All keywords

Scientific investigation aimed at discovering and applying new facts, techniques and natural laws. (Source: MGH)

Place where systematic investigation to establish facts or principles or to collect information on a subject is performed. (Source: CEDa)

Investigation carried out to assess the results deriving from an action or condition; general term applying to many different fields. (Source: RRDA)

Proposal, plan or design containing the necessary information and data for conducting a specific survey. (Source: CEDa)

Any area of land or water that has been set aside for a special purpose, often to prevent or reduce harm to its wildlife and ecosystems. (Source: RHW / DOE)

An artificial or natural storage place for water, such as a lake or pond, from which the water may be withdrawn as for irrigation, municipal water supply, or flood control. (Source: BJGEO)

Area that has only private houses, not offices and factories. (Source: CAMB)

Residential zones where raised areas are built across roads so that vehicles are forced to move more slowly along it. (Source: CAMB)

A building allocated for residence. (Source: CED)

Amount of water left in a water course after it has fed a hydropower plant in order to maintain a satisfactory dry-weather-flow for allowing the survival of biotic communities. (Source: RRDA)

A pesticide remaining in the environment for a fairly long time, continuing to be effective for days, weeks, and months. (Source: HMD)

Remaining potential for harm to persons, property or the environment following all possible efforts to reduce predictable hazards. (Source: TOE)

Material left after any waste treatment process, including industrial, urban, agricultural, mining or other similar treatments. (Source: ERG / ISEP)

The excess, unusable semi-solids or sediment resulting from a wastewater treatment or industrial process. (Source: RHW / TOE)

Analysis of residues from agricultural chemicals used in food crops and contained in foodstuff. The analyses use gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, immunoassays, etc. (Source: RRDA / USDA)

Dust or other residue left after reducing a material to very small particles. (Source: MHD)

Recycling of material or energy which is left over or wasted in industrial processes and other human activities. Examples include waste heat and gaseous pollutants from electricity generation, slag from metal-ore refining, and garbage. A residual becomes an output or input when a technological advance creates economic opportunities for the waste. (Source: GILP96)

Any of a class of solid or semisolid organic products of natural or synthetic origin with no definite melting point, generally of high molecular weight; most resins are polymers. (Source: MGH)

Plants yielding or producing resin. (Source: CED)

1) The ability of a plant to overcome, retard, suppress, or prevent infection or colonization by a pathogen, parasite, or adverse abiotic factor. 2) The ability of insects, fungi, weeds, or other pests to survive normally lethal doses of an insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, or other pesticide. (Source: DUNSTE)

A formal expression of the opinion of an official body or a public assembly, adopted by vote, as a legislative resolution. (Source: BLACK)

A remote sensing term which has three separate applications: a) spatial resolution, which refers to the ability of a sensor to distinguish between objects that are spatially close to each other. It is a measure of the smallest angular or linear separation between two objects. b) Spectral resolution which refers to the ability of a sensor to distinguish between objects which are spectrally similar. It is a measure of both the discreteness of wavebands and the sensitivity of the sensor to distinguish between electromagnetic radiation intensity levels. c) Thermal resolution which refers to the ability of a sensor to distinguish between objects with a similar temperature. (Source: WHIT)

Absorption or, less commonly, adsorption of material by a body or system from which the material was previously released. (Source: MGH)

Any component of the environment that can be utilized by an organism. (Source: LBC)

Assessment of the availability of resources in a given area. (Source: GILP96a)

Reduction of overall resource consumption and utilization of recovered resources in order to avoid waste. (Source: KOREN)

No definition needed.

No definition needed.

No definition needed.

A conscious process of decision-making whereby natural and cultural resources are allocated over time and space to optimize the attainment of stated objectives of a society, within the framework of its technology, political and social institutions, and legal and administrative arrangements. An important objective is the conservation of resources, implying a close and integrated relationship between the ecological basis and the socio-economic system. (Source: GOOD)

The process in living organisms of taking in oxygen from the surroundings and giving out carbon dioxide. (Source: CED)

Air volumes inspired and expired through the lungs. (Source: DELFIN)

Any of a group of devices that protect the respiratory system from exposure to airborne contaminants; usually a mask with a fitting to cover the nose and mouth. (Source: KOREN)

The structures and passages involved with the intake, expulsion and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the vertebrate body. (Source: MGH)

The structures and passages involved with intake, expulsion, and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the vertebrate body. (Source: MGH)

The obligation to answer for an act done, and to repair or otherwise make restitution for any injury it may have caused. (Source: WESTS)

Resistant structure that allows the organism to survive adverse environmental conditions. (Source: ALL2) resistant form of life, like spores, resting eggs, seeds <D>

The process of renewing or returning something to its original, normal or unimpaired condition, particularly works of art, cultural artifacts, furniture or buildings. (Source: RHW)

Procedure or course of action taken to reestablish or bring back to state of environmental or ecological health. (Source: RHW)

Any treatment process in which contaminated water is cleansed or corrected, particularly by use of a pump-and-treat approach. (Source: OSW / GHT)

Any decision, action or policy which limits or constrains the making of valued goods or services. (Source: ODE)

Article 85(1) of the EEC Treaty prohibits all agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which may affect trade between member states and which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the common market. All such arrangements are automatically null and void under Article 85(2), unless exempted by the Commission pursuant to Article 85(3). The text of Article 85 is as follows: \1. The following shall be prohibited as incompatible with the common market: all agreements between undertakings decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which may affect trade between member states and which have as their object or effect the prevention restriction or distortion of competition within the common market and in particular those which: (a) directly or indirectly fix purchase or selling prices or any other trading conditions; (b) limit or control production markets technical development or investment; (c) share markets or sources of supply; (d) apply dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage; (e) make the conclusion of contracts subject to acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which by their nature or according to commercial usage have no connection with the subject of such contracts. (Source: CLAORG)

A limitation on the utilization of land or some other property, often inscribed in a deed or lease document. (Source: BLD)

Business operation or action that confines or limits the free exchange of goods and services within a country or between countries, which may include discrimination, exclusive dealings, collusion agreements or price fixing. (Source: RHW / ODE)

The sale of goods to ultimate consumers, usually in small quantities.

Basin used to hold water in storage. (Source: MGH)

A basin designed and operated to provide temporary storage and thus reduce the peak flood flows of a stream. (Source: MGH)

1) Addition of a pollution control device on an existing facility without making major changes to the generating plant. 2) Providing a jet, an automobile, a computer, or a factory, for example, with parts, devices or equipment not in existence or available at the time of original manufacture. (Source: TOE / AMHER)

Making changes to old industrial plants installing new equipment's and facilities for the disposal of gas emissions in the atmosphere, of waste water and waste material in soil and water. (Source: RRDA)

Container whose return from the consumer or final user is assured by specific means (separate collection, deposits, etc.), independently on its final destination, in order to be reused, recovered or subjected to specific waste management operations. (Source: PORTa)

Any container which has been conceived and designed to accomplish within its life cycle a minimum number of trips or rotations in order to be refilled or reused for the same purpose for which it was conceived. (Source: PORT)

Any re-utilization of products or components, in original form, such as when used glass bottles are sterilized and refilled for resale. (Source: TOE)

Planting of new trees and, particularly, of native plants in disturbed sites where the vegetation cover has been destroyed, to stabilize the land surface from wind and water erosion and to reclame the land for other uses. Revegetation practices are employed in mined lands, roadsides, parks, wetlands, utility corridors, riparian areas, etc. (Source: REVEGa / CORBIT)

A method of obtaining pure water from water containing a salt, as in desalination. Pure water and the salt water are separated by a semipermeable membrane and the pressure of the salt water is raised above the osmotic pressure, causing water from the brine to pass through the membrane into the pure water. This process requires a pressure of some 25 atmospheres, which makes it difficult to apply on a large scale. (Source: DICCHE)

An erect grass, Oryza sativa, that grows in East Asia on wet ground and has drooping flower spikes and yellow oblong edible grains that become white when polished. (Source: CED)

The legal guarantee or just claim inhering in a citizen's relation to some physical thing, but especially a plot of land, including the right to possess, use and dispose of it. (Source: BLD)

A legally enforceable claim for payment or reimbursement to pay for damages, loss or injury, or for remuneration to pay for services rendered, whether in fees, commissions or salary. (Source: BLD)

The individual's right to know in general about the existence of data banks, the right to be informed on request and the general right to a print-out of the information registered and to know the actual use made of the information. (Source: ECHO1)

1) Title to or an interest in any property. 2) Any interest or privilege recognized and protected by law. (Source: DICLAW)

The moral, legal or ethical claims of posterity on present people, based on the recognition that the young and unborn are vulnerable to contemporary decision-making, especially decisions having long-term effect on the societies and environment they inherit. (Source: FUT)

A rule or body of rules that derives from nature and is believed to be binding upon human society, as opposed to human-made laws such as legislative acts and judicial decisions. (Source: WOR / INP)

Just claims, legal guarantees or moral principles accorded to each and every member of a group or state, including the freedom to do certain things and the freedom from certain intrusions imposed by the collective body. (Source: APS / RHW)

