Geography key terms

The movement and recycling of nutrients between living organisms, dead organic material and soil.

The movement and reuse of nutrients between living organisms, dead organic matter and the non-living environment.

A large-scale flow of seawater that transports water and heat.

The amount of oil and oil products used over a given period.

The quantity of oil that consumers are willing and able to buy at a given price.

The amount of oil extracted from the ground over a given period, commonly measured in barrels per day.

Estimated quantities of oil that can be recovered using existing technology under current economic conditions.

The quantity of oil available for sale over a given period.

A measure comparing older people with the working-age population. The ONS measure discussed here counts people of State Pension age per 1,000 people of working age.

The Office for National Statistics, which publishes official statistics, including census results for England and Wales.

Mining that removes surface material to reach deposits below, leaving a large open excavation.

A question that allows a respondent to answer in their own words rather than choosing from fixed answers.

Long-term variations in the shape of the Earth's orbit, its axial tilt and the direction of its axis, which change the distribution of sunlight received by the Earth.

Farming that avoids artificial fertilisers and restricts the use of synthetic pesticides, relying instead on methods that maintain soil health and manage pests naturally.

Food produced using methods that restrict synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, instead using approaches such as crop rotation and natural pest control.

Rock exposed at the Earth’s surface.

The liquid layer of the Earth's core surrounding the solid inner core.

An observation that lies unusually far from the general pattern of the data.

A small statistical geographical area used to publish census results. Output areas can be combined to produce statistics for a larger area.

Hiring an external organisation to carry out tasks or services rather than doing them within the business. Overseas outsourcing uses a provider in another country.

Sediment transported and deposited by glacial meltwater, usually sorted into layers.

Removing water from a store faster than it is replenished, causing the store to decline.

Growing crops so intensively or repeatedly that soil nutrients are depleted and the land cannot recover.

Using a natural resource faster than it can recover, causing long-term damage or depletion.

Catching fish faster than their populations can replace themselves through reproduction.

Grazing that removes vegetation faster than it can regrow.

Water flowing across the ground surface towards a river, also called surface runoff.