The organic waste and wastewater that is produced by residential and commercial establishments, and is discharged into sewers. …
The introduction of untreated sewage into a waterbody. …
The point at which sewage is discharged, often from a pipe, into a waterbody. …
The solid portion of sewage that contains organic matter along with the algae, fungi, bacteria, and protozoans that consume it. Also known as biosolids and sludge . …
The system of pipes (sewers) that carries sewage. Also known as sewerage . …
A facility that is designed to receive the wastewater from domestic sources, and to remove from it any materials that reduce water quality and threaten public health and safety when they are discharged into receiving streams or waterbodies. …
A channel or network of pipes that carries wastewater and stormwater runoff from the source to a treatment plant or receiving stream. See also sanitary sewer, storm sewer. …
The number of females per thousand males within a population. …
The production of new individuals through fertilization of male and female gametes. …
A type of natural selection that acts differently on males and females of the same species. …
Plants (particularly trees) that need a lot of sunlight to regenerate and grow. …
Plants (particularly trees) that can regenerate and grow in the shade of surrounding vegetation. …
The social value of a resource (such as habitat or wilderness), for which a meaningful economic price is difficult to calculate. …
A fine‐grained, grey or black clasticsedimentary rock that is composed of compacted and hardened silt and clay, with clear laminations. …
A petroleum‐like substance that is found in high concentrations in some shale rocks. See also kerogen. …
A worldview or set of beliefs which reflects a utilitarian and anthropo centric attitude to nature, based on materalism and consumerism. It seeks technological solutions to major environmental problems, rather than a change in human behaviour and valves. For example, shallow ecology promotes the recycling of waste rather than preventing waste in the first place. Contrast deep ecology. …
A measure of biodiversity, based on the number of species (species richness) and the way in which the individuals are apportioned into those species (evenness) within a given area. The index number is large when the species diversity is large and/or apportioned evenly amongst the species, and it is small when the species diversity is small and/or apportioned unevenly amongst the species. This meth…
A peripheral area of a town or city that is inhabited by the very poor. It usually consists of simple houses with little or no infrastructure or services and is located in marginal environments with low environmental quality and high environmental risk. See also squatter settlement. …
1 To cut the fleece off an animal using electric or hand‐held shears. 2 To trim back and shape tree branches. 3 The deformation a body by moving one part of it relative to another. …
A force that acts on a particle, which serves to resist movement and is thus an opposing force to shear stress. …
A force that acts on a particle, which exists because gravity pulls objects downhill so it opposes shear strength. It promotes downslope movement, and its strength is determined mainly by slope angle (steeper slopes have higher shear stress, all else being equal). …
A liquid disinfectant and insecticide in which sheep are immersed to protect them from pests and diseases. …
The erosion of a layer of exposed soil from a sloping surface by runoff water or wind. …
A bright flash of lightning from a distant thunderstorm that lights up part of the cloud. …
The sharp change in slope on the ocean floor between the continental shelf and the continental slope. …
A natural barrier composed of rows of trees and shrubs that are planted to block wind flow and drifting snow, reduce soil erosion, and protect buildings, gardens, orchards, or sensitive crops from high winds. Also known as a windbreak or windstrip . …
In terms of wave exposure, coasts with a restricted fetch which are protected from danger or bad weather. …
In forest management, the gradual removal of the entire stand of trees over a period of partial cuttings, which allows an even‐aged stand to regenerate in the partial shade. See also removal cut. …
In a nuclear power plant, a wall to protect people from exposure to harmful radiation. …
A volcano that is built from repeated non‐explosive flows of lava, covers a large area, and has relatively shallow slopes, like many of the volcanoes in Hawaii. …
1 A general term for coarse beach material, which is often well‐rounded and composed of hard resistant rock, and a mixture of gravel, pebbles, and larger material. 2 Wood or slate building material that is used as roofing or siding on a building. …
1 A sandbank in a river or stream, that is visible under low flow. 2 A large group of fish. …
The arrival at a water treatment plant of water that contains high amounts of algae, suspended solids, or other pollutants. …