To attach a numbered ring to the leg of a bird so that its movements can be recorded. Ringing is a very common method of tracing bird movement and providing information about bird's ages. It can also cause stress to the birds. (Source: PHC)

The removal of thin layers of surface material more or less evenly from an extensive area of gently sloping land, by broad continuous sheets of running water rather than by streams flowing in well-defined channels; e.g. erosion that occurs when rain washes away a thin layer of topsoil. (Source: BJGEO)

1) Terrestrial areas where the vegetation complex and microclimate are products of the combined pressure and influence of perennial and/or intermittent water... and soils that exhibit some wetness characteristics. 2) Zone situated on the bank of a water course such as a river or stream. (Source: DUNSTE / GILP96)

The slow vertical instability of the earth crust involving up-and-down movements as in the volcanic district west of Naples, Italy. (Source: BJGEO)

Sea level rises are a possible consequence of global warming. As the amount of free water in the ocean increases, and as the water becomes warmer, global warming will increase. In addition, according to theory, the heating at the poles may reduce the amount of water trapped in glaciers and ice caps. By the year 3000, the seas could rise between one and two metres. Such an event would clearly threaten low-lying areas, particularly in Asia, where million of people live and farm on river deltas and flood plains. (Source: WRIGHT)

The expected number of lives lost, persons injured, damage to property and disruption of economic activity due to a particular natural phenomenon, and consequently the product of the probability of occurrence and the expected magnitude of damage. (Source: GUNN / RRDA)

Technique used to determine the likelihood or chance of hazardous events occurring (such as release of a certain quantity of a toxic gas) and the likely consequences. Originally developed for use in nuclear and chemical industry where certain possible events, of low probability, could have extremely serious results. Attempts are being made to use concepts from probabilistic risk analysis to characterise environmental impacts, whose occurrence and nature are not easy to predict with any degree of accuracy. (Source: ERIN)

The qualitative and quantitative evaluation performed in an effort to define the risk posed to human health and/or the environment by an action or by the presence or use of a specific substance or pollutant. (Source: LEEa)

The exchange of information about health or environmental risks among risk assessors and managers, the general public, news media, interest groups, etc. (Source: OPPTIN)

The situation or set of circumstances where the probability of harm to an area or its population increases beyond a normal level. (Source: ISEP / HMD)

A scheme or method of acting that takes effect if the probability of harm to an area or its population increases beyond a normal level. (Source: ISEP / HMD)

The process of evaluating and selecting alternative regulatory and non-regulatory responses to prepare for the probability of an accidental occurrence and its expected magnitude of damage, including the consideration of legal, economic and behavioral factors. (Source: HMD / TOE)

A subjective appreciation by individuals which will more often than not bear little relation to the statistical probability of damage or injury. (Source: GRAHAW)

Any act, instance or process lowering the probability that harm will come to an area or its population as the result of some hazard. (Source: ISEP / TOE)

A systematic process of evaluating and assessing the hazards of loss versus the possibility of financial gain or profit. (Source: OED)

A stream of water which flows in a channel from high ground to low ground and ultimately to a lake or the sea, except in a desert area where it may dwindle away to nothing. A river and all its tributaries within a single basin is termed a drainage system. (Source: WHIT)

Any growth, maturation or change in an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries. (Source: TOE)

The channel containing or formerly containing the water of a river. (Source: BJGEO)

The alteration of a natural stream by excavation, realignment, lining or other means to accelerate the flow of water. (Source: LANDY)

Discharge of solid, liquid or gaseous waste into a river.

The administration or handling of a waterway or a stream of flowing water. (Source: RHW)

The direct or indirect human alteration of the biological, physical, chemical or radiological integrity of river water, or a river ecosystem. (Source: Landy)

Transportation of goods or persons by means of ships travelling on rivers. (Source: CEDa)

Water which flows in a channel from high ground to low ground and ultimately to a lake or the sea, except in a desert area where it may dwindle away to nothing. (Source: WHIT)

Plants growing in areas adjacent to rivers and streams. (Source: EPAGLO)

A long piece of hard ground that people can drive along from one place to another. (Source: CAMB)

No definition needed.

The aggregation of components used for building streets, highways and other routes, such as asphalt, concrete, brick, sand and gravel. (Source: ROA)

The care or upkeep of streets, highways and other routes, including improvements in alignment, widening and markings, and work involving buried cables, water mains or gas mains. (Source: CSD)

The system of roads through a country. (Source: RRDA)

Any measure, technique or design intended to reduce the risk of harm posed by moving vehicles along a constructed land route. (Source: RHW)

Salt used against the formation of ice on roads; when excess salt washes off the roads, it can poison roadside vegetation or raise salt concentrations in streams and reserves of underground water. It also accelerates the deterioration of concrete and metal. (Source: WPR)

The establishing of boulevards, turnpikes, highways and other routes on land. (Source: RHW)

Circulation of motor vehicles and people on the road network. (Source: ZINZAN)

Discipline which includes the design of highways and pedestrian ways, the study and application of traffic statistics, and the environmental aspects of the transportation of goods and people. (Source: CED)

Transportation of goods and persons by vehicles travelling on a road network. (Source: RRDA)

Any aggregate of minerals that makes up part of the earth's crust. It may be unconsolidated, such as sand, clay, or mud, or consolidated, such as granite, limestone, or coal. (Source: CED)

The theoretical and applied science of the physical behavior of rocks, representing a branch of mechanics concerned with the response of rock to the force fields of its physical environment. (Source: BJGEO)

Rock salt mining is an underground mining process in which the salt is physically dug out of the ground in an operation involving drilling, blasting and crushing the rock. The major percentage of this output is used for winter road maintenance. (Source: SALINF)

A generic term for felted or matted fibers manufactured by blowing or spinning threads of molten rock, slag, or glass. The material is used for thermal insulation. (Source: BJGEO)

Any of the relatively small placental mammals that constitute the order Rodentia, having constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing. (Source: MGH)

Deeply resounding, reverberating noise caused by the friction between car tyres and road surfaces. (Source: CEDa)

The absorbing and anchoring organ of a vascular plant; it bears neither leaves nor flowers and is usually subterranean. (Source: MGH)

Plants which store edible material in a root, corm or tuber; root crops used as food vegetables or fodder include carrots, parsnips, swedes and turnips; starchy root crops include potatoes, cassavas and yams. (Source: PHC)

A heat-treating furnace of circular construction which rotates the workpiece around the axis of the furnace during heat treatment; workpieces are transported through the furnace along a circular path. (Source: MGH)

Any established or selected course for passage or travel. (Source: RHW)

The activity of designing, organizing or preparing for the construction of boulevards, turnpikes, highways and other roads. (Source: RHW)

Compensation for the use of a person's property, based on an agreed percentage of the income arising from its use.

A cream to dark brown elastic material obtained by coagulating and drying the latex from certain plants, especially the rubber tree. (Source: CED)

The systematic series of actions in which a solid substance deriving from rubber trees and plants is toughened and treated chemically to give it the strength, elasticity, resistance and other qualities needed for the manufacture of products such as erasers, elastic bands, water hoses, electrical insulation and tires. (Source: RHW)

A sector of the economy in which an aggregate of commercial enterprises is engaged in the manufacture and marketing of natural or synthetic rubber products. (Source: RHW)

Any refuse or unwanted material made of synthetic or natural rubber, often the byproduct of rubber processing. (Source: RHW)

A judicial or administrative interpretation of a provision of a statute, order, regulation, or ordinance. May also refer to judicial determination of admissibility of evidence, allowance of motion, etc. (Source: WESTS)

A state of nature or a quality or state of being undomesticated, untamed or uncultivated. (Source: OED)

Rate at which water is removed by flowing over the soil surface. This rate is determined by the texture of the soil, slope, climate, and land use cover (e.g. paved surface, grass, forest, bare soil). (Source: LANDY)

No definition needed.

