Renewable Energy terms starting with S

184 terms

saccharide A simple sugar or a more complex compound that can be hydrolyzed to simple sugar units.
saccharification A conversion process using acids, bases, or enzymes in which long-chain carbohydrates are broken down into their component fermentable sugars.
Sacred landscapes Natural places recognized by a cultural group as having spiritual or religious significance.
Sacred site Any specific, discrete, narrowly delineated location on federal land that is identified by an Indian tribe, or Indian individual determined to be an…
Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA) Act authorizing development of maximum contaminant levels for drinking water applicable to public water systems (i.e.
Safe yield The amount of groundwater that can be withdrawn from a groundwater basin over a period of time without exceeding the long-term recharge of the basin or…
Salinity A measure of the amount of salt and other mineral substances dissolved in water.
Salt flat Low-lying ground where salts collect in the soil because of the evaporation of standing water.
Salvage logging The harvest of dead, dying, damaged or weak trees after a forest fire to prevent the spread of disease or insects and to reduce the risk of high intensity…
Sand A rock or mineral fragment of any composition that has a diameter ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mm. Sand has a gritty feel.
Sand boil A sand boil is sand and water that come out onto the ground surface during an earthquake as a result of liquefaction at shallow depth.
Sand dune An elongated mound (hill or ridge) of sand accumulated and sorted by the action of wind or water.
Sand dune obligate species Plant or animal species found only in sand dune habitats.
Sanitary waste Nonhazardous, nonradioactive liquid and solid waste generated by normal housekeeping activities.
Sanitary wastewater Wastewater (includes toilet, sink, shower, and kitchen flows) generated by normal housekeeping activities.
Saturated steam Steam at the temperature that corresponds to its boiling temperature at the same pressure.
Savanna A flat grassland of tropical and subtropical regions usually having distinct periods of dry and wet weather.
Sawlog A log meeting minimum commercial requirements of diameter, length, and defect. The usual commercial requirements are a minimum of 8´ long with an inside…
Sawtimber Live trees of commercial species containing at least one 12´ sawlog or two noncontiguous 8´ logs.
Scaled sale A type of timber sale contract that specifies measuring or scaling of the included timber after removal.
Scarify Loosening topsoil or breaking up the forest floor to improve conditions for seed germination or tree planting.
Scarp See Escarpment
Scenic integrity The degree of "intactness" of a landscape, which is related to the existing amount of visual disturbance present.
Scenic quality A measure of the intrinsic beauty of landform, water form, or vegetation in the landscape, as well as any visible human additions or alterations to the…
Scenic resources The visible physical features on a landscape (e.g., land, water, vegetation, animals, structures, and other features).
Scenic value The importance of a landscape based on human perception of the intrinsic beauty of landform, water form, and vegetation in the landscape, as well as any…
Schist A metamorphic rock formed from many types of rocks. Minerals in the rocks include micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, and garnets.
Scoping A first step in the NEPA process and in the river planning process. Scoping is a means of identifying issues and concerns, their significance, and the…
Scoria Congealed lava, usually of mafic composition and red or black in color, with a large number of vesicles formed by gases coming out of solution.
Scraper A stone tool that is modified for the specific task of scraping; for example, to scrape the meat from hides, to remove fat from the underside of a skin…
Scree Small, loose, rock debris covering a slope; a slope of loose rock debris at the base of a steep incline or cliff.
screen analysis Method for measuring a proportion of variously sized particles in solid fuels. The sample is passed through a series of screens of known size openings.
Scrubber A device to clean combustible gas or stack gas by the spraying of water.
Scrubland An area of land that is uncultivated and covered with sparse stunted vegetation.
Second growth A second generation of timber of merchantable age.
Secondary containment A safeguarding method for the prevention of unauthorized releases of toxic or hazardous gases into uncontrolled work areas.
Secondary succession The progression of plant communities following disturbances such as fire, windthrow and timber harvesting. See Succession.
Sedentism A term used to describe the process of settling down to live in groups for periods of time.
Sedge A grasslike plant with a triangular stem often growing in wet areas.
Sedimentary rock Rock formed at or near the Earth's surface from the consolidation of loose sediment that has accumulated in layers through deposition by water, wind, or…
Sedimentation A process in which material carried in suspension by water flows into streams and rivers, increasing turbidity and eventually settling to the bottom.
Seepage The act or process involving the slow movement of water or other fluid through a porous material such as soil or rock.
Seeps Wet areas, normally not flowing, arising from an underground water source. Any place where liquid has oozed from the ground to the surface.
Seismic Pertaining to any earth vibration, especially that of an earthquake.
Seismic swarm See Swarm
Seismicity Refers to the geographic and historical distribution of earthquakes.
Selection cutting The periodic removal at short intervals of the oldest and largest trees in the stand, individually or in small groups.
Semi-arid Moderately dry region or climate where moisture is normally greater than under arid conditions but still definitely limits the production of vegetation.