A large compression wave (such as a seismic wave or sonic boom) that is caused by a shock to the medium through which the wave travels. …
The above‐ground portion of a plant, on which the leaves grow. Contrast root. …
Killing wildlife, often game as a field sport, by gunfire. …
A North American term for a building or set of buildings that contain stores and have interconnecting walkways that may or may not be enclosed, and which make it easy for people to walk from store to store. In the United Kingdom and Australia these are called shopping centres or shopping arcades . Contrast strip mall. …
The strip of land that borders a relatively large waterbody (such as a lake or ocean) and is above the high water mark. See also littoral. …
A North American prairiegrassland vegetation dominated by grasses that are short and can tolerate drought conditions, which is common on the dry upland plains east of the Rocky Mountains. …
A type of prairie that grows in areas that receive between 30 and 40 centimetres of precipitation per year and have high evaporation rates. …
A brief period of time, in environmental terms often defined as less than about three to five years. Contrast long term, medium term. …
Radiant energy in the visible and near‐ultraviolet wavelengths (between about 0.1 and 2.0 micrometres), such as that emitted by the Sun. Contrast longwave radiation. …
A pattern of migration in which species move within, rather than between, temperate or tropical zones. …
Planning ahead up to five years. Contrast long‐range planning. See also short term. …
Cleanup of a contaminated site that seeks to minimize immediate threats to public health and the environment, for example after an emergency fire, spill, or release. Also known as removal action . …
A sudden downpour or short period of heavy precipitation. …
1 Reducing the size of a particular material (such as waste paper for recycling) by tearing or chopping it. 2 Mixing and grinding soil in order to make it more homogeneous and increase permeability. …
Clay that expands (swells) when wet and shrinks when dry. …
A low, woody, perennialplant that has no trunk but several major branches at or near the base giving a bushy appearance, usually less than six metres tall. …
A collection of shrubs that are growing together, which may have been planted. …
An open or closed stand of shrubs up to about two metres tall. …
Part of the Earth's crust, which is named after its two main chemical constituents, silica (Si) and alumina (Al). It has a lower density than sima, and forms the continental crust. …
Species that look so alike that human observers find it hard to distinguish between them. …
A set of symptoms that affect some people while they are inside a particular building but which disappear when they leave the building, and which cannot be traced to specific pollutants or sources within the building. …
An effect (often undesired or negative) other than the one intended. …
A US environmental organization founded by John Muir in 1892 that promotes public education, litigation, and outings and conferences. …
A serious adverse impact in terms of such things as size, geographical extent, duration, frequency, or degree of reversibility. …
Fodder that is made by storing and fermenting green forage plants in a silo. …
A book written by Rachel Carson , published in 1962 , which described the loss of birds killed by pesticide poisoning from agricultural insecticides, and which had a significant impact on attitudes towards the environment, and on the development of modern environmentalism. …
A mineral composed of silicon dioxide that is found in all volcanic rocks and is an important ingredient in the Earth's crust. …
A mineral or rock whose composition includes silicon and oxygen. …
The process in which silica replaces the original material of a substance, such as wood. See also petrified forest. …
A white or colourless solid that becomes soluble at high temperatures. Also known as sand . See also silica. …
A naturally occurring, non‐metallicelement, which is a major component of many types of rocks and minerals and accounts for 27.2% of the Earth's crust …
A sheet‐like horizontal intrusion of magna between existing rock strata. …
A tall, cylindrical structure (or pit) in which fodder is stored to make silage. …
Fine sediment with a particle size between 0.002 and 0.06 millimetres, which is between 4.0 and 9.0 on the phi (?) scale; coarser than clay but finer than sand. …
A fine‐grained clasticsedimentary rock composed of compacted and hardened silt‐size particles. …
The third period of the Palaeozoic era, covering the period from about 440 to 408 million years ago, during which the first species of plants and insects appeared. …
A naturally occurring, soft, white, precious metallic element that is used in coins and jewellery, and has many other uses. …
The care and cultivation of forest trees. See also forestry. …
An agroforestry land use system in which trees or shrubs are grown and animals graze or browse. See also forest grazing …
