LWU: Overview 📖

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• • Agriculture: The practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock for food, fiber, and other products.
  • Air pollution: The presence of harmful or excessive quantities of substances in the air, such as pollutants, that can cause harm to living organisms.
  • Allelopathy: The biochemical interaction between plants, where one plant produces compounds that inhibit the growth of another.
  • Aquaculture: The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants in controlled environments.
  • Aquifer: An underground layer of water-bearing rock, gravel, or sand that can supply groundwater.
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  • Biocapacity: The Earth's capacity to regenerate renewable resources and absorb waste generated by human activities.
  • Biological pest control: The use of living organisms, such as predators, parasites, or pathogens, to control pests.
  • Bioaccumulation: The gradual accumulation of substances, such as toxins or pollutants, in living organisms over time.
  • Biomagnification: The increasing concentration of substances, such as toxins or pollutants, at higher trophic levels in a food chain.
  • Broad-spectrum pesticide: Pesticides that are effective against a wide range of pests.
  • Bycatch: The unintended capture of non-target species, such as marine mammals or seabirds, in fishing gear.
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  • Cage-free agriculture: Farming practices where animals are not confined to cages, allowing them greater freedom of movement.
  • Carbon monoxide: A colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels, which can be harmful to human health.
  • Chemical pest control: The use of chemical substances, such as pesticides, to control pests.
  • Clean Water Act (CWA) 💧: A U.S. federal law enacted to regulate and protect the quality of surface waters in the United States.
  • Commercial fishing: Fishing practices conducted for profit, often involving large-scale operations targeting specific species.
  • Commute: The regular journey made by a person between their home and place of work or study.
  • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)/Superfund 🛢: U.S. federal law designed to address abandoned hazardous waste sites and ensure their cleanup.
  • Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs): Large-scale facilities where animals are raised in confinement, typically for meat production.
  • Contour plowing: A farming technique where plowing and planting are done parallel to the contours of the land, reducing soil erosion.
  • Cultural eutrophication: The process by which human activities, such as agricultural runoff or wastewater discharge, accelerate the natural aging of lakes or other bodies of water.
  • Cultural pest control: Pest management practices based on cultural practices, such as crop rotation or intercropping, to reduce pest populations.
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  • DDT: A synthetic pesticide that was widely used but later banned due to its harmful effects on the environment and wildlife.
  • Deforestation: The clearing or removal of forests or trees, typically for agriculture, urban development, or timber extraction.
  • Desalinization: The process of removing salt and other minerals from seawater to produce fresh water suitable for human consumption or irrigation.
  • Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agricultural practices.
  • Drip irrigation: A method of irrigation where water is applied directly to the roots of plants through a network of pipes, tubing, and emitters.
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  • Ecological footprint: The measure of human demand on nature, representing the amount of land and resources needed to support a population's lifestyle.
  • Eating lower on the food chain: Consuming foods lower in the food chain, such as plants or smaller fish, to reduce environmental impact.
  • Ecological pest control: Pest management practices that utilize natural ecological processes, such as predation or competition, to regulate pest populations.
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): A U.S. government agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment by enforcing environmental laws and regulations.
  • Exurban migration: The movement of people from urban areas to rural or suburban areas beyond the outskirts of cities.
  • Exurbs: Areas located beyond the suburbs of a city, often characterized by low population density and residential development.
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  • Finite: Having limits or bounds, not infinite or unlimited.
  • Fire suppression: The prevention or extinguishing of wildfires, typically through firefighting efforts or controlled burns.
  • First generation pesticides: Early synthetic pesticides developed for pest control, often with broad-spectrum activity and persistence in the environment.
  • Flood irrigation: A method of irrigation where water is applied to fields in a continuous flow, flooding the entire surface area.
  • Free range: Farming practices where animals are allowed to roam freely outdoors, rather than being confined to cages or feedlots.
  • Furrow irrigation: A method of irrigation where water is distributed through trenches or furrows between crop rows.
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  • Garrett Hardin: An American ecologist who introduced the concept of the "tragedy of the commons" in a seminal essay.
  • Genetic engineering: The manipulation of an organism's genes to achieve specific traits or characteristics.
  • Genetic pest control: Pest management strategies that involve altering the genetics of pests to reduce their populations or impact.
  • Genetically-modified organisms (GMO): Organisms whose genetic material has been altered through genetic engineering techniques.
  • Green revolution: A period of agricultural innovation in the mid-20th century that led to increased crop yields through the use of high-yielding varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation.
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  • Herbicides: Chemical substances used to control or kill unwanted plants, often referred to as weeds.
  • Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI): A U.S. government program aimed at reducing the risk of wildfires and promoting forest health through thinning and controlled burns.
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  • Impervious surfaces: Surfaces that do not allow water to infiltrate, such as pavement or rooftops, leading to increased stormwater runoff.
  • Integrated pest management (IPM): An approach to pest management that combines multiple strategies, such as biological, cultural, and chemical control methods, to minimize environmental impact.
  • Intermittent stream: A stream or watercourse that flows only during certain times of the year, typically in response to rainfall or snowmelt.
  • Intercropping: A farming technique where two or more crops are grown simultaneously in the same field, providing ecological benefits such as pest control or soil fertility.
  • Insecticides: Chemical substances used to control or kill insects that are considered pests.
  • Irrigation: The artificial application of water to land for agricultural or landscaping purposes.