Area outside the limits of any incorporated or unincorporated city, town, village, or any other designated residential or commercial area such as a subdivision, a business or shopping center, or community development. (Source: LEE)

Any course destined to promote economic growth, modernization, increase in agricultural production and the creation of a framework in which to fulfill primary needs, such as education, health and supply of water in the rural areas. The attainment of such objectives depends in general on the type of administrative systems proposed for the various programmes and on the national political situation as regards, for instance land tenure, agrarian reform, the disbursement of assistance and food policy. (Source: GREMES)

Environment pertaining to the countryside. (Source: GOOD)

The biotopes located in areas where agriculture is practiced. (Source: RAMADE)

A binding rule or body of rules prescribed by a government pertaining to matters of importance to residents of sparsely populated regions, especially agricultural and other economic issues. (Source: RUR)

The activity or process of overseeing and preparing for the future physical arrangement and condition of any agricultural or pastoral area, which may involve protecting and developing natural and human resources that affect an area's economic vitality. (Source: RHW / NPH)

The total number of persons inhabiting an agricultural or pastoral region. (Source: RHW)

A collection of dwellings located in a rural area. (Source: CEDa)

The state of being secure from harm, injury, danger or risk, often as a result of planned measures or preparations. (Source: RHW)

The process of studying the need for or efficacy of actions, procedures or devices intended to lower the occurrence or risk of injury, loss and danger to persons, property or the environment. (Source: OED / RHW)

An action, procedure or contrivance designed to lower the occurrence or risk of injury, loss and danger to persons, property or the environment. (Source: OED / RHW)

A principle or regulation governing actions, procedures or devices intended to lower the occurrence or risk of injury, loss and danger to persons, property or the environment. (Source: OED / RHW)

A norm or measure applicable in legal cases for any action, procedure or contrivance designed to lower the occurrence or risk of injury, loss and danger to persons, property or the environment. (Source: BLD / RHW)

A collection of rules and regulations adopted by authorities concerning structural and mechanical standards for safety. (Source: HARRISa)

Research, detailed examination and usually a written report on the need for or efficacy of actions, procedures or devices intended to lower the occurrence or risk of injury, loss and danger to persons, property or the environment. (Source: OED / RHW)

A unified, coordinated assemblage or plan of procedures and devices intended to lower the occurrence or risk of injury, loss and danger to persons, property or the environment. (Source: OED / RHW)

Any of various urodele amphibians, such as Salamandra salamandra of central and S Europe. They are typically terrestrial, have an elongated body, and only return to water to breed. (Source: CED)

A place where crystalline salt deposits are formed or found, such as a salt flat or pan, a salada, or a salt lick. (Source: BJGEO)

The accumulation of soluble salts by evaporation of the waters that bore them to the soil zone, in a soil of an arid, poorly drained region. (Source: BJGEO)

General name for a family of microorganisms, one of the largest groups of bacteria, that includes those most frequently implicated in food poisoning and gastroenteritis. Unhygienic handling and inadequate cooking of poultry and meat, improper storage of cold meats and, more recently, contamination of battery-reared hen eggs, are the most common sources of salmonella infections. (Source: WRIGHT)

The reaction product when a metal displaces the hydrogen of an acid. (Source: MGH)

Amount of salt contained in a solution. (Source: MGH)

Areas of brackish, shallow water usually found in coastal areas and in deltas. There are also inland marshes in arid areas where the water has a high salt level because of evaporation. They are environmentally delicate areas, extremely vulnerable to pollution by industrial or agricultural chemicals, or to thermal pollution, which often results when river water has been used as the coolant in power stations and industrial plants. (Source: WRIGHT)

A meadow subject to overflow by salt water. (Source: BJGEO)

A mass of salt which is injected as a diapir (a dome in which the overlying rocks have been ruptured by the squeezing-out of plastic core material) into overlying sedimentary rocks, thereby piercing and deforming them. The mechanism is similar to that of an intrusive magma, with the salt deforming and behaving plastically under pressure. It is of great economic importance because it assists in the formation of a trap structure for oil accumulation in addition to its associated deposits of anhydrite gypsum and sulphur. (Source: BJGEO / WHIT)

Water of the seas, distinguished by high salinity. (Source: MGH)

The act, process, or business of rescuing vessels or their cargoes from loss at sea. (Source: CED)

The obtaining of small representative quantities of material for the purpose of analysis. (Source: MGH)

Method of selecting items at random from a set in such a manner that the sample will be representative of the whole. (Source: MGHa)

A loose material consisting of small mineral particles, or rock and mineral particles, distinguishable by the naked eye; grains vary from almost spherical to angular, with a diameter range from 1/16 to 2 millimeters. (Source: MGH)

An accumulation of loose sand heaped up by the wind, commonly found along low-lying seashores above high-tide level, more rarely on the border of large lakes or river valleys, as well as in various desert regions, where there is abundant dry surface sand during some part of the year. (Source: BJGEO)

Stabilization of dunes effected by the planting of marram grass (Ammophila arenaria), or rice grass, whose long roots bind the surface layers of sand and so hinder its removal by wind. A larger scale method of dealing with the same problem is by afforestation. (Source: BLYFRE)

The extraction of sand by mining for building purposes and for the extraction of heavy minerals such as rutile and zircon. (Source: GILP96)

A sandy tidal flat barren of vegetation. A tidal flat is an extensive, nearly horizontal, marshy or barren tract of land that is alternately covered and uncovered by the tide, and consisting of unconsolidated sediment (mostly mud and sand). It may form the top surface of a deltaic deposit. (Source: BJGEO)

A place where sand is extracted from the ground. (Source: PHC)

The set of furnishings designed for personal hygiene and the disposal of organic waste. (Source: ZINZAN)

An engineered method of disposing of solid waste on land in a manner that protects the environment, by spreading the waste in thin layers, compacting it to the smallest practical volume and covering it with compacted soil by the end of each working day or at more frequent intervals if necessary. (Source: CORBIT)

The study and use of practical measures for the preservation of public health. (Source: CED)

Plans for the control of the physical factors in the human environment that can harm development, health, or survival. (Source: LANDY)

Referring to the classification of organisms according to the way in which they tolerate pollution. (Source: PHC)

Indication or measure of the level of organic pollution. (Source: ALLa)

An object that orbits around a larger one. Artificial satellites orbiting the Earth are used for communications, the gathering of military intelligence, the monitoring of weather and other environmental phenomena, etc. (Source: ALL)

A separate financial record or statement that discloses financial activity in a particular area and supplements existing financial records. (Source: RHW)

A pictorial representation of data projected onto a two-dimensional grid of individual picture elements (pixels) and acquired from a human-made vessel placed in orbit round a planet, moon or star. (Source: RSG)

The amount of current income which is not spent for survival or enjoyment. (Source: MGHME)

Wood fragments made by a saw in cutting. (Source: MGH)

A numeric string which uniquely identifies an image component of a geographical information system database. (Source: MTE)

A disease in which humans are parasitized by any of three species of blood flukes: Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium, and S. japonicum; adult worms inhabit the blood vessels. (Source: MGH)

An institution or building at which children and young people receive education. (Source: CED)

Any part or the sum of experiences had while attending an instructional institution, or the amount of time spent in such a program. (Source: ISEP / RHW)

Instruction or training received in any educational institution, but especially to persons under college age. (Source: RHW)

The material studied in or for an educational institution, comprising homework and work done in the classroom. (Source: RHW)

The study of the physical universe and its contents by means of reproducible observations, measurements, and experiments to establish, verify, or modify general laws to explain its nature and behaviour. (Source: UVAROV)

Knowledge communicated or received pertaining to the systematic study of the physical world or to the mechanical or industrial arts. (Source: RHW)

An organized group of persons elected or appointed to discuss scientific matters. (Source: ZINZANa)

No definition needed.

The study of the interrelationship among living organisms and between organisms and their environment, utilizing the methods or theories of science. (Source: DOE / APD)

A course of action adopted and pursued by government, business or some other organization, which promotes or determines the direction for the systematic study, research and experimentation of a particular aspect of the physical or material world, which may lead to scholarly contributions in a branch of knowledge. (Source: RHW)

Systematic investigation to establish facts or principles concerning a specific scientific subject. (Source: CEDa)

The prescribed step or manner of proceeding in an environmental impact assessment, by which a public discussion is held to discuss the information that needs to be developed, the alternatives that need to be considered and other important environmental issues. (Source: ERG)

Area where waste material, especially metal, is dumped. (Source: CED)

Recyclable material from any manufacturing process or discarded consumer products. (Source: APD)

The trade or traffic in discarded or leftover materials that can be reused in some way. (Source: RHW / ISEP)

The amount of money or the monetary rate at which materials discarded from manufacturing operations can be bought or sold. (Source: TOE / RHW)

Any metal material discarded from manufacturing operations and usually suitable for reprocessing. (Source: TOE)

Recyclable material from discarded motor vehicle tyres. (Source: APD)

Car which is delivered for breaking up or otherwise discarded.