Growing trees as part of a fish‐farming enterprise. …
The oceanic crust of the Earth, which is named after its two main chemical constituents (silica (Si) and magnesium (Ma)?), is denser than sial that covers it in places, and where it is not covered by sial it comprises the ocean bed. …
US academic and environmental optimist ( 1932 ? 98 ) who is best known for his work on population and natural resources, including the controversial book The Ultimate Resource. …
An experiment run as a model of reality, often using a computer, to predict the behaviour of a system under certain conditions. …
A privately operated vehicle whose only occupant is the driver, who uses it mainly for personal travel and daily commuting to work. Contrast high occupancy vehicle. …
1 A place where a substance can be stored naturally, such as plants which are a sink for carbon dioxide (because they transform it by photosynthesis into organic matter, which either stays in the plant or is stored in the soil). Contrast source. See also carbon sink. 2 See sinkhole. …
A habitat that is a net importer of individuals, because local reproduction is not sufficient to balance local mortality. Contrast source habitat. …
A steep‐sided depression that is found in some limestone (karst) areas and is caused by the collapse of an underground channel or cavern as a result of solution weathering. Also known as sink . …
A method of controlling an oil spill, using a sinking agent to trap the oil and sink it to the bottom of the waterbody where the mixture of oil and agent eventually undergoes natural biodegradation. …
A chemical additive that is added to a floating oil spill in order to sink it below the water surface. …
A population that occupies a sink habitat. Contrast source population. …
A chemical precipitate that is formed from the minerals (mainly silica) in geothermal water, especially from geysers. …
A measure of the degree of meandering within a river, defined as the ratio of stream length to valley length. Tightly meandering rivers travel much further over a given length of valley and so they have high sinuosity. …
A dry desert wind that blows from the Sahara in north Africa across the Mediterranean Sea (where it picks up moisture) towards Sicily and southern Italy, where it is experienced as a hot, humid wind. …
The formal process by which the US Environmental Protection Agency determines whether a potential site should be placed on the National Priorities List (NPL). It can consist of a Preliminary Assessment (PA) or a combination of a PA and a Site Inspection (SI). …
The carrying capacity of a particular site for a particular use. …
A form of land classification based on ecological factors and the potential production capacity (such as crop or forest yield) of a particular site. …
A stage in site assessment in the USA, following the Preliminary Assessment, during which the Environmental Protection Agency gathers information from a Superfund site in order to use the Hazard Ranking System to determine whether the site should be placed on the National Priorities List. …
A conservation site of national importance in the UK that has been designated for special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 because of its plants, animals, or geological or physiographical features. …
The treatment of a site (for example with mechanical clearing, burning, or herbicides) to prepare it for planting, such as reforestation. …
The process of cleaning up a hazardous waste disposal site. See also remediation. …
The process of choosing a location for a facility. …
In forest management, one of three categories of tree stem diameters that is used to classify timber, which are seedling/sapling (less than five inches (12.7 centimetres) in diameter), pole timber (five to seven inches (12.7 to 17.8 centimetres)), and sawtimber (greater than seven inches (17.8 centimetres)). …
A book by Bjorn Lomborg , published in 2001 , which challenges the belief that the global environment is progressively getting worse, using statistical information from reputable international research institutes. It is one of the most controversial books on the environment in recent years. See also optimist, environmental. …
Hauling logs by sliding them from where they are cut to a collection point. …
Using a machine to remove a physical pollutant (such as oil) from the surface of a waterbody. …
The ability of some hazardous chemicals to enter the human body by passing directly through the skin and entering the bloodstream. …
The atmosphere and outer space beyond it, viewed from the ground. …
A method of logging in which timber is transported from where it is cut to a collecting point by means of an overhead trolley that runs along a cable system. Also known as skyline yarding . …
A low‐lying area of ground in an area of coastal sand dunes, which is often damper than the surrounding sand and may even contain temporary pools. …
The minimum velocity of a tidal stream, at the point of cross‐over between successive flood currents and ebb currents, when water is relatively calm. …
