Definitions - k
- K Value
The comparison of thermal conductivity can be measured by the 'k' value. The k value, or Thermal Conductivity, specifies the rate of heat transfer in any homogeneous material. If a material has a k value of 1, it means a 1m cube of material will transfer heat at a rate of 1 watt for every degree of temperature difference between opposite faces. The k value is expressed as 1 W/mK. The lower this value is, the less heat the material will transfer.
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Species in stable environments tend to live longer and produce fewer, and sometimes larger, offspring. (K is the constant for carrying capacity in terms of population growth.) This used to be true for whales before their environment was changed. See R-Selection.
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Kapok trees produce a fluffy fiber in their seed pods. The kapok fiber is a substitute for down.
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Any wind blowing downslope. Usually cold.
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Underwater forests of tall brown algae that grow in cool coastal waters.
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Where people sort out their recyclable waste, either into a box, bag or separate bin, and this is then collected from people's houses, like the ordinary waste collection.
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Depression or pond found in glacial deposits (see Kame Terrace). Left by a chunk of melted glacier.
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Environmental Pollution refers to the presence or introduction of known pollutants into an environment that result in a degrading of the environmental biosphere in terms of size, variety and longevity/sustainability.
In particular such pollution tends to stay within an environment for an extended period of time (many years) without specific steps to reduce or remove it. In essence the natural ability of the environment to 'clean itself' is unable to cope with the pollution and significant damage results.Examples of such pollution includes (but not limited to):Search the Web for Kilowatt-Hour- Fertilizer runoff - where fertilizer escapes from farmed land into wild environments and modifies the native/weed balance.
- Pesticides residue - pesticides can make their way into the food chain and become concentrated.
- Heavy metals/plastics - again can be concentrated in the food chain and have an adverse effect on longevity and reproduction.
- Tailing spills - mining bi-products leaching.
- Waste dump leaching - not properly isolated from the water table or illegal dumping.
A key aspect of such pollution is that it tends to accumulative and can be multi-factored, in that one act of pollution can cause a chain reaction that degrades multiple biospheres over time. Also such pollution can be readily attributed to a specific pollution act or occurrence, e.g. there is a clear provable chain of cause and effect.- Kyoto Protocol
International treaty whose aim is to stem global warming, signed in 1997 following negotiations within the U.N.
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In December 1997, around 180 nations signed a treaty in Japan, under which 38 industrialized countries committed themselves to reducing emissions of the six greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The Kyoto Protocol stipulates that, between 2008 and 2012, these emissions should be decreased to an average level 5.2% lower than that of 1990.
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