The reduction of the electric field about a nucleus by the space charge of the surrounding electrons. (Source: MGH)

1) In general, the marine section of the globe as opposed to that of the land. 2) The name given to a body of salt water smaller than an ocean and generally in proximity to a continent. (Source: WHIT)

The bottom of the ocean. Also known as sea floor; sea bottom. The ocean floor is defined as the near-horizontal surface of the ocean basin. (Source: MGH)

Marine mineral resources extend far beyond those presently exploited; minerals are derived from two separate types of marine sources: from sedimentary deposits underlying the continental shelves and from inshore deposits on the surface of the continental shelves. By far the most valuable of the mineral resources exploited from marine environments is petroleum. Offshore placer deposits on the surface of the continental shelves yield gold, platinum, and tin. On the floors of the world's oceans manganese nodules are found as a result of pelagic sedimentation or precipitation; they are small, irregular, black to brown, friable, laminated concretionary masses consisting primarily of manganese salts and manganese-oxide minerals. (Source: PARCOR / BJGEO)

The activity or processes involving the extraction of mineral deposits from the surface, or below the surface, of the ocean floor. (Source: MLM)

Large-scale horizontal water motion within an ocean. The way energy from the sun, stored in the sea, is transported around the world. The currents explain, for example, why the UK has ice-free ports in winter, while St. Petersburg, at the same latitude as the Shetland Islands, needs ice breakers. Evidence is growing that the world's ocean circulation was very different during the last ice age and has changed several times in the distant past, with dramatic effects on climate. The oceans are vital as storehouses, as they absorb more than half the sun's heat reaching the earth. This heat, which is primarily absorbed near the equator is carried around the world and released elsewhere, creating currents which last up to 1.000 years. As the Earth rotates and the wind acts upon the surface, currents carry warm tropical water to the cooler parts of the world. The strength and direction of the currents are affected by landmasses, bottlenecks through narrow straits, and even the shape of the sea-bed. When the warm water reaches polar regions its heat evaporates into the atmosphere, reducing its temperature and increasing its density. When sea-water freezes it leaves salt behind in the unfrozen water and this cold water sinks into the ocean and begins to flow back to the tropics. Eventually it is heated and begins the cycle all over again. (Source: MGH / WRIGHT)

Seaweeds communities formed by green, brown and red macroscopic algae and by sea phanerogams such as Posidonia oceanica and Zostera noltii, etc. (Source: PARCORa)

The level of the surface of the ocean; especially, the mean level halfway between high and low tide, used as a standard in reckoning land elevation or sea depths. (Source: MGH)

Sea-level rises are a possible consequence of global warming. As the amount of free water in the oceans increases, and as the water becomes warmer, global warming will increase. In addition, according to theory, the heating at the poles may reduce the amount of water trapped in glaciers and ice caps. (Source: WRIGHT)

The point, location or structure where effluent discharges into a body of marine waters such as a sea, ocean, etc. (Source: WWC)

Marine resources include food, energy and minerals. (Source: PARCOR)

Aqueous solution of salts in more or less constant ratio, whose composition depends on several factors among which predominate living organisms, detrital sedimentation and the related chemical reactions. Sea-water accounts for more than 98% of the mass of the hydrosphere and covers just over 70% of the globe. Because of the composition and stability of the oceans, and the way they are controlled, they are of great importance to the climate, and great attention has been given to studying the effects of pollution. Man's activities are believed to be accelerating the change in the composition of sea-water. (Source: DODERO / WRIGHT)

Removing salt from ocean or brackish water. (Source: LEE)

A moving ridge or swell of water occurring close to the surface of the sea, characterized by oscillating and rising and falling movements, often as a result of the frictional drag of the wind. (Source: OED / INP)

Any device or system that creates a nonleaking union between two mechanical or process-system elements. (Source: MGH)

Luting, making watertight, waterproofing. (Source: ECHO2)

The zone of unconsolidated material that extends landward from the low water-line to where there is marked change in material or physiographic form or to the line of permanent vegetation. (Source: MGH)

A route or track running along the coast. (Source: CAMB)

A place near the sea where people spend their holidays and enjoy themselves. (Source: CAMB)

One of the four equal periods into which the year is divided by the equinoxes and solstices, resulting from the apparent movement of the sun north and south of the equator during the course of the earth's orbit around it. These periods (spring, summer, autumn and winter) have their characteristic weather conditions in different regions, and occur at opposite times of the year in the N and S hemispheres. (Source: CED)

The periodic movement of a population from one region or climate to another in accordance with the yearly cycle of weather and temperature changes. (Source: RHW)

In time series, that part of the movement which is assigned to the effect of the seasons on the year. (Source: ECHO2)

Goods or products that have been used previously. (Source: ISEP)

In the case of disruption of an existing biotope, secondary biotope can be created as a compensation and substitute measure for the loss of the natural one. (Source: RRDA)

The years of instruction following elementary school and until the end of high school. (Source: COE)

The part of a country or region's economy that produces commodities without much direct use of natural resources. (Source: ODE)

Stage of the process of waste water treatment: following primary treatment by sedimentation, the second step in most wastewater systems in which biological organisms decompose most of the organic matter into a innocuous, stable form. (Source: CORBIT / WQA)

Measures, techniques or designs implemented to protect from harm or restrict access to any apparatus, machinery or construction put in place or connected for use. (Source: RHW / MHD)

Any material transported by water which will ultimately settle to the bottom after the water loses its transporting power. (Source: LANDY)

The transport or setting in motion by wind or water of insoluble particulate matter. (Source: APD / RHW)

The movement and carrying- away of sediment by natural agents; especially the conveyance of a stream load by suspension, saltation, solution or traction. (Source: BJGEO)

A geomorphic feature of the earth in which the surface has subsided for a prolonged time, including deep ocean floors, intercontinental rifts and elevated and interior drainage basins. (Source: MHD)

The act or process of forming or accumulating sediment in layers, including such processes as the separation of rock particles from the material from which the sediment is derived, the transportation of these particles to the site of deposition, the actual deposition or settling of the particles, the chemical and other changes occurring in the sediment, and the ultimate consolidation of the sediment into solid rock. (Source: BJGEO)

The separation of an insoluble solid from a liquid in which it is suspended by settling under the influence of gravity or centrifugation. (Source: MGH)

A basin in which suspended matter is removed either by quiescent settlement or by continuous flow at high velocity and extended retention time to allow deposition. (Source: MGH)

The scientific study of sedimentary rocks and of the processes by which they were formed; the description, classification, origin, and interpretation of sediments. (Source: BJGEO)

A mature fertilized plant ovule, consisting of an embryo and its food store surrounded by a protective seed coat (testa). (Source: CED)

A fertilized ovule containing an embryo which forms a new plant upon germination. (Source: MGH)

A chemical applied before planting to protect seeds and seedlings from disease or insects. (Source: EPAGLO)

Water that moves slowly through small openings of a porous material such as soil or the amount of water that has been involved in seepage. (Source: BJGEO)

The phenomenon of Earth movements. (Source: BJGEO)

The study of the behavior of foundations and structures relative to seismic ground motion, and the attempt to mitigate the effect of earthquakes on structures. (Source: BJGEO)

The gathering of seismic data from an area. (Source: BJGEO)

A large seismically generated sea wave which is capable of considerable destruction in certain coastal areas, especially where submarine earthquakes occur. Although in the open ocean the wave height may be less than one meter it steepens to hights of 15 metres or more on entering shallow coastal water. The wavelength in the open ocean is of the order of 100 to 150 km and the rate of travel of a seismic sea wave is between 640 and 960 km/h. (Source: WHIT)

The official or legally authorized act of taking away possessions or property, often for a violation of law or to enforce a judgment imposed by a court of law. (Source: BLD)

The official or legally authorized act of taking away monetary gain or surplus resulting from investments or property or from returns, proceeds or revenue in a business or business transaction. (Source: RHW)

No definition needed.

Breeding of animals having desirable characters. (Source: MGH)

Breeding of plants having desirable characters. (Source: MGH)

A service provided by a library or other agency that periodically notifies users of new publications, report literature or other data sources in subjects in which the user has specified an interest. (Source: CCL)

A highly toxic, nonmetallic element; used in analytical chemistry, metallurgy, and photoelectric cells. (Source: MGH)

A series of steps or a system of services or activities designed to enable an individual to help or improve one's self without depending on the aid of others. (Source: WOR)

No definition needed.

A natural process of organic degradation that produces nutrients utilized by autotrophic organisms. (Source: LBC)

The interacting system of a biological community and its non-living environmental surroundings in regions that have between 10 to 20 inches of rainfall and are capable of sustaining some grasses and shrubs but not woodland. (Source: TOE / DOE)

No definition needed.

An element having some properties characteristic of metals and others of non-metals. Many metalloids give rise to an amphoteric oxide (e.g. arsenic or antimony) and many are semiconductors. (Source: UVAROV)

A solid crystalline material whose electrical conductivity is intermediate between that of a metal and an insulator and is usually strongly temperature-dependent. (Source: MGH)

Product that has undergone a partial processing and is used as raw material in a successive productive step. (Source: ZINZAN)

Areas of a country where special measures may be given to protect the natural habitats which present a high level of vulnerability. (Source: BRACK)

Any parcel of land, large or small, under public or private control, that already has, or with remedial action could achieve, desirable environmental attributes. These attributes contribute to the retention and/or creation of wildlife habitat, soils stability, water retention or recharge, vegetative cover, and similar vital ecological functions. Environmentally sensitive areas range in size from small patches to extensive landscape features. They can include rare or common habitats, plants and animals. (Source: DUNSTE)

Terrestrial or aquatic area or other fragile natural setting with unique or highly-valued environmental features. (Source: EPAGLO)

A formalized procedure to identify the impact of changes in various model components on model output. Sensitivity analysis is an integral part of simulation experimentation and may influence model formulations. It is commonly used to examine model behaviour. The general procedure is to define a model output variable that represents an important aspect of model behaviour. The values of various inputs of the model are then varied and the resultant change in the output variable is monitored. Large changes in the output variable imply that the particular input varied is important in controlling model behaviour. Within this general definition, sensitivity analysis has been applied to a variety of model inputs including state variables, environmental variables and initial conditions. (Source: YOUNG)

