Stress, Environmental

Environmental stress is an action, agent, or condition that impairs the structure or function of a biological system. This environmental stress can be natural, like hurricanes, droughts, floods and fires for example, or anthropogenic, meaning resulting from human actions._ Both natural and anthropogenic environmental stresses can be characterized based on their spatial distribution, temporal distribution, intensity, and novelty. _Some studies of environmental stress are used for appraisal or accounting purposes to assess the condition of biological systems that exist at a particular point in time, while others serve a more predictive function in order to prevent future damage before it occurs.