Semiconductor Any material that has a limited capacity for conducting an electric current. Certain semiconductors, including silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium…
Senior water rights Water rights that have been established first (measured by the date of appropriation) to the limit of their respective right, frequently to the exclusion…
Sensitive species See Threatened, endangered, and sensitive species.
Sensitivity level (analysis) Measures (e.g., high, medium, and low) of public concern for the maintenance of scenic quality.
Seral stages The series of relatively transitory plant communities that develop during ecological succession from bare ground to the climax stage.
Sewage The waste water from domestic, commercial and industrial sources carried by sewers.
Shadow zone The region where direct sound does not penetrate because of upward diffraction due to vertical temperature and/or wind gradients.
Shaft horsepower A measure of the actual mechanical energy per unit time delivered to a turning shaft. 1 shaft horsepower = 1 electric horsepower = 550 ft-lb/second.
Shale (outcrop) A fine-grained sedimentary rock characterized by parallel layering.
Shear strength Internal resistance to stress (or movement) that comes from friction and cohesion of the sediment.
Sherds Broken pieces of earthenware/pottery.
Short rotation energy plantation Plantings established and managed under short-rotation intensive culture practices.
Short rotation intensive culture Intensive management and harvesting at 2 to 10 year intervals of cycles of specially selected fast- growing hardwood species for the purpose of producing…
Short Ton 2000 pounds. A ton, as commonly used in the U.S. and Canada.
Shrink-swell potential The extent to which soil shrinks or swells with changes in soil moisture content.
Shrub A plant with persistent woody stems and relatively low growth form; usually produces several basal shoots as opposed to a single bole; differs from a tree…
Shrub-steppe Habitat primarily composed of various shrubs and grasses.
Shrubsteppe obligate A species that is dependent on shrubsteppe habitats to provide food and/or habitat necessary for its survival.
Silencer A device used for reducing noise within air and gas flow systems.
Silicic volcanism Volcanism characterized by the eruption of magma that is rich in lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminum, sodium, and potassium.
Silicon A chemical element, of atomic number 14, that is semi-metallic, and an excellent semiconductor material used in solar photovoltaic devices; commonly found…
Silt A rock or mineral fragment of any composition that has a diameter ranging from 0.002 to 0.05 millimeter.
Siltation Process by which loose soil is transferred and builds up in streams, rivers, and lakes, causing changes in stream channels and in depth.
Siltstone A sedimentary rock made mostly of silt-sized grains.
Silviculture The theory and practice of forest stand establishment and management.
Sink Any process, activity, or mechanism which removes a greenhouse gas, an aerosol, or a precursor of a greenhouse gas or aerosol from the atmosphere.
Site potential tree A tree that has attained the average maximum height possible given site conditions where it occurs.
Site preparation Various treatments applied to a harvested area to promote regeneration of the site.
Skidder A self-propelled machine to transport harvested trees or logs from the stump area to the landing or work deck.
Skirt (fan, dune) A sloping alluvial fan surface made of sediment deposited by a stream at the mouth of a canyon between a mountain and the adjacent alluvial valley floor.
Sky glow Brightening of the sky caused by outdoor lighting and natural atmospheric and celestial factors.
Skylining Siting of a structure on or near a ridge line so that it is silhouetted against the sky.
Slash The unmerchantable material left on site subsequent to harvesting a timber stand, including tops, limbs, cull sections.
SLIP Motion occurring along a fault plane.
Slip rate The rate of motion obtained when the amount of offset is divided by a time interval.
Slope failure The downward and outward movement of a mass of rock or unconsolidated materials as a unit. Landslides and slumps are examples.
Slope stability The resistance of an inclined surface to failure by sliding or collapsing.
Slow pyrolysis Thermal conversion of biomass to fuel by slow heating to less than 450°C in the absence of oxygen.
Sludge The mixture of organic and inorganic substances separated from sewage.
Small Scale Energy Loan Program (SELP) In Oregon, a low-cost loan and technical assistance program administered by the Oregon Department of Energy.
Smog A visible haze caused by particulate matter and ground-level ozone.
Snag Any standing dead, partially dead or defective tree. A hard snag is composed primarily of sound wood.
SO<sub>2</sub> See Sulfur dioxide
Social disruption Social and psychological dislocation associated with the alteration or breakdown of social life in small rural communities that may occur as a result of…
Socioeconomic Relating to social or economic factors or to a combination of both social and economic factors.
Socioeconomics The social and economic conditions in the study area.
softwood Generally, one of the botanical groups of trees that in most cases have needle-like or scale-like leaves; the conifers; also the wood produced by such…
Soil compaction Compression of the soil which results in reduced soil pore space (the spaces between soil particles), decreased movement of water and air into and within…
Soil deposition A general term for the accumulation of sediments by either physical or chemical sedimentation.
Soil horizon A layer of soil developed in response to localized chemical and physical processes resulting from the activities of soil organisms, the addition of…
Soil horizon mixing Soil horizon mixing occurs when soil is disturbed by activities such as excavation.
Solar Array A group of solar collectors or solar modules connected together.