The generic name for a device that senses either the absolute value or a change in a physical quantity such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, or pH, or the intensity of light, sound, or ratio waves and converts that change into a useful input signal for an information-gathering system. (Source: MGH)

Sewer system having distinct pipes for collecting superficial water and sewage water. (Source: FLGISA)

The collection of individual components of solid waste from any source, usually separated into different collection containers, in order to recover, reuse or recycle the material or to facilitate its collection and disposal. (Source: GSW)

The separation of one substance from another when they are intimately mixed. For example the removal of oil from water, or gas from oil or oil from gas, etc. (Source: BRACK)

Segregating various wastes at the point of generation (e.g. separation of paper, metal and glass from other wastes) to make recycling simpler and more efficient. (Source: EPAGLO)

A machine for separating materials of different specific gravity by means of water or air. (Source: MGH)

A mechanical device for separating and removing residues from fuel and lubricating oil from waste water coming from filling stations and industrial plants in order to avoid pollution of water bodies; this system is based on the different specific weights of water and fuel residues that float on the water and can be easily removed. (Source: RRDA)

A tank, usually underground, into which sewage flows, the deposited matter being wholly, or partially broken down through anaerobic action. The final effluent may be allowed to soak into the ground through a system of agricultural drains, if the soil is suitable. Alternatively, the tank must be emptied at regular intervals by a special road-tanker. (Source: GILP96)

1) A legal term referring generally to the act of valuable property being taken into custody by an agent of the court and locked away for safekeeping, usually to prevent the property from being disposed of or abused before a dispute over its ownership can be resolved. 2) The taking of someone's property, voluntarily (by deposit) or involuntarily (by seizure), by court officers or into the possession of a third party, awaiting the outcome of a trial in which ownership of that property is at issue. (Source: DUC / EMBMO)

The area served by a particular public facility such as school, library, police station, park, etc. (Source: LANDY)

The carrying out of work for which there is a constant public demand by the provision of labor and the utilization of tools. (Source: OED)

The distribution or total amount of communities, villages and houses within a specified geographic area. (Source: RHW)

A tank into which a two-phase mixture is fed and the entrained solids settle by gravity during storage. (Source: MGH)

Any liquid-born waste that contains animal or plant matter in suspension or solution, soils and storm water, or chemicals in solution. (Source: APD)

Area of land on which sewage or any other type of waste water is distributed in order to purify it; it is a kind of waste water treatment. (Source: RRDA / ECHO2)

A semi-liquid waste with a solid concentration in excess of 2500 parts per million, obtained from the purification of municipal sewage. (Source: MGH)

Prohibition of spreading sewage sludge on land to prevent accumulation of toxic heavy metals in excessive quantities. (Source: PORTa)

Sewage treatment comes in two stages - primary and secondary treatment. The primary stage involves a process of screening solids from sewage, leaving a sludge and relatively clear water for further treatment or for disposal into rivers, the sea or on to the land. In the secondary stage the sludge is stirred constantly in vast tanks to get more oxygen into the mixture, allowing bacteria to break down the organic matter and leave a harmless residue that falls as a sediment to the bottom of the tank. After processing, the clear water on top of the tank is discharged into rivers and the sediment is used as landfill or discharged at sea. (Source: WRIGHT)

System of pipes, usually underground, for carrying waste water and human waste away from houses and other buildings, to a place where they can be safely get rid of. (Source: CAMB)

Raising of shellfish in inland waters, estuaries or coastal waters, for commercial purposes. All commercial shellfish beds producing bivalve molluscs must be monitored for microbial contamination. Samples of water and shellfish flesh must be tested for the presence of algal toxins. Periodic monitoring of fish and shellfish must be carried out to check for the presence of contaminants. (Source: WRIGHTa / MAFF)

Cover or protection, as from weather or danger; place of refuge. (Source: CED)

Barriers devised for keeping away from people harmful substances. (Source: KORENa)

Agricultural practice using the rotation of fields rather than crops, short cropping periods followed by long fallows and the maintenance of fertility by the regeneration of vegetation. (Source: PHC)

A vessel propelled by engines or sails for navigating on the water, especially a large vessel that can not be carried aboard another, as distinguished from a boat. (Source: CED)

Domestic and operational wastes, disposed of continuously or periodically, that are generated during the normal operation of a ship; usually excluding fresh fish waste from fishing operations. (Source: NGT)

Discharging of ship waste into the sea.

The art or business of designing and constructing ships. (Source: AMHER)

An unexpected incident, failure or loss involving a vessel or its contents in the course of commercial transport that poses potential harm to persons, property or the environment. (Source: RHW)

Area designed for target shooting. (Source: CED)

A place, especially a small building, for the retail sale of goods and services. (Source: CED)

Enclosed area in which there is a variety of shops. (Source: CAMB)

A performance, program or exhibition providing entertainment to a group of people, displayed either through some communication media, such as radio or television, or live at a museum or theater. (Source: RHW)

A size-reduction machine which tears or grinds materials to a smaller and more uniform particle size. Shredding process is also called size reduction, grinding, milling, comminution, pulverisation, hogging, granulating, breaking, chipping, crushing, cutting, rasping. (Source: LEE)

A woody perennial plant, smaller than a tree, with several major branches arising from near the base of the main stem. (Source: CED)

Area where a car or a train can be shoven or turned off or moved from one track to another. (Source: MGH)

A set of symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, eye irritation, and dizziness, typically affecting workers in modern airtight office buildings and thought to be caused by indoor pollutants, such as formaldehyde fumes, particulate matter, microorganisms, etc. (Source: MED)

Any secondary effect, especially an undesirable one. (Source: CED)

The size distribution of solid particles on a series of standard sieves of decreasing size, expressed as a weight percent. (Source: MGH)

Any device designed to reduce noise, especially the device in the exhaust system of a motor vehicle. (Source: CED)

A brittle metalloid element that exists in two allotropic forms; occurs principally in sand, quartz, granite, feldspar, and clay. It is usually a grey crystalline solid but is also found as a brown amorphous powder. It is used in transistors, rectifiers, solar cells, and alloys. Its compounds are widely used in glass manufacture, the building industry, and in the form of silicones. (Source: CED)

A large round tower on a farm for storing grain or winter food for cattle. (Source: CAMB)

The fine mineral material formed from the erosion of rock fragments and deposited by rivers and lakes. Its particles are the intermediate form between sand and clay. The particles can range in size from 0.01-0.05 mm in diameter. (Source: WRIGHT)

The filling or partial filling with silt of a reservoir that receives fine-grained sediment brought in by streams and surface runoff. (Source: BJGEO)

A very ductile malleable brilliant greyish-white element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal. It occurs free and in argentite and other ores: used in jewellery, tableware, coinage, electrical contacts, and in electroplating. Its compounds are used in photography. (Source: CED)

A representation of a problem, situation in mathematical terms, especially using a computer. (Source: CED)

An unattached dwelling unit inhabited by an adult person plus one or more related persons. (Source: KOREN)

A manner of waste disposal in which refuse or unwanted material is dumped or submerged beneath the surface of a body of water. (Source: RHW)

Forming a coherent bonded mass by heating metal powders without melting, used mostly in powder metallurgy. (Source: MGH)

Precautionary actions, procedures or installations undertaken to prevent or reduce harm to the environmental integrity of a physical area or location. (Source: RHW)

The restoration of the ecological quality of an area or location. (Source: ISEP / RHW)

The process of choosing or picking a location or area for some designated purpose. (Source: RHW)

No definition needed.

To fix the cross-section of structural components on the basis of statics and material strength. (Source: RRDA)

A trail, slope, or course for skiing. (Source: CED)

Gliding over snow on skis, especially as a sport. (Source: CED)

The tissue forming the outer covering of the vertebrate body: it consists of two layers, the outermost of which may be covered with hair, scales, feathers, etc. It is mainly protective and sensory in function. (Source: CED)

A nonmetallic product resulting from the interaction of flux and impurities in the smelting and refining of metals. (Source: MGH)

A traditional farming system that has been used by generations of farmers in tropical forests and the savannah of north and east Africa. It is known to be an ecologically sound form of cultivation, and because the soil is poor in tropical rain forests it is a sustainable method of farming. It is still practised today, primarily in the developing countries. Small areas of bush or forests are cleared and the smaller trees burned. This unlocks the nutrients in the vegetation and gives the soil fertilizer that is easily taken up by plants. A few years later the soil is degraded and the farmer moves on to do the same at another site. The original ground is left fallow for anything up to 20 years so that the forest can regenerate. With the growth in population and in the subsequent need for more farming land to produce food, the method is increasingly being used today to clear large areas of tropical forests for cattle ranching, and in most cases the ground is not left fallow for long enough and, with modern mechanized farming systems, not enough tree stumps or suitable habitats for plant life are left to start the regeneration process. (Source: WRIGHT)

A place where animals are butchered for food. (Source: CED)