See strategic lawsuit against public participation. …
A method of clearing a patch of forest land for cultivation, in which the trees are first felled and then burned to add nutrients to the soil. Also known as milpa, swidden agriculture or shifting cultivation . …
The removal of logging residue, often in order to reduce the risk of fire spreading. …
In forest management, cutting back the less tough, competing vegetation (such as ground cover like bracken) to improve tree growth. …
A black or grey, fine‐grained metamorphic rock that is formed by the applying great heat and pressure to shale and mudstone, and is useful as a building and roofing material. …
An encephalitis that is caused by a virus, which was epidemic between 1915 and 1926 , and whose symptoms include paralysis of the eye muscles and extreme muscular weakness. …
Precipitation in the form of rain that contains some ice or snow that melts as it falls. Also known as ice pellet . …
A polished rock surface that is created when one mass of rock slides over another in a fault plane. …
A mass of protoplasm that has characteristics of both plants and animals. A member of the kingdom Protoctista. …
An instrument that is used to measure the amount of water vapour in the air, using wet and dry bulb thermometers mounted on a frame. …
The angle at which something is inclined, which is normally expressed as fall (drop in height) (metres) per unit distance (kilometres), or metres per kilometre. Also known as gradient . …
The resistance of an inclined surface to failure by sliding or collapsing. …
A stagnantswamp type of vegetation that is dominated by grasses, sedges, and rushes and is commonly found on the muddy backwater of a river, marsh, or tidal flat. …
A water treatment process in which water is drained slowly through a bed of sand in order to remove particles from it. …
Solid matter that is removed during the treatment of water or wastewater. Also known as residuals . See also sewage sludge. …
A tank in which organic sewage sludge is decomposed by micro‐organisms, which releases energy and converts much of the sewage to methane, carbon dioxide, and water. …
An area in a city that has poor‐quality living conditions and marked poverty. …
A landslide in which the rock mass tilts back as it slide down from a cliff or escarpment. …
A suspension of fine solid particles in a liquid, such as liquified animal manure. …
Birds and small animals (game) that are hunted or trapped. …
A small plot of land on which fruit and vegetables are cultivated, usually for sale. See also horticulture, market garden. …
Comprehensive planning and environmentally sensitive development of land that is designed to restore sense of community, enhance natural and cultural resources, expand choice in transportation, employment, and housing, reduce air pollution, promote public health and healthy communities, and increase the efficiency of investments in infrastructure. …
A US non‐profit anti‐environmentalfront group that promotes the principles and practice of smart growth as a way of reconciling the tensions between conservation and development. Compare wise use movement. …
The process of extracting metal from ore by heating and melting, which separates out the impurities. …
US legislation that established a federal?state cooperative extension programme to provide education for the public about agricultural and natural resources. …
A form of air pollution that is caused by the interaction of pollutants and sunlight, often restricts visibility, and is sometimes hazardous to health. See also photochemical smog. …
A type of air pollution in the form of a visible cloud of fine particles suspended in the air, which is produced by the burning of fossil fuels, particularly coal. …
A mascot of the US Forest Service, which was adopted in 1944 to educate the public on the dangers of forest fires. Royalties from licensed use of the mascot are used to fund education programmes on prevention of forest fire. …
A standing dead or decaying tree, which provides nesting sites, feeding sites, and habitats for wildlife. …
Frozen water vapour in the atmosphere that falls in light white flakes (snowflakes) and settles on the ground as a white layer. A form of precipitation. …
A statement (advisory) that is issued in the USA when snow is expected to create hazardous travel conditions. …
The rapid downslope movement of large quantities of snow. …
A mass of snow or ice that projects over a mountain ridge. …
The mass of snow per unit volume, which is equal to the water content of the snow divided by its depth. …
A mass of snow that has been heaped up by the wind, often in the lee of an obstruction. …
The rate at which snow falls or accumulates on the ground, which is usually expressed in depth of snow (in centimetres) over a six‐hour period. …
A permanent large area of snow on the ground, most commonly found at high altitude or latitude. …
A six‐pointed cluster of ice crystals which falls from a cloud. …
