Environment
The sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.
Environmental Science
The field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature.
System
Any set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or materials.
Biotic
Living factors in the environment.
Abiotic
Nonliving factors in the environment.
Environmentalist
A person who participates in environmentalism.
Environmental Studies
Any additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics.
Ecosystem Services
The processes by which life-supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced.
Environmental Indicators
Describe the current state of an environmental system.
Sustainability
Living on Earth in a way that allows us to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources.
Biodiversity
The diversity of life forms in an environment.
Species
A group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology (body and form structure), behavior, or biochemical properties.
Speciation
The evolution of a new species.
Background Extinction Rate
The average rate at which species go extinct over the long term.
Greenhouse Gases
A gas in the Earth's atmosphere that traps heat near the surface.
Anthropogenic
Derived from human activities.
Development
Improvement in a human well-being through economic advancements.
Sustainable Development
Development that balances current human well-being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations.
Biophilia
An appreciation for life.
Ecological Footprint
A measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in the area.
Scientific Method
An objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes or changes.
Hypothesis
A testable theory or supposition about how something works.
Null Hypothesis
A statement or idea that can be falsified, or proven wrong.
Replication
The date collection procedure of taking repeated measurements.
Sample Size
The number of times a measurement is replicated in the data collection process.
Accuracy
How close a measured value is to the actual or true value.
Precision
How close the repeated measurements of a sample are to another one.
Uncertainty
An estimation of how much a measured or calculated value differs from a true value.
Inductive Reasoning
The process of applying a general statements from specific facts or examples.
Deductive Reasoning
The process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations.
Critical Thinking
The process of questioning the source of information, considering the methods used to obtain the information, and drawing conclusions essential to all scientific endeavor
Theory
A hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reaches wide acceptance.
Natural Law
A theory for which there is no known exception and that has withstood rigorous testing
Control Group
In a scientific investigation, a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study.
Natural Experiment
A natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem.
Environmental Justice
A social movement and field of study that focuses on equal enforcement of environmental laws and eliminating disparities in the exposure of environmental harms to different ethnic and socioeconomic groups within society.
Ecosystem
A particular location on Earth distinguished by its mix of interacting biotic and abiotic components.