Animal body parts cut off in the preparation of carcasses for use as food. This waste can come from several sources including slaughterhouses, restaurants, stores and farms. (Source: OED)

Killing of animals for food. (Source: PHC)

A periodic state of physiological rest during which consciousness is suspended and metabolic rate is decreased. (Source: CED)

The inclined surface of any part of the Earth's surface, as a hillslope; also, a broad part of a continent descending toward an ocean, as the Pacific slope. (Source: BJGEO)

1) A soft, soupy, or muddy bottom deposit, such as found on tideland or in a stream bed. 2) A semifluid, slushy, murky mass of sediment resulting from treatment of water, sewage, or industrial and mining wastes, and often appearing as local bottom deposits in polluted bodies of water. (Source: BJGEO)

A treatment to stabilize raw sludge. The treatment can be either anaerobic process or aerobic process. (Source: LEE)

A method used for drying and reducing sludge volume and weight. Since incineration requires auxiliary fuel to obtain and maintain high temperature and to evaporate the water contained in the incoming sludge, concentration techniques should be applied before incineration. Sludge incineration is a two-step process involving drying and combustion after a preceding dewatering process, such as filters, drying beds, or centrifuges. (Source: CORBIT)

Pond for the removal of settleable solids through which wastewater is passed in a treatment works. (Source: LANDY)

Usually anaerobic sludge digestion, a treatment that stabilizes raw sludge. Fully digested sludge has little readily biodegradable organic matter. It is not smelly and about 50% of the solids are inorganic. Sludge can also be digested aerobically.

The processing of wastewater sludges to render them innocuous. This may be done by aerobic or anaerobic digestion followed by drying in sand beds, filtering, and incineration, filtering, and drying, or wet air oxidation.

Vertical sliding gate or valve to regulate the flow of water in a channel or lock. (Source: MGH)

A valve or gate fitted to a sluice to control the rate of flow of water. (Source: CED)

No definition needed.

Power station of small size for the generation of energy at local level. (Source: RRDA)

Small enclosed structures containing a heat source, typically used for the purpose of intense heating. Most are lined with refractory material, the heat source is typically provided by electrical elements or the burning of gas, coke or coal. (Source: GRAHAW)

A domestic source introducing small quantities of pollutants into a publicly owned waste-treatment system. (Source: EPAGLOa)

Air pollution consisting of smoke and fog. The air pollution caused by the action of sunlight on unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, mostly from car exhaust. It occurs over large industrial areas and urban complexes, and causes eye irritations, breathing problems and damage to plant life. (Source: MGH / WRIGHT)

Action, device or announcement that serves to give caution or notice to the level of air pollutants typically associated with oxidants in a given area. (Source: TOE / RHW)

An aerosol, consisting of visible particles and gases, produced by the incomplete burning of carbon-based materials, such as wood and fossil fuels. (Source: FFD)

The inhalation and exhalation of carcinogenic fumes from burning plant material, usually tobacco. (Source: MED / HHR)

Any reptile of the suborder Ophidia, typically having a scaly cylindrical limbless body, fused eyelids, and a jaw modified for swallowing large prey: includes venomous forms such as cobras and rattlesnakes, large nonvenomous constrictors, and small harmless types such as the grass snake. (Source: CED)

The most common form of frozen precipitation, usually flakes or starlike crystals, matted ice needles, or combinations, and often rime-coated. (Source: MGH)

An avalanche of relatively pure snow; some rock and earth material may also be carried downward. (Source: MGH)

Absorption of liquid by a solid or a semisolid material. (Source: MGH)

A cleansing agent, manufactured in bars, granules, flakes, or liquid form, made from a mixture of the sodium salts of various fatty acids of natural oils and fats. (Source: AMHER)

No definition needed.

A person or community's general treatment, manner of conduct or action toward others as individuals or as members of variously identified groups. (Source: ISEP / RHW)

An existing circumstance, situation or state affecting the life, welfare and relations of human beings in community. (Source: RHW)

The price paid or the loss incurred to acquire, produce or maintain an objective or goal in a group, community or society. (Source: ISEP / RHW)

The state of nations and the hystorical processes of change experienced by them. The concept of development subsumes associated cultural and political changes as well as welfare measures which reflect distribution of goods, wealth and opportunities. (Source: GOOD)

A concept associated with evolutionary theories of history and with structural functionalism. Societies are seen as moving from the simple to the complex via a process of social change based on structural differentiation.

The pattern, change, development and driving forces of a human group, community or society. (Source: RHW)

Any structure designed, built or installed to provide space for living or interaction among persons in a community. (Source: RHW)

The underlying structure that connects and supports the various members and parts of a community or human organization. (Source: RHW)

A collection of people who interact with one another and share a certain feeling of unity. (Source: SOC)

Easily identified features of a society which can be measured, which vary over time, and are taken as revealing some underlying aspect of social reality. In general, the most commonly used indicators are derived from official statistics, and include unemployment figures, health and mortality data, and crime rates. (Source: SOCIOL)

Unequal rewards or opportunities for different individuals within a group or groups within a society. If equality is judged in terms of legal equality, equality of opportunity, or equality of outcome, then inequality is a constant feature of the human condition.

Medicine as applied to treatment of diseases which occur in certain social groups. (Source: PHC)

A organized effort by a significant number of people to change (or resist change in) some major aspect or aspects of society.

Collective, civic action shared and performed by a significant number of the community or general population. (Source: RHW)

A course of action adopted and pursued by government, business or some other organization, which seeks to ensure that all people have acceptable working or living conditions by providing social security, welfare, health care, insurance, fair employment practices, low cost housing or educational opportunities. (Source: MGHME)

A generic term applied to the range of conditions and aberrant behaviours which are considered to be manifestations of social disorganization and to warrant changing via some means of social engineering. Typically, these problems include many forms of deviant behaviour (such as crime, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, mental illness, drug addiction, suicide) and of social conflict (ethnic tension, domestic violence, industrial strife, and so forth).

A continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner and pertaining to the life, welfare, and relations of human beings in a community. (Source: RHW)

The monies and programs a society enacts through either public or private entities to provide economic security and general welfare for its members, often on account of old age, unemployment, health, disability or death of a spouse, parent or other benefactor. (Source: RHW)

Study of the effects of social structure on cognition and behavior, of processes of face-to-face interaction, and of the negotiation of social order. (Source: SASW)

Public assistance especially financial given to persons in special need or difficulty.

A system of values, ideas and practices established to orient individuals in their community and culture and to provide them with naming, classification and communication codes. (Source: SRD)

The study of society and of the relationship of individual members within society, including economics, history, political science, psychology, anthropology, and sociology. (Source: CED)

Welfare activities organized by the state or a local authority and carried out by trained personnel. (Source: CED)

A term loosely applied to any recurring pattern of social behaviour; or, more specifically, to the ordered interrelationships between the different elements or a social system or society.

Data collections that employ both interviewing and sampling to produce quantitative data-sets, amenable to computer-based analysis. (Source: SOCIOL)

The concept of system appears throughout the social and natural sciences and has generated a body of literature of its own (general systems theory). A system is any pattern of relationships between elements, and is regarded as having emergent properties on its own over and above the properties of its elements.

Regarding social values, distinctions are often drawn between values, which are strong, semi permanent, underlying, and sometimes inexplicit dispositions, and attitudes, which are shallow, weakly held, and highly variable views and opinions. Societies can usually tolerate highly diverse attitude, whereas they require some degree of homogeneity and consistency in the values held by people, providing a common fund of shared values which shape social and political consensus. (Source: SOCIOL)

The prosperity, well-being or convenience of a community. It embraces the primary social interests of safety, order, morals, economic interest, and non material and political interests. (Source: WESTS)

Human group of people, more or less large and complex, associated for some common interest and characterized by distinctive hierarchical relationships. (Source: ZINZAN)

A collection of people who interact and share a sense of unity on account of a common ethnic, ancestral, generational or regional identity. (Source: RHW)

An essential element in a society's make-up, organization or behavior that combines financial dimensions with inter-personal or inter-group dynamics. (Source: RHW / ISEP)

Biotechnology is the application of biological and technical solutions to problems, and often refers to the industrial use of microorganisms (perhaps genetically altered) to perform chemical processing, for example of waste or water, or to manufacture hormones or enzymes for medicinal and commercial purposes. Biotechnology offers great potential to increase farm production and food processing efficiency, to lower food costs, to enhance food quality and safety and to increase international competitiveness. (Source: WPR)

Economic and social structure of communities, tax rates, characteristic types of development. (Source: PASTU)

Instruction or events designed to offer learning or cultural experiences to populations without access to traditional educational institutions due to social or economic barriers. (Source: OED)

Research on social questions or problems, especially focusing on cultural and environmental factors. (Source: WEBSTE)

The study of the development, organization, functioning and classification of human societies. (Source: CED)

Any part, feature or quality of society that combines governmental dimensions with inter-personal or inter-group dynamics. (Source: RHW)

Reduction of the hardness of water by removing hardness-forming ions (chiefly calcium and magnesium) by precipitation or ion exchange, or sequestering them as by combining them with substances such as certain phosphates, that form soluble but non-ionized salts. (Source: BJGEO)

1) A substance added to another substance to increase its softness, pliability, or plasticity. 2) A substance, such as a zeolite, for softening water. (Source: CED)

Software is the general term used to describe all of the various programs that may be used on a computer system. Software can be divided into four main categories: systems software, development software, user interface software, applications software. (Source: POPTEL)

No definition needed.