The lower limit of permanent snow cover, below which snow doesn't accumulate. …
The altitude above which snow remains on the ground throughout the year, which decreases from the equator (around 5000 metres) towards the poles (close to sea level). …
The conversion of snow into runoff and groundwater, as temperature rises. …
The total amount of snowand ice on the ground, including fresh new snow and older snow and ice which has not melted. …
A form of precipitation that consists of a snow crystal and a raindrop frozen together. Also known as graupel . …
An intermittent heavy shower of snow that greatly reduces visibility. Also known as a snow shower . …
A natural cleaning agent that is made by the reaction of a fat or oil and an alkali. See also insecticidal soap. …
The degree of social cohesion which exists in a community, which is reflected in social networks, norms, and trust. …
A collection of people with similar position or social rank. …
A process in which people's experience of reality is determined by the meaning they attach to that reality. See post‐modernism. …
The value of the best alternative use of a particular scarce resource, or the potential benefit that is foregone from not following the best alternative course of action. Also known as non‐market cost or opportunity cost . …
The belief that social structure is determined by how well people are suited to particular living conditions. See also natural selection. …
The view that environmental problems arise from fundamental social problems, and that they cannot be understood or solved without dealing with problems within society, including economic, ethnic, cultural, and gender conflicts. See also radical ecology. …
Planting and looking after trees or shrubs in order to maintain or improve the quality of life of local communities. See also community forestry. …
The changes in social and cultural conditions, which can be positive or negative, which directly or indirectly result from an activity, project, or programme. Contrast environmental impact. …
A condition in which different members of a society have unequal amounts of income, prestige, and social power. …
An economic system in which the means of production are controlled by the state. Also known as socialist economy . Contrast capitalism. See also marxism. …
See socialism. Contrast capitalist economy, market economy. …
The objective of creating a fair and equal society in which each individual matters, their rights are recognized and protected, and decisions are made in ways that are fair and honest. …
A large number of people who act together in order to pursue some shared objective, such as environmentalism. …
Those disciplines that are concerned with the study of human behaviour, which include anthropology, economics, psychology, geography, political science, and sociology. …
The non‐economic value that society puts on a resource and that is recognized by most, if not all, people, such as the benefits to human health of clean air and water. See also shadow price. …
A broad grouping of people (including a community or nation) that shares common traditions, institutions, collective activities, and interests. …
The study of behaviour in social animals (including humans), based on the assumption that such behaviour is biologically based, genetically encoded, and evolves through the process of natural selection. …
The social and economic conditions of a particular area or population. …
The study and classification of social groups and human societies. …
1 Established grass, turf, or sward. 2 A strip of turf that is cut and transplanted to establish grass cover in another place. …
A device that is used to detect and determine the range to distant objects or changes in temperature or humidity in the atmosphere, based on the scatter and reflection of sound energy. Short for ?sound detection and ranging?. See also sonar. …
A North American grassland vegetation dominated by grasses (such as big bluestem, Andropogon gerardii ) that spread horizontally, like the grass in a lawn, and are characteristic of tallgrass prairies. …
The accumulation of sodium in soil, which adversely affects soil structure and increases toxicity to plants. …
A naturally occurring, silver‐white, soft, waxy, ductile element of the alkali metal group, that can form various salts with halogens and metals, is abundant in nature, and is not generally considered to be toxic. When dissolved in water it can be used to indicate salinity. …
A cleaning agent (detergent) that breaks down naturally in the environment. …
Water that is treated in order to reduce its hardness (due to calcium and magnesium). …
An approach to economic development that relies on renewable sources of energy, including solar power, wind power, and water power. Contrast hard energy path. …
soft fleshy fruits potentially eaten by wildlife (examples include persimmon, wild grapes, blackberries, blueberries, huckleberries, mulberries, plums, autumn olive, and crab apples). …
