Page 738 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

landslide that can travel long distances across urban heat island effect The phenomenon water A compound composed of two hydrogen
oceans and inundate coasts. whereby a city becomes warmer than outlying atoms bonded to one oxygen atom, denoted by
tundra A biome that is nearly as dry as desert areas because of the concentration of heat-gen- the chemical formula H O.
2
but is located at very high latitudes along the erating buildings, vehicles, and people, and be- water cycle See hydrologic cycle.
northern edges of Russia, Canada, and Scan- cause buildings and dark paved surfaces absorb waterlogging The saturation of soil by water,
dinavia. Extremely cold winters with little heat and releae it at night. in which the water table is raised to the point
daylight and moderately cool summers with urbanization A population’s shift from rural that water bathes plant roots. Waterlogging
lengthy days characterize this landscape of li- living to city and suburban living. deprives roots of access to gases, essentially
chens and low, scrubby vegetation.
urban planning See city planning. suffocating them and eventually damaging or
typhoon See cyclone. killing the plants.
utilitarian value See instrumental value.
water mining The withdrawal of water at a
rate faster than it can be replenished.
umbrella species A species for which meet-
ing its habitat needs automatically helps meet variable In an experiment, a condition that can water pollution The act of polluting water, or
those of many other species. Umbrella species change. See dependent variable and independ- the condition of being polluted by water pol-
generally are species that require large areas of ent variable. lutants.
habitat. vector An organism that transfers a pathogen to watershed The entire area of land from which
unconfined aquifer A water-bearing, porous its host. An example is a mosquito that trans- water drains into a given river.
layer of rock, sand, or gravel that lies atop a fers the malaria pathogen to humans. water table The upper limit of groundwater
less-permeable substrate. The water in an un- vernal pool A type of seasonal wetland that held in an aquifer.
confined aquifer is not under pressure because forms in spring from rain and snowmelt and wave energy Energy harnessed from the mo-
there is no impermeable upper layer to confine then dries up later in the year. tion of ocean waves. Many designs for machin-
it. Compare confined aquifer. ery to harness wave energy have been invented,
vested interest A direct interest (from an indi-
undernutrition A condition of insufficient nu- vidual or interest group) in some condition or but few have been adequately tested.
trition in which people receive less than 90% policy change due to the prospect for personal weak sustainability A school of thought that
of their daily caloric needs. or financial benefit, even if this counteracts the argues that we can allow natural capital to de-
understory The layer of a forest consisting of common good. cline over time as long as human-made capital
small shrubs and trees above the forest floor volatile organic compound (VOC) One of increases to compensate for it. Compare strong
and below the subcanopy. a large group of potentially harmful organic sustainability.
uneven-aged Term describing stands consist- chemicals used in industrial processes. One of weather The local physical properties of the
ing of trees of different ages. Uneven-aged six major pollutants whose emissions are moni- troposphere, such as temperature, pressure,
stands more closely approximate a natural for- tored by the EPA and state agencies. humidity, cloudiness, and wind, over relatively
est than do even-aged stands. volcano A site where molten rock, hot gas, or short time periods. Compare climate.
uniform distribution Distribution pattern in ash erupts through Earth’s surface, often creat- weathering The process by which rocks and
which individuals are evenly spaced (as when ing a mountain over time as cooled lava ac- minerals are broken down, turning large par-
individuals hold territories or otherwise com- cumulates. ticles into smaller particles. Weathering may
pete for space). proceed by physical, chemical, or biological
means.
United Nations (U.N.) Organization founded Wallace, Alfred Russel (1823–1913)
in 1945 to promote international peace and to English naturalist who proposed, indepen- weed A pejorative term for any plant that com-
cooperate in solving international economic, dently of Charles Darwin, the concept of natu- petes with our crops. The term is subjective and
social, cultural, and humanitarian problems. defined by our own economic interests, and is
ral selection as a mechanism for evolution and not biologically meaningful. Compare pest.
United Nations Framework Convention on as a way to explain the great variety of living
Climate Change An international treaty things. westerlies Prevailing winds from 30° to 60°
signed in 1992 outlining a plan to reduce emis- warm front The boundary where a mass of latitude that blow from west to east.
sions of greenhouse gases. Gave rise to the warm air displaces a mass of colder air. Com- wetland A system in which the soil is saturated
Kyoto Protocol. with water and that generally features shallow
pare cold front.
universalist An ethicist who maintains that waste Any unwanted product that results from standing water with ample vegetation. These
biologically productive systems include fresh-
there exist objective notions of right and wrong a human activity or process. water marshes, swamps, bogs, and seasonal
that hold across cultures and situations. Com- wetlands such as vernal pools.
pare relativist. waste management Strategic decision making
to minimize the amount of waste generated and Whitman, Walt (1819–1892) American poet
upwelling In the ocean, the flow of cold, deep who espoused transcendentalism.
water toward the surface. Upwelling occurs in to dispose of waste safely and effectively.
areas where surface currents diverge. Compare waste stream The flow of waste as it moves wilderness area Federal land that is desig-
downwelling. from its sources toward disposal destinations. nated off-limits to development of any kind
but is open to public recreation, such as hik-
uranium The chemical element with 92 pro- waste-to-energy (WTE) facility An incinera- ing, nature study, and other activities that have
tons and 92 neutrons. Uranium is used as a tor that uses heat from its furnace to boil water minimal impact on the land.
fuel source to produce electricity with nuclear to create steam that drives electricity genera-
energy. tion or that fuels heating systems. wildland-urban interface A region where GLOSS ARY
urban or suburban development meets forested
urban ecology A scientific field of study that wastewater Any water that is used in house- or undeveloped lands.
views cities explicitly as ecosystems. Research- holds, businesses, industries, or public facili-
ers in this field apply the fundamentals of eco- ties and is drained or flushed down pipes, as windbreak See shelterbelt.
system ecology and systems science to urban well as the polluted runoff from streets and wind farm A development involving a group
areas. storm drains. of wind turbines. G-23

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