Enviropaedia | Environmental Encyclopedia

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1-10 of 19 for the Category : Geographical and the Subcategory : Geographical - General

Atmosphere

( Article Type: Explanation )

The atmosphere is the thin layer around the globe upon which all living things on earth depend for their survival. As a comparison, the thickness of the atmosphere around the Earth is the same as the thickness of the skin of an apple compared to its

Biodiversity

( Article Type: Explanation )

Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is a term used to describe the variety of life and the interactions between living organisms.

Biodiversity & the Sixth Extinction

( Article Type: Overview )

‘For each of the Big Five [extinctions] there are theories of what caused them, some are compelling, but none proven. For the sixth extinction, however, we do know the culprit. We are.’ – Leakey & Lewin (1995)

Biome

( Article Type: Explanation )

Biomes are the world’s major environmental communities classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterised by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment. The importance of biomes cannot be underestimated.

Biosphere

( Article Type: Explanation )

The biosphere is the envelope around the Earth, containing the life-supporting systems of the planet. So all the soil, inland water, and the sea form part of the biosphere.

Carbon

( Article Type: Explanation )

Carbon is a building block of the molecules, which make up living cells and is an essential element for life on earth. It is a basic ingredient of bones, carbohydrates, connective tissue, hormones, nerve cells and proteins.

Carrying Capacity

( Article Type: Explanation )

Carrying capacity, in the case of organisms, is the maximum number of organisms that can be supported, fed or is able to survive in any specific habitat or ecosystem without causing the breakdown of the habitat or ecosystem.

Desertification

( Article Type: Overview )

Desertification is defined as ‘land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities’. The important point is that there is loss of productivity of the land.

Ecosphere & Ecosystems

( Article Type: Explanation )

The ecosphere (also sometimes called the ‘biosphere’) is that part of the Earth’s environment in which living organisms are found. The word is normally used to include the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere (i.e. land, air and water that s

Extinction

( Article Type: Explanation )

A natural part of the evolutionary process is extinction, where species disappear owing to changes in their living conditions, which they are unable to survive. In recent times, however, the rate of extinction has increased dramatically as a result o