Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Intensive farming. Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is an agricultural
production system characterized by a low fallow ratio and the high use of inputs
such as capital, labour, or heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers rel-
ative to land area. This is in contrast to many sorts of traditional agriculture in
which the inputs per unit land are lower.
Land degradation. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the
biophysical environment is affected by one or more combinations of human-
induced processes acting upon the land. Also environmental degradation is the
gradual destruction or reduction of the quality and quantity of human activities
or natural means example water causes soil erosion, wind, etc.
Soil. Soil is a natural body consisting of layers that are primarily composed of
minerals which differ from their parent materials in their texture, structure,
consistency, color, chemical, biological and other characteristics. Soil forms a
structure
filled with pore spaces and can be thought of as a mixture of solids,
water, and gases. Soil degradation is main problem of present science.
Land use. Land use involves the management and modi
cation of natural
environment or wilderness into built environment such as
fields, pastures, and
settlements. Land use practices vary considerably across the world. Land use
and land management practices have a major impact on natural resources
including water, soil, nutrients, plants and animals.
Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on an atomic
and molecular scale. This new perspective scienti
c
field can have unpredicted
consequences for the environment and humans.
Nuclear issues. Nuclear energy use is one of perspective way in the energy
development, but there exist many problems connected with the safety.
Overpopulation. Overpopulation is a generally undesirable condition where an
organism
s number exceeds the current carrying capacity of its habitat. The term
often refers to the relationship between the human population and its environ-
ment, the Earth, or smaller geographical areas such as countries. Overpopulation
can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates, an increase in
immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. It is possible
for very sparsely populated areas to be overpopulated if the area has a meager or
non-existent capability to sustain life.
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Ozone depletion. Ozone is very rare and important in the Earth
s atmosphere.
Ozone plays a vital role in the atmosphere. Ozone is mainly found in two
regions of the Earth
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s atmosphere. Most ozone (about 90 %) resides in a layer
that begins between 10 (near the poles) and 17 (over tropics) kilometers above
the Earth
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s surface and extends up to about 50 km. This region of the atmo-
sphere is called the stratosphere. The ozone in this region is commonly known
as the ozone layer. The remaining ozone is in the lower region of the atmo-
sphere, which is commonly called the troposphere. Stratospheric ozone plays a
bene
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cial role by absorbing most of the biologically damaging ultraviolet
sunlight, allowing only a small amount to reach the Earth
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s surface.
Pollution. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural envi-
ronment that causes adverse change. Pollution can take the form of chemical
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