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  • Low Impact Development (LID): Land development practices designed to minimize the environmental impact of urban development, particularly on stormwater runoff and water quality.
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  • Maximum sustainable yield: The maximum amount of a resource that can be harvested without depleting the resource's ability to replenish itself.
  • Meat production: The process of raising and slaughtering animals for human consumption, typically for meat, dairy, or egg products.
  • Mechanical/physical pest control: Pest management practices that involve physical methods, such as trapping, barriers, or habitat modification, to control pests.
  • Mining: The extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth's crust for commercial purposes.
  • Monocultures: Agricultural systems where a single crop is grown over a large area, often leading to decreased biodiversity and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases.
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  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA): A U.S. government agency responsible for monitoring and predicting changes in the Earth's environment, weather, and climate.
  • Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): A U.S. federal agency responsible for promoting conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, particularly soil, water, and air.
  • Nonpersistent pesticide: Pesticides that break down relatively quickly in the environment, typically within days or weeks.
  • Nonrenewable: Resources that are finite in quantity and cannot be replenished within a human lifespan.
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  • Ogallala aquifer: A large, underground reservoir of water located beneath the Great Plains of the United States, used extensively for agricultural irrigation.
  • Organic farming: Agricultural practices that emphasize soil health, biodiversity, and natural pest management techniques, avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
  • Overfishing: Harvesting fish at a rate that exceeds their natural reproduction rate, leading to depletion of fish stocks and ecosystem disruption.
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  • Pesticide treadmill: The cycle of increasing pesticide use due to the development of pest resistance, leading to the need for more potent or frequent applications.
  • Pesticides: Chemical substances used to control or eliminate pests, including insects, weeds, and pathogens.
  • Prescribed burn: A controlled fire deliberately set under specified conditions to achieve specific management objectives, such as reducing fuel buildup or promoting ecosystem health.
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  • Recharge: The process by which groundwater is replenished, typically through infiltration of precipitation or surface water.
  • Recharge area: The geographic area where water infiltrates into the ground and replenishes an aquifer or groundwater system.
  • Recreational fishing: Fishing activities pursued for pleasure, leisure, or sport rather than commercial gain.
  • Reforestation: The process of replanting trees in deforested or degraded areas to restore forest cover and ecosystem services.
  • Resistance: The ability of pests to tolerate or survive exposure to pesticides, often due to genetic adaptations or selection pressure.
  • Resurgence: The rebound of pest populations after a period of decline, often due to the removal of natural predators or the development of resistance to control measures.
  • Room and pillar: A method of underground mining where tunnels or shafts are excavated, leaving behind pillars of material to support the roof.
  • Rotational grazing: A livestock management strategy where animals are moved between different grazing areas to prevent overgrazing and improve pasture health.
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  • Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA) 🚰: U.S. federal law enacted to protect public health by regulating the quality of drinking water.
  • Salinization: The accumulation of salts in soil or water, often as a result of irrigation practices or seawater intrusion.
  • Secondary-pest outbreak: An increase in the population of non-target pests following the application of pesticides, often due to disruption of natural predator-prey relationships.
  • Seed-tree cutting: A forest harvesting method where a small number of mature trees are left standing to produce seeds for natural regeneration.
  • Selective cutting: A forest harvesting method where only certain trees are harvested, typically those that are mature, diseased, or of low quality.
  • Shelterwood cutting: A forest harvesting method where trees are removed in a series of cuts over time, allowing younger trees to grow and regenerate.
  • Silent Spring: A seminal book by Rachel Carson, published in 1962, that documented the environmental impacts of pesticides and raised awareness about ecological issues.
  • Sinkholes: Depressions or cavities in the ground caused by the collapse of surface layers into underground voids.
  • Slash-and-burn farming: An agricultural technique involving the cutting and burning of vegetation to clear land for cultivation.
  • Soil supplements: Materials added to soil to improve its fertility, structure, or nutrient content, such as compost, manure, or fertilizers.
  • Soil erosion: The process by which soil is removed or displaced from its original location, often by wind, water, or human activities.
  • Spring: A natural source of water that flows to the surface from an underground aquifer.
  • Subsistence agriculture: Farming practiced primarily to provide food for the farmer and their family, with little surplus for sale.
  • Subsistence fishing: Fishing conducted for survival or to meet basic dietary needs rather than for commercial purposes.
  • Sustainability: The ability to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
  • Sustainable forestry: The management of forests in a way that balances the extraction of timber with the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem health.
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  • Tilling: The process of turning over soil to prepare it for planting, often done with a plow or other implement.
  • Trophic cascade: A phenomenon in ecology where changes in the abundance of one species in a food chain can lead to ripple effects throughout the ecosystem.
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  • Unsustainable: Practices or activities that cannot be continued indefinitely without causing damage to the environment or depleting resources.
  • Urban blight: The deterioration and decline of buildings and infrastructure in urban areas, often due to neglect, disinvestment, or economic decline.
  • Urban decay: The process of decline and deterioration of urban areas, often characterized by abandoned buildings, poverty, and crime.
  • Urban sprawl: The unplanned, expansive growth of urban areas into surrounding rural areas, often resulting in inefficient land use and environmental degradation.
  • Urbanization: The process by which rural areas become urbanized, typically involving population growth, infrastructure development, and changes in land use.
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  • Waterlogging: The saturation of soil with water, leading to reduced oxygen availability for plant roots.
  • Windbreaks: Rows of trees or shrubs planted to reduce wind erosion, protect crops, and provide habitat for wildlife.