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Earth observation (EO) platforms Surfaces on which remote sensors are
mounted, including aircraft or satellites; also known as remote sensing (RS)
platforms.
Earth system model A coupled climate model that simulates the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere by including physical,
chemical, and biological processes.
Ecological community A group of species that co-occur and interact with one
another.
Ecological heterogeneity The variability in ecological entities—such as local
neighborhoods, communities, ecosystems, or landscapes—in space and time,
often measured at multiple scales.
Ecological niche modeling (ENM) Modeling of species niches (an approximation to observed or realized niches) or estimation of abiotically suitable areas
based primarily on environmental conditions or scenopoetic variables such as
climate or topography.
Ecosystem The biotic and abiotic components of an ecological community and
their interactions. The boundaries of an ecosystem are variously defined in practice and sometimes circumscribed by those of a watershed. The Convention on
Biodiversity defines an ecosystem as “a dynamic complex of plant, animal and
micro-organism communities and their nonliving environment interacting as a
functional unit.”
Ecosystem engineers Species that directly or indirectly alter their physiochemical environment to become more favorable for their continued success often
changing the availability of resources to other species.
Ecosystem function Processes and emergent properties of a whole ecosystem,
including its annual productivity and growth, decomposition rates, nutrient
cycling, stability, resistance to invasion, etc.
Ecosystem services The benefits to human well-being provided by ecosystems.
These include regulating services, such as filtering of water, prevention of erosion, carbon sequestration, air pollution removal, etc.; provisioning services,
such as food and fiber; and aesthetic and cultural services. Equivalent to Nature’s
Contributions to People defined by IPBES as the many and varied benefits that
humans freely gain from the natural environment and from properly functioning
ecosystems.
Ecotron A controlled environmental facility for the investigation of plant and animal populations and ecosystem processes under near-natural conditions using
noninvasive methods.
Ecotype A distinct form or genetic race of a plant or animal species occupying a
particular habitat.
Eddy covariance A micrometeorological method of estimating turbulent vertical fluxes of matter and energy within the atmospheric boundary layer, especially carbon dioxide and water. Also known as eddy correlation and eddy flux,
eddy covariance is widely used to estimate net ecosystem exchange of CO 2 , from
which gross primary production (GPP) can be modeled.
Elementary surface unit The smallest unit of a surface that is homogeneous.
Glossary
Earth observation (EO) platforms Surfaces on which remote sensors are
mounted, including aircraft or satellites; also known as remote sensing (RS)
platforms.
Earth system model A coupled climate model that simulates the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere by including physical,
chemical, and biological processes.
Ecological community A group of species that co-occur and interact with one
another.
Ecological heterogeneity The variability in ecological entities—such as local
neighborhoods, communities, ecosystems, or landscapes—in space and time,
often measured at multiple scales.
Ecological niche modeling (ENM) Modeling of species niches (an approximation to observed or realized niches) or estimation of abiotically suitable areas
based primarily on environmental conditions or scenopoetic variables such as
climate or topography.
Ecosystem The biotic and abiotic components of an ecological community and
their interactions. The boundaries of an ecosystem are variously defined in practice and sometimes circumscribed by those of a watershed. The Convention on
Biodiversity defines an ecosystem as “a dynamic complex of plant, animal and
micro-organism communities and their nonliving environment interacting as a
functional unit.”
Ecosystem engineers Species that directly or indirectly alter their physiochemical environment to become more favorable for their continued success often
changing the availability of resources to other species.
Ecosystem function Processes and emergent properties of a whole ecosystem,
including its annual productivity and growth, decomposition rates, nutrient
cycling, stability, resistance to invasion, etc.
Ecosystem services The benefits to human well-being provided by ecosystems.
These include regulating services, such as filtering of water, prevention of erosion, carbon sequestration, air pollution removal, etc.; provisioning services,
such as food and fiber; and aesthetic and cultural services. Equivalent to Nature’s
Contributions to People defined by IPBES as the many and varied benefits that
humans freely gain from the natural environment and from properly functioning
ecosystems.
Ecotron A controlled environmental facility for the investigation of plant and animal populations and ecosystem processes under near-natural conditions using
noninvasive methods.
Ecotype A distinct form or genetic race of a plant or animal species occupying a
particular habitat.
Eddy covariance A micrometeorological method of estimating turbulent vertical fluxes of matter and energy within the atmospheric boundary layer, especially carbon dioxide and water. Also known as eddy correlation and eddy flux,
eddy covariance is widely used to estimate net ecosystem exchange of CO 2 , from
which gross primary production (GPP) can be modeled.
Elementary surface unit The smallest unit of a surface that is homogeneous.
Glossary