IELTS Environment Vocabulary - Advanced

The process by which something becomes more acidic; ocean acidification refers to the decrease in pH of the Earth's oceans caused by the absorption of atmospheric CO2.

Originating in human activity; used to describe environmental changes, pollution, or climate shifts that are caused by humans rather than natural processes.

The gradual accumulation of substances, especially toxic chemicals, in an organism's body over time, becoming more concentrated at higher levels of the food chain.

The regions of the Earth's surface and atmosphere occupied by living organisms; the global sum of all ecosystems.

Including or dealing with all or nearly all elements or aspects of something; thorough and wide-ranging in scope.

The reduction of something by a large amount, to the point where little remains; commonly used in reference to natural resources, ozone, or species populations.

Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or the sea from industrial or agricultural processes.

The process by which a body of water becomes excessively enriched with nutrients, causing dense plant and algal growth that depletes oxygen and harms aquatic life.

The combined process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere through evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants.

The branch of physical geography dealing with the study of landforms, their origins, development, and the processes that shape them over time.

Relating to hydrology, the science of the properties and distribution of water on and under the Earth's surface, including its cycle and effects on climate.

The fundamental physical and organisational structures needed for the operation of a society, including transport, energy, and water systems, which are increasingly affected by environmental change.

The flooding of land by water, especially as a result of rising sea levels, heavy rain, or the overflow of rivers.

Impossible to undo or return to a previous state; used in environmental contexts to describe permanent damage to ecosystems, climate, or species.

A liquid that has percolated through a solid and leached out some of the constituents; in environmental science, the toxic liquid produced as water filters through landfill waste.

The rigid outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle; interacts with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere in shaping environmental systems.

The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something; in environmental policy, refers to actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change.

The quality of a material of allowing liquids or gases to pass through it; in environmental science, refers to the capacity of soil or rock to allow water to filter through.

A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is the subject of scientific inquiry.

Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that live in the ocean and freshwater, forming the base of aquatic food chains and producing a significant proportion of Earth's oxygen.

The use of living plants and their associated microorganisms to remove, degrade, or contain contaminants in soil, water, or air.

Relating to or involving the emission of radiation, especially in the context of energy transfer within Earth's climate system.

The action of remedying something, especially restoring a polluted or damaged environment to a healthier, functional state through natural or engineered processes.

The capacity of an ecosystem, community, or system to absorb disturbance and reorganise while undergoing change, so as to retain essentially the same structure and function.

The process by which water-soluble salts accumulate in soil or water to harmful concentrations, often caused by poor irrigation practices or rising sea levels.

The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, either naturally through plants and oceans or artificially through technology, as a means of reducing greenhouse gas levels.

The branch of geology concerned with the order and relative position of strata and their relationship to the geological time scale; used to reconstruct past environmental conditions.

Relating to or living on the land rather than in water or the air; used in ecology to distinguish land-based organisms and systems from aquatic or aerial ones.

Relating to the circulation of ocean water driven by differences in temperature and salinity, which plays a critical role in regulating global climate.

Relating to feeding and nutrition; in ecology, used to describe the levels of a food chain and the flow of energy between organisms.

The cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by suspended particles; high turbidity in water bodies reduces light penetration and harms aquatic ecosystems.

Easily evaporated at normal temperatures; in environmental science, refers to compounds that readily become gases and contribute to air pollution or atmospheric reactions.

The process by which a substance is converted from a liquid or solid state into a vapour or gas, especially the evaporation of nitrogen compounds from soil into the atmosphere.