Water that does not contain a significant amount of dissolved minerals such as salts of calcium or magnesium. Contrast hard water. …
A general term for a coniferous tree and for the wood from such trees. Contrast hardwood. …
The thin layer of disintegrated rock particles, organic matter, water, and air that covers most of the land surface to an average depth of about 20 centimetres. Soil is a typical open system with inputs, throughputs and outputs of matter and energy, and it is intimately linked with other environmental systems, particularly climate and vegetation. Through weathering and erosion, soils are linked to…
Soil that becomes acid, due to the production of nitric acid and sulphuric acid by bacteria followed by leaching. See also acidification. …
The process by which air in the soil is replenished by air from the atmosphere. The degree of aeration depends mainly on the porosity of the soil, and poorly aerated soils contain more carbon dioxide and less oxygen. …
A soil aggregate is made of individual particles of soil stuck together, and determines soil texture. Thus, for example, a soil with a granular structure is composed of relatively small, rounded aggregates, and a soil with a blocky structure is made up of aggregates with sharp corners and irregular shapes. …
Control measures that are adopted in order to reduce the loss of soil and water from a particular area. …
US legislation that provides for a continuing appraisal of soil, water, and related resources, including fish and wildlife habitats, and a soil and water conservation programme to assist landowners and land users in furthering soil and water conservation. …
A UK environmental campaigning and certification organization, whose mission is to promote sustainableorganic food and farming. …
A group of named soil taxonomic units that occur together in a characteristic pattern over a geographical region. …
The mass of soil per unit of volume, which is a measure of compaction. …
A group of soils that have a definite range in a particular property such as acidity, slope, texture, or structure. …
The systematic arrangement of soils into groups or categories on the basis of their characteristics. Also known as soil taxonomy . See also Comprehensive Soil Classification System. …
The moisture and temperature conditions that exist within a particular soil. …
The reduction of soil volume as a result of applied load, vibration, or pressure, which leads to a decrease in soil bulk density and soil porosity. …
A mapping unit (smaller than a soil association) that is used in detailed soil surveys where two or more defined taxonomic units are so completely intermixed geographically that separating them is impossible. …
Any substance (such as compost) that enriches the physical condition of soil and increases its organic content as part of soil enhancement. …
Methods that are used to reduce soil erosion, prevent depletion of soil nutrients and soil moisture, and enrich the nutrient status of a soil. …
US legislation that provided for control and prevention of soil erosion, delegated all activities relating to soil erosion to the Secretary of Agriculture, and established the Soil Conservation Service. …
US legislation that established the Agricultural Conservation Program, which provides cost‐sharing funds to landowners for the protection of soil and water resources, including practices to improve tree planting and timber stands. …
Adding material (including fertilizers, organic materials, sand, or lime) to a soil in order to improve its fertility, long‐term chemical or physical status, or stability. Also known as soil amendment or soil improvement . See also soil conditioner. …
A measure of the inherent susceptibility of a soil to erosion, regardless of topography, vegetation cover, management, or weather conditions. …
The removal of topsoil by raindrop erosion and sheet erosion, as a result of human activities, particularly if the protective vegetation has been removed. A number of factors promote soil erosion, including deforestation, overgrazing, compaction (which destroys soil structure), farming on steep slopes without terraces, and the practice of leaving ground barren for long periods in winter. The erosi…
The arrangement, size, shape, and frequency of the particles in a soil. …
The ability of a soil to support plant growth by providing water, nutrients, and a medium in which growth can occur. …
The process by which soil is formed as a result of interactions over time between parent material (rock), climate, topography, and organisms. Also known as pedogenesis . …
Gas (such as radon) that is contained in the pore spaces between soil particles. …
A relatively uniform layer within a soil profile that has distinct characteristics. See also a‐horizon, b‐horizon, c‐horizon, d‐horizon. …
A measure of the darkening potential of smoke and soot suspended in one cubic metre of air. …
A map that shows the location and extent of the different soil associations and soil complexes in a particular area. …
