Solar Energy terms starting with S

127 terms

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Safe yield The amount of groundwater that can be withdrawn from a groundwater basin over a period of time without exceeding the long-term recharge of the basin or…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.
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.
Savanna A flat grassland of tropical and subtropical regions usually having distinct periods of dry and wet weather.
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.
Scrubland An area of land that is uncultivated and covered with sparse stunted vegetation.
Secondary containment A safeguarding method for the prevention of unauthorized releases of toxic or hazardous gases into uncontrolled work areas.
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.
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.
Shadow zone The region where direct sound does not penetrate because of upward diffraction due to vertical temperature and/or wind gradients.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
Socioeconomics The social and economic conditions in the study area.
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.
Solar Cell A solar photovoltaic device with a specified area.
Solar Collector A device used to collect, absorb, and transfer solar energy to a working fluid.
Solar collector array That portion of the solar energy facility containing components that track and capture sunlight and convert it to other useful forms of energy, typically…
Solar energy Electromagnetic energy transmitted from the sun (solar radiation). The amount that reaches the earth is equal to one billionth of total solar energy…
Solar energy technology Any engineered method for harnessing, storing, and using the Sun's energy.
Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) Lands identified by the BLM as best-suited for large-scale production of solar energy.
Solar module See Photovoltaic (PV) module
Solar Panel See Photovoltaic Module.
Solar power tower See Power tower
Solar tracking The solar panels can be swiveled using the electric motors to follow the path of the sun exactly in the course of the day to maximize the yields.
Sole source aquifer An aquifer that supplies 50 percent or more of the drinking water of an area.
Solid waste All unwanted, abandoned, or discarded solid or semisolid material whether or not subject to decomposition, originating from any source.
Source Any place or object from which air pollutants are released. Sources that are fixed in space are stationary sources and sources that move are mobile…
Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) The Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project is an update of the Gap Analysis Program's mapping and assessment of biodiversity for the five-state region…
Special areas Areas of high public interest and containing outstanding natural features or values.
Special status species (threatened, endangered, sensitive, rare) Includes both plant and animal species that are proposed for listing, officially listed as threatened or endangered, or are candidates for listing as…
Special Use Airspace (SUA) Airspace of defined dimensions identified by an area on the surface of the Earth wherein activities must be confined because of their nature and/or…
Specially Designated Areas Includes a variety of areas that have received recognition or designation because they possess unique or important resource values.
Species of Special Concern A species that may have a declining population, limited occurrence, or low numbers for any of a variety of reasons.
Specular reflection Also known as direct reflection, regular reflection, or mirror reflection. The reflection of electromagnetic rays without scattering or diffusion.
Spill light Light that falls outside of the area intended to be lighted.
Spring The point at which the water table meets Earth's surface, causing water to flow from the ground.
Sprinkler system Consists of pipelines which carry water under pressure from a pump or elevated source to lateral lines along which sprinkler heads are spaced at…
staging area A designated area where construction equipment is temporarily stored (usually only during the construction phase).
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) The State officer charged with the identification and protection of prehistoric and historic resources in accordance with the National Historic…
Steam amendment chemicals Chemicals used to treat raw water to remove certain chemical species, thus amending its hardness or pH, making it suitable for use in a steam cycle.
Steam turbine-generator (STG) A device that uses high-pressure steam, produced in a boiler, to drive the blades of a turbine to produce mechanical energy that can then be used to…
Steep slopes Ground surface that rises precipitously above the horizon.