The top layer of the land surface of the earth that is composed of disintegrated rock particles, humus, water and air. (Source: CED)

A naturally occurring process in humid climates that has long been the subject of research, whose findings suggest acid precipitation effects. The generally accepted impact of soil acidification on the productivity of terrestrial plants is summarised as follows: as soil becomes more acidic the basic cations (Ca, Mg) on the soil exchange are replaced by hydrogen ions or solubilized metals. The basic cation, now in solution, can be leached through the soil. As time progresses the soil becomes less fertile and more acidic. Resultant decreases in soil pH cause reduced, less-active population of soil microorganisms, which in turn slow decomposition of plant residues and cycling of essential plant nutrients. (Source: PARCOR)

The air and other gases in spaces in the soil; specifically that which is found within the zone of aeration. Also known as soil atmosphere. (Source: MGH)

The use of rapid chemical analyses to determine the fertility status of a soil. It is used to identify those nutrients or substances that are present in either insufficient or excessive quantities for optimum plant growth. Analyses are also used to monitor increases or decreases in soil fertility over time. (Source: PARCOR)

The study of the living organisms, mainly microorganisms and microinvertebrates which live within the soil, and which are largely responsible for the decomposition processes vital to soil fertility. (Source: GILP96a)

The suitability of soils for various uses, e.g. sustained production of cultivated crops, pasture plants, etc., depending on depth, texture, kinds of minerals, salinity, kinds of salts, acidity, etc. (Source: NHQa / PARCOR)

The study of the inorganic and organic components of the soil and its life cycles. (Source: MGH)

An increase in bulk density (mass per unit volume) and a decrease in soil porosity resulting from applied loads, vibration, or pressure. More compacted soils (or other materials) can support greater loads (load-bearing capacity). Bulk density can be increased by controlling the moisture content, compaction forces and treatment procedures, as well as by manipulating the type of material being compacted. (Source: DUNSTE)

Description of the character of the surface of the ground at the time of observation, especially in relation to the influence of rain and snow. (Source: ECHO2)

Management of soil to prevent or reduce soil erosion and depletion by wind and water. Preservation of soil against deterioration and loss by using it within its capabilities; application of conservation practices needed for its protection and improvement. (Source: MGH / LANDY)

A binding rule or body of rules prescribed by a government to protect and prevent the loss of an area's surface layer of decomposed rock and organic material, valued for its nutrients and ability to support life. (Source: DES)

Soil impaired as a consequence of human activity. A study financed by UNEP, reporting in 1992, found that about 10,5% of the world's vegetative surface had been seriously damaged by human activity since 1945. The study found that much of the damage had been masked by a general rise in global agricultural productivity resulting from expanded irrigation, better plant varieties, and greater use of production inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides. More than 1/3 of the damaged land was in Asia, almost 1/3 in Africa, and 1/4 in Central America. Some land had been damaged beyond restoration. The greatest sources of soil degradation were overgrazing, unsuitable agricultural practices, and deforestation. (Source: GILP96)

Technologies employed in the removal of PCBs, PAH, pesticides and, more generally, of organic compounds by physical, chemical or biological treatments. (Source: EUROPAa)

Soil may deteriorate either by physical movement of soil particles from a given site or by depletion of the water-soluble elements in the soil which contribute to the nourishment of crop, plants, grasses, trees, and other economically usable vegetation. The physical movement generally is referred to as erosion. Wind, water, glacial ice, animals and tools in use may be agents of erosion. (Source: GILP96)

Detachment and movement of topsoil or soil material from the upper part of the profile, by the action of wind or running water, especially as a result of changes brought about by human activity, such as unsuitable or mismanaged agriculture. (Source: BJGEO)

The application of any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origins to a soil to supply one or more elements essential to the growth of plants. (Source: DUNSTE)

The status of a soil with respect to the amount and availability to plants of elements necessary for plant growth. (Source: BJGEO)

The combination of natural processes by which soils are formed. It is also known as pedogenesis. The most important soil-forming factors are parent material, terrain, climate, aspect, vegetation cover, microorganisms in the soil and the age of the land surface. Some pedologists would add to this list the influence of human activities. All the factors exhibit varying degrees of interrelationship and some are more important than others, with climate often being singled out as the most important. (Source: WHIT)

The main soil function is participation in the material transformation and migrating processes occurring in the natural environment on which the functioning of ecosystems depends. The most active participants in the occurring processes are microorganisms and invertebrates, whose activity, different variety, complex structure, and abundance accurately reflect the soil type and its characteristics: so they are important indicators of ecological stability. The variety of soil organisms determine its self-regulatory and self-cleaning capacity. (Source: NERIS)

Process of protecting the soil from excessive erosion and making soil more fertile and productive. (Source: LANDY)

Distinctive successive layers of soil produced by internal redistribution processes. Conventionally the layers have been divided into A, B and C horizons. The A horizon is the upper layer, containing humus and is leached and/or eluviated of many minerals. The B horizon forms a zone of deposition and is enriched with clay minerals and iron/aluminium oxides from the A layer. The C layer is the parent material for the present soil and may be partially weathered rock, transported glacial or alluvial material or an earlier soil. (Source: ALL)

The removal of water or any soluble constituents from the soil. Leaching often occurs with soil constituents such as nitrate fertilizers with the result that nitrates end up in potable waters. (Source: PORT)

In soil mechanics and civil engineering the term is used to denote the increased weight brought to bear on the ground surface. (Source: WHIT)

A two-dimensional representation that shows the areal extent or the distribution of soils in relation to other features of the land surface. (Source: ALL)

The study of the physical properties of soil, especially those properties that affect its ability to bear weight such as water content, density, strength, etc. (Source: CED)

Study of the formation, occurrence, properties, composition, and classification of the minerals present in the soil. (Source: BJGEOa)

1) Water stored in soils. 2) One of the most important elements involved in pedological processes and plant growth. There are three basic forms: a) water adhering in thin films by molecular attraction to the surface of soil particles and not available for plants is termed hygroscopic water. b) Water forming thicker films and occupying the smaller pore spaces is termed capillary water. Since it is held against the force of gravity it is permanently available for plant growth and it is this type of soil water which contains plant nutrients in solution. c) Water in excess of hygroscopic and capillary water is termed gravitational water, which is of a transitory nature because it flows away under the influence of gravity. When the excess has drained away the amount of water retained in the soil is termed its field capacity, when some of its pore spaces are still free of water. (Source: LANDY / DUNSTE)

The water regime of the soil is determined by the physical properties and arrangement of the soil particles. The pores in a soil determine its water-retention characteristics. When all the pores are full of water, the soil is said to be saturated. (Source: DUNSTE)

Organisms which live in the soil. (Source: PHC)

Solid, liquid and gaseous substances that detrimentally alter the natural condition of the soil.

Modifications of soil features or, more generally, of its chemical and biological balance, caused by the discharge of polluting substances. (Source: FLGISA)

The major processes in soils are gains, losses, transfers, and transformations of organic matter, soluble salts, carbonates, silicate clay minerals, sesquioxides, and silica. Gains consist normally of additions of organic matter, and of oxygen and water through oxidation and hydration, but in some sites slow continuous additions of new mineral materials take place at the surface or soluble materials are deposited from groundwater. Losses are chiefly of materials dissolved or suspended in water percolating through the profile or running off the surface. (Source: PARCOR)

A vertical section of a soil, showing horizons and parent material. (Source: MGH)

All current positive or negative properties with regard to soil utilization and soil functions. (Source: ECHO1)

No definition needed.

