a positive public image to practices that are environmentally unsound. See also greenspeak. …
The mean solar time at 0? longitude that passes through Greenwich, England, and is used as the basis for standard time throughout the world. …
The Prime Meridian, which passes through the original site of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England and was adopted in 1884 by a conference of nations as the initial or zero of longitude. It is the reference for Greenwich Mean Time, and for all longitude measurements. See also International Date Line. …
Sociable, living in groups or communities. Contrast solitary. …
A coarse‐grained sandstone that is cemented by more than 15% clay minerals. Fragments are rounded to subrounded. …
The total monetary value of the goods and services that are produced by a country, within that country, over a given year. …
The total monetary value of all goods and services that are produced in a nation's economy over a given year. Unlike gross domestic product, it includes goods and services produced abroad. …
The total amount or weight of organic matter that is created by photosynthesis over a defined period of time. …
The total rate of photosynthetic production of biomass. Contrast net primary productivity. …
Plants that are grown in order to protect the soil from eroding. See also herbaceous layer. …
A fire that burns material on the ground such as litter, grasses, and non‐woody plants, and organic matter in the soil, but does not affect trees which have thick bark or high crowns. …
A species or group of fish that lives most of its life on or near the sea bed. Also known as bottom fish or demersal fish . …
Low plants (such as grasses and herbs) that grow at the lowest level of a plant community, such as on a forest floor. Also known as ground layer . …
Any fog that hides less than 60% of the sky. See also radiation fog. …
A thick layer of till that has been deposited by a melting glacier and often forms gently rolling ground. …
The facts that are found when a location shown on a map, air photograph, or satellite image is checked on the ground, as validation. …
Water that occupies pores, cracks, and crevices in rocks underground, below the water table. World‐wide between about 10% and 30% of river flow is accounted for by groundwater, and groundwater provides about 6% of the water and around 50% of the dissolved sediment that rivers input into seas and oceans. See also aquifer. …
The extraction of groundwater, pumped from underground aquifers, as a source of freshwater. In many aquifers the groundwater has to be pumped out through boreholes or wells. As water is abstracted the water table is lowered around the borehole. If rates of abstraction exceed rates of groundwater recharge within an aquifer, the water table can fall across a wide area. Borehole yields decline when t…
A decline in the level of the water table and availability of groundwater within an aquifer, often as a result of excessive groundwater abstraction. …
North American term for groundwater that enters coastal waters, having been contaminated by landfill leachates, hazardous wastes, and septic tanks. …
The movement of groundwater through openings in sediment and rock within the zone of saturation. …
The pollution of groundwater, for example by *intrusion of water into coastal aquifers, or by leakage from landfill sites or underground long‐term storage of high‐level nuclear waste. …
The natural replenishment of groundwater by the water cycle, which raises the water table. …
The treatment of groundwater in order to remove pollutants. …
Groundwater that is discharged into a stream or river channel as spring water or seepage water. …
1 The point on or above the ground at which a nuclear weapon explodes. 2 The common name for the site of the World Trade Center in New York after it was destroyed on 11 September 2001 . …
A method of cable logging in which timber is dragged from where it is cut to a collecting point by a powered cable at or near ground level. Contrast high‐lead logging. …
The ten most influential environmental non‐government organizations in the USA, which are the Environmental Defense Fund, Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, National Parks and Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Policy Institute, National Wildlife Federation, and Izaak Walton League of America. …
A group of fifteen developing countries that meet to discuss issues relating to the Third World. …
A group of developing countries that negotiate collectively on some international economic issues and political concerns about climate change and development, which was founded in 1964 under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), with 77 initial members. The group now has 130 members. …