Renewable Energy — page 6 of 18

Renewable Energy terms

501. Dry wash A natural drainage channel that is typically dry, but conveys water following significant rainfall events and is subject to rapid flow during flash…
502. drying Moisture removal from biomass to improve serviceability and utility.
503. Duff The layer of forest litter.
504. Dune Mounds of unconsolidated sand grains shaped by wind. Often temporary and nonstationary.
505. Dunnage Supports for air conditioning and other equipment above the roof of a building.
506. Duripan A subsurface soil horizon cemented by silica (usually derived from a volcanic source such as ash).
507. Dutch oven furnace One of the earliest types of furnaces, having a large, rectangular box lined with firebrick (refractory) on the sides and top.
508. E-10 A mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline based on volume.
509. E-85 A mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline based on volume.
510. E85 A high-level gasoline-ethanol blend containing 51% to 83% ethanol, depending on geography and season.
511. Early Archaic The period 7,500 to 5,000 years B.P.
512. Early seral species Shrubs (such as ceanothus) and hardwoods (usually in tree form, such as red alder, bitter cherry and big leaf maple) that start growing in natural…
513. Earthern cattle tank A watering area or basin for cattle that is usually created in a natural drainage area by obstructing natural water flows with berms of soil.
514. Earthquake Ground shaking caused by the sudden release of energy stored in rock beneath the Earth's surface.
515. Ecological resources Biota (fish, wildlife, and plants) and their habitats, which may be land, air, or water.
516. Ecological segmentation Development that fragments animal habitat and does not provide corridors for movement.
517. Ecology The study of the interactions of organisms with their environment and with each other.
518. Economic sector A subdivision of economic activities based on major purpose (for example, "commercial sector" or "private sector").
519. Ecoregion A geographically distinct area of land that is characterized by a distinctive climate, ecological features, and plant and animal communities.
520. Ecosystem A complex ecological community or environment forming a functioning whole.
521. Ecotones The borders between two different types of ecosystems or communities (e.g., a forest and a grassland) containing characteristic species of each.
522. Edge habitat The transitional zone where one cover type ends and another begins.
523. Edge-on A descriptor for the appearance of solar facility collector/reflector arrays when viewed at very low vertical angles, such that the viewing angle is at or…
524. Effects Environmental consequences (the scientific and analytical basis for comparison of alternatives) as a result of a proposed action.
525. Efficiency Under the First Law of Thermodynamics, efficiency is the ratio of work or energy output to work or energy input, and cannot exceed 100 percent.
526. Effigy An object bearing the likeness of an animal or human.
527. Effluent The treated waste water discharged by sewage treatment plants.
528. Electric and magnetic field (EMF) (EMF) Electric and magnetic fields are generated when charged particles (e.g., electrons) are accelerated. Charged particles in motion produce magnetic fields.
529. Electrical horsepower See horsepower.
530. Electricity Electric current used as a power source. Electricity can be produced from a variety of feedstocks, including oil, coal, nuclear, hydro, natural gas, wind…
531. Electrolytes (battery) A nonmetallic (liquid or solid) conductor that carries current by the movement of ions (instead of electrons) with the liberation of matter at the…
532. Electron A sub-atomic particle that has a negative electric charge.
533. elemental analysis The determination of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, chlorine, and ash in a sample. See ultimate analysis.
534. Eligible properties See Historic properties
535. Embryotoxicity Adverse effects on the embryo due to a substance that enters the maternal system and crosses the placental barrier.
536. Emergent Aquatic plants having some or most of the leaf area extending out of the water.
537. Emergent wetlands The Emergent wetland class is characterized by erect, rooted, herbaceous hydrophytes, excluding mosses and lichens.
538. Emission Factor A measure of the average amount of a specified pollutant or material emitted for a specific type of fuel or process.
539. Emission offset A reduction in the air pollution emissions of existing sources to compensate for emissions from new sources.
540. Emissions Waste substances released into the air or water.
541. Endangered species A plant or animal species in immediate danger of extinction because its population number has reached a critical level, or its habitat has been…
542. Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (ESA) Requires consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether endangered or threatened…
543. Endemic Where disease occurs on a consistent basis.
544. Energy The capability of doing work; different forms of energy can be converted to other forms, but the total amount of energy remains the same.
545. energy crop A crop grown specifically for its fuel value. These include food crops such as corn and sugar cane, and nonfood crops such as poplar trees and switchgrass.
546. Energy Crops Crops grown specifically for their fuel value. These include food crops such as corn and sugarcane, and nonfood crops such as poplar trees and switchgrass.
547. Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) (EFSC) In Oregon, a seven-member council that coordinates and approves siting for most large power plants, transmission lines and pipelines.
548. Entrainment The incorporation of fish, eggs, larvae, and other plankton with intake water flow entering and passing through a cooling water intake structure and into…
549. Entry An application to acquire title to public lands.
550. Environment All the natural and living things around us. The earth, air, weather, plants, and animals all make up our environment.
551. Environmental Assessment (EA) (EA) A public document that analyzes a proposed federal action for the possibility of significant environmental impacts.
552. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (EIS) A comprehensive study of likely environmental impacts resulting from major federally-assisted projects; statements are required by the National…
553. Environmental Justice Is based on the principle that all people have a right to be protected from environmental pollution and to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful…
554. Environmental media Soil, water, air, biota, or any other parts of the environment that can contain contaminants.
555. Enzymatic hydrolysis A process by which enzymes (biological catalysts) are used to break down starch or cellulose into sugar.
556. enzyme A protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body.
557. Eolian Refers to the processes of wind erosion, transport, and deposition. For example, sand dunes are landforms produced by eolian processes in arid…
558. EP Toxicity A test defined by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to check a substance for the presence of arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury…
559. EPA See Environmental Protection Agency.
560. Ephemeral allotment A BLM grazing allotment in areas of the Hot Desert Biome (Region) that do not consistently produce enough forage to sustain a livestock operation, but…
561. Ephemeral stream A stream that flows only after a storm or during snowmelt and whose channel is, at all times, above the water table; groundwater is not a source of water…
562. Erosion The wearing away of land surface by wind or water, intensified by land-clearing practices related to farming, residential or industrial development, road…
563. Eruption The process by which solid, liquid, and gaseous materials are ejected into the Earth's atmosphere and onto the Earth's surface by volcanic activity.
564. ESA See Endangered Species Act of 1973
565. Escarpment A cliff or the steep slopes of a plateau edge.
566. ester (ES-ter) A type of chemical substance that is a combination of acid and alcohol. Esters are found in essential oils (scented liquid taken from plants).
567. ethanol Commonly used to disinfect plant tissues, glassware utensils and working surfaces in tissue culture manipulations; to precipitate aqueous solutions of…
568. Ethnobotany (ethnobotanical) The plant lore and agricultural customs of a people; the study of such lore and customs.
569. Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (ETBE) (ETBE) A chemical compound produced in a reaction between ethanol and isobutylene (a petroleum-derived by-product of the refining process).
570. Eutectic A mixture of substances that has a melting point lower than that of any mixture of the same substances in other proportions.
571. Evaporation ponds Shallow man-made ponds designed to contain liquid effluents and concentrate the residual waste through evaporation.
572. Evaporation Rate In hydrologic terms, the quantity of water, expressed in terms of depth of liquid water, which is evaporated from a given surface per unit of time.
573. Evapotranspiration The net water loss (in vapour form) per unit area of land, both directly from the land surface, and indirectly through transpiring leaves.
574. Exceedance A measured level of an air pollutant that is higher than the national or state ambient air quality standards. See also NAAQS and CAAQS
575. Excess annual growth The amount by which new forest growth exceeds removal in a year. The annual quantity of wood produced in a forest in excess of market demand.
576. Excessive grades Ground surface inclines relative to the horizon beyond which the ground may become unstable.
577. Excessive slopes See Excessive grades
578. Executive Order A president's or governor's declaration which has the force of law, usually based on existing statutory powers, and requiring no action by the Congress or…
579. exposure Contact of an organism with a chemical, radiological, or physical agent.
580. Extensional (structural features or faults) Refers to tectonic forces that extend or stretch the Earth's crust.
581. Externality The environmental, social, and economic impacts of producing a good or service that are not directly reflected in the market price of the good or service.
582. Extirpation The elimination of a species or subspecies from a particular area, but not from its entire range.
583. extractives Any number of different compounds in biomass that are not an integral part of the cellular structure.
584. Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) (ELF) Refers to a band of frequencies from 30 to 300 Hz.
585. Facultative ponds Ponds having an aerobic zone on the top and an anaerobic zone on the bottom.
586. Facultative wetland vegetation species A species that can occur both in wetlands and uplands.
587. Fall Line Direction that water flows down a hill.
588. Fan An electrically or mechanically driven device that is used to pull air through the radiator or oil cooler.
589. Fan apron A sloping alluvial fan surface made of sediment deposited by streams at the mouth of a canyon between a mountain and the adjacent alluvial valley floor.
590. Fan piedmont A sloping alluvial fan surface made of sediment deposited by streams at the mouth of a canyon between a mountain and the adjacent alluvial valley floor.
591. Fan remnant An erosional remnant (or fossil) of a once active and more extensive alluvial fan.
592. Fan terrace See Alluvial fan terrace
593. Fast pyrolysis Thermal conversion of biomass by rapid heating to between 450ø to 600øC in the absence of oxygen.
594. Fast-track Projects on public land for which the environmental review and public participation process is underway and the application could be approved by December…
595. fatty acid A major component of fats that is used by the body for energy and tissue development.
596. Fault "Fault" means adultery, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, abandonment or reckless spending.
597. Fault block A rock mass that is bounded by normal faults. Fault blocks on either side of the fault are elevated or depressed, relative to each other.
598. Fault plane The plane that best approximates the fracture surface of a fault.
599. Fault trace The expression of a fault on the ground surface.
600. Fault, left-lateral A strike-slip fault on which displacement of the block opposite the observer is to the left. See also Strike-slip fault