The accumulation of soluble mineral salts near the surface of soil, usually caused by the capillary flow of water from saline ground water. Where the rate of surface evaporation is high, irrigation can exacerbate the problem by moistening the soil and causing water to be drawn from deeper levels as water evaporates from the surface. The evaporation of pure water leaves the salts behind, allowing them to accumulate, and they can reach concentrations that are toxic to plants, thus sterilizing the land. (Source: ALL)

Measurement of the quantity of mineral salts found in a soil. Many semi-arid and arid areas are naturally salty. By definition they are areas of substantial water deficit where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation. Thus, whereas in humid areas there is sufficient water to percolate through the soil and to leach soluble materials from the soil and the rocks into the rivers and hence into the sea, in deserts this is not the case. Salts therefore tend to accumulate. (Source: PHC / GOUD)

The study of the properties, occurrence, and management of soil as a natural resource. Generally it includes the chemistry, microbiology, physics, morphology, and mineralogy of soils, as well as their genesis and classification. (Source: MGH)

Compaction involves the close-packing of the individual grains mainly by the elimination of pore-space and expulsion of entrapped water; this is normally brought about by the weight of the overlying sediments. (Source: ECHO2)

Chemical or mechanical treatment designed to increase or maintain the stability of a soil mass or otherwise to improve its engineering properties, as by increasing its shear strength, reducing its compressibility, or decreasing its tendency to absorb water. Stabilization methods include physical compaction and treatment with cement, lime, and bitumen. (Source: BJGEO)

Soil stability depends on its shear strength, its compressibility and its tendency to absorb water. Stabilization methods include physical compaction and treatment with cement, lime, and bitumen. (Source: BJGEO)

The combination or aggregation of primary soil particles into aggregates or clusters, which are separated from adjoining peds by surfaces of weakness. Soil structure is classified on the basis of size, shape, and distinctness into classes, types, and grades. (Source: BJGEO)

A sinking down of a part of the earth's crust, generally due to underground excavations. (Source: MGH)

Any activity or process in which ground surface areas are packed or plugged to prevent percolation or the passage of fluids. (Source: SIS / ERG)

1) Refers to the relative proportions of the various size groups (sand, silt and clay) of the individual soil grains in a mass of soil. 2) Classification of soil by the proportion and graduations of the three size groups of soil grains, i.e., sand, silt and clay, present in the soil. (Source: LANDY)

A phase or subdivision of a soil series based primarily on texture of the surface soil to a depth at least equal to plow depth (about 15 cm). (Source: BJGEO)

Functional utilization of soil for agriculture, industry, or residential building purposes. (Source: GREMES)

Type of management and utilization of the soil. (Source: GOODa)

Water stored in soils. (Source: LANDY)

A device for converting sunlight into electrical power using a semiconductor sensitive to the photovoltaic effect. Solar cells are used on space satellites to power electronic equipment, and as their price falls they may come to be used to provide energy on the Earth. (Source: ALL)

Device which converts the energy from light into electricity. The collector system contains a concentrator and a receiver. The concentrator redirects and focuses sunlight on the receiver by using mirrors or lenses, and the receiver absorbs solar radiation and converts it to heat. (Source: PHC / PARCOR)

The energy transmitted from the sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The most successful examples of energy extraction from the sun are so far solar cells used in satellites and solar collectors used to heat water. (Source: MGH / ALL)

Solar energy can be converted to useful work or heat by using a collector to absorb solar radiation, allowing much of the sun's radiant energy to be converted to heat. This heat can be used directly in residential, industrial, and agricultural operations; converted to mechanical or electrical power; or applied in chemical reactions for production of fuels and chemicals. (Source: PARCOR)

A domestic or industrial heating system that makes direct use of solar energy. The simplest form consists of a collector through which a fluid is pumped. The circuit also contains some form of heat storage tank and an alternative energy source to provide energy when the sun is not shining. The collector usually consists of a black surface through which water is piped, the black surface being enclosed behind glass sheets to make use of the greenhouse effect. (Source: UVAROV)

Plant where energy is generated using radiation from the sun. (Source: PHC)

The electromagnetic radiation and particles emitted by the sun. (Source: MGH)

A crystalline material, that is, one in which the constituent atoms are arranged in a three-dimensional lattice, periodic in three independent directions. (Source: MGH)

Any tiny or very small mass of material that has a definite volume and shape and resists forces that would alter its volume or shape. (Source: OMD / MHD / APD)

The physical state of matter in which the constituent molecules, atoms, or ions have no translatory motion although they vibrate about the fixed positions that they occupy in a crystal lattice. (Source: UVAROV)

Discarded solid materials. Includes agricultural waste, mining waste, industrial waste and municipal waste. (Source: LANDY)

The orderly discarding, release, collection, treatment or salvaging of unwanted or useless non-liquid, non-soluble refuse. (Source: TED / TOE / GSW)

The ability of a substance to form a solution with another substance. (Source: MGH)

Substance, generally a liquid, capable of dissolving another substance. (Source: CED)

Solvent recovery is a widely practised form of recycling where spent solvents are distilled and reused. However, the cheaper solvents are often incinerated or dumped in hazardous waste landfill sites. (Source: PORT)

Any passerine bird of the suborder Oscines, having highly developed vocal organs and, in most, a music call. (Source: CED)

A noise caused by a shock wave that emanates from an aircraft or other object traveling at or above sonic velocity. (Source: MGH)

Impure black carbon with oily compounds obtained from the incomplete combustion of resinous materials, oils, wood, or coal. (Source: MGH)

The taking up, usually, of a liquid or gas into the body of another material (the absorbent). Thus, for instance, an air pollutant may be removed by absorption in a suitable solvent. (Source: HARRIS)

The classification and separation of solid waste, according to type, at the location where it is generated. (Source: EEN / FFD)

Auditory sensation produced by the oscillations, stress, pressure, particle displacement, and particle velocity in a medium with internal forces; pressure variation that the human ear can detect. (Source: KOREN)

Diffusion into the environment of a sound emitted from a given source. (Source: RRDA)

The introduction in the environment of noise deriving from various sources that can be grouped in: transportation activities, industrial activities and daily normal activities. (Source: DIFIDa)

Material used to reduce the transmission of sound to or from a body, device, room, etc. (Source: CED)

The sound pressure level (in decibels) at a point in a sound field, averaged over the audible frequency range and over a time interval. (Source: MGH)

Because of the large variations in sound magnitudes, and because the human hearing sensation seems to vary in a logarithmic way, logarithms are used in measurement of sound. The sound pressure level is given in decibels (dB). (Source: PARCOR)

The travelling of acoustic waves in the atmosphere with a speed independent of their amplitude. The speed only depends on the acoustic medium and is proportional to the square route of the absolute temperature for any given medium. (Source: RRDA / PARCOR)

Passage of a sound wave through a medium or series of media. (Source: MGH)

Reducing or eliminating reverberation in a room by placing sound-absorbing materials on the walls and ceiling. (Source: MGH)

The place, places or areas from where a pollutant is released into the atmosphere or water, or where noise is generated. A source can be classified as point source, i.e. a large individual generator of pollution, an area source, or a line source, e.g. vehicle emissions and noise. (Source: PORT)

A continent in the southern part of the western hemisphere, astride the equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north and between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama, and divided into twelve countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. (Source: RHW)

An ocean south of the equator between the eastern coast of South America and the western coast of Africa that extends southward to the Antarctic continent, including the Drake Passage, South Sandwich Islands and Falkand Islands. (Source: INP)

An ocean south of the equator between Southeast Asia and Australia in the Eastern hemisphere and South America in the Western hemisphere, extending southward to the Antarctic region, including the Tasman and Coral seas and numerous islands, such as Galapagos, Solomon, Easter, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga islands, and also New Zealand and its islands. (Source: INP)

A geographic region of continental Asia, south of China, west of the South Pacific Ocean, north of the Indian Ocean, and east of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian subcontinent, including the Indochina Peninsula, the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian and Philippine Archipelagos, and countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (Source: INP)

A geographic region of the African continent astride the Tropic of Capricorn, including Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and also the Kalahari Desert, Zambezi River and Orange River. (Source: AFR)

A geographic region of the Asian continent bordered in the north by the countries of Central Asia and in the south by the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, extending westward into Iran and eastward into China, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. (Source: RHW / SAR)

Space extending between the sun and the planets of the solar system. Interplanetary space is not empty, but contains dust, particles with an electric charge, and the magnetic field of the sun (also called the IMF, or Interplanetary Magnetic Field). (Source: CED / WINDOW)

A course of action adopted and pursued by government or some other organization, which seeks to support research and the exploration of planets, asteroids and other elements in the region beyond earth's atmosphere or beyond the solar system. (Source: OED)

Research involving studies of all aspects of environmental conditions beyond the atmosphere of the earth. (Source: MGH)

Transportation by means of vehicles designed to operate in free space outside the earth's atmosphere. (Source: WEBSTEa)

Travel in the space beyond the earth's atmosphere performed for scientific research purposes. (Source: RRDA)

Nonfunctional debris of human origin left in a multitude of orbits about the earth as the result of the exploration and use of the environment lying outside the earth's atmosphere. (Source: MHD / ORB)

A distribution or set of geographic observations representing the values of behaviour of a particular phenomenon or characteristic across many locations on the surface of the Earth. (Source: GOOD)

The rate of moves or migrations made by a given population within a given time frame. (Source: CEN)

Area of water where fish come each year to produce their eggs. (Source: PHC)

An exceptional granting of power or permission or a legislative act authorizing money to be spent on government programs. (Source: RHW)

Discarded material produced in any industrial process for which there is no specified mode of disposal. (Source: INW)

One relating to particular persons or things; one made for individual cases or for particular places or districts; one operating upon a selected class, rather than upon the public generally. A law is special when it is different from others of the same general kind or designed for a particular purpose, or limited in range or confined to a prescribed field of action or operation.

Waste which must be handled in a particular manner and for which particular rules apply.

Evolutionary adaptation to a particular mode of life or habitat. (Source: LBC)