Solar Energy — page 6 of 11

1,094 terms

Solar Energy terms

  1. Impoundment (surface) A body of water or sludge confined by a dam, dike, floodgate, or other barrier.
  2. Impulsive noise Noise from impacts or explosions (e.g., from a pile driver, forging hammer, punch press, or gunshot), which is brief and abrupt, and its startling effects…
  3. In attainment In compliance with air-quality standards. Areas that are in attainment have air quality that is as good as or better than specified in the National…
  4. In situ (in si'too) the natural or normal place; confined to the site of origin without invasion or spread to neighboring tissues.
  5. In-migration People moving into an area.
  6. Incidental take permit A permit issued under Section 10 of the Federal Endangered Species Act to private parties undertaking otherwise lawful projects that might result in the…
  7. Indian trust assets Lands, natural resources, or other assets held in trust or restricted against alienation by the United States for Native American tribes or individual…
  8. Indian trust resources Those natural resources, either on or off Indian lands, retained by or reserved by or for Indian tribes through treaties, statutes, judicial decisions…
  9. Indirect effects Secondary effects that occur in locations other than that of the initial action or significantly later in time.
  10. Indirect impacts Impacts that occur away from the place of origin. Effects that are related to, but removed from, a proposed action by an intermediate step or process.
  11. Induration The hardening of a rock, usually sedimentary, by drying, pressure, or cementation.
  12. Industrial waste Materials discarded from industrial operations or derived from manufacturing processes.
  13. Infiltration Leakage of ground water into a sewage collection system.
  14. Infiltration pond A shallow impoundment designed to infiltrate stormwater into the soil. Also referred to as an infiltration basin.
  15. Inflow Water (and pollutants) that enter sewage systems through street inlets, roof drains, and similar sources.
  16. Inset fans An alluvial fan that occurs on top of an older alluvial fan.
  17. Insolation The solar power density incident on a surface of stated area and orientation, usually expressed as Watts per square meter or Btu per square foot per hour.
  18. Intaglio An impression, design, or figure created on the ground by man through the placement of rocks or mounding of earth.
  19. Interbasin flow Surface water or groundwater flow between two hydrologic basins.
  20. Interbasin transfer of water A transfer of water rights and/or a diversion of water (either groundwater or surface water) from one drainage or hydrographic basin to another.
  21. Interbasin transfers The transfer of water to another water management basin.
  22. Interdune flat The area between dunes, generally flat and often erosion-resistant.
  23. Intermittent Stream A stream that flows for a portion of the year but occasionally is dry or reduced to a pool stage when losses from evaporation or seepage exceed the…
  24. Intermontane basin An alluvium-filled valley between mountain ranges, often formed over a graben.
  25. Interpretive site Information communicated via plaques, markers, and other methods, about the natural and/or cultural resources, their history and values, that are found at…
  26. Intrusive An igneous rock that forms under the Earth's surface. Examples include granite, diorite, and gabbro.
  27. Invasive species Any species, including noxious and exotic species, that is an aggressive colonizer and can out-compete indigenous species.
  28. Invertebrate An animal, such as an insect or mollusk, that lacks a backbone or spinal column.
  29. Inverter A device that converts direct current electricity (from for example a solar photovoltaic module or array) to alternating current for use directly to…
  30. Irradiance The direct, diffuse, and reflected solar radiation that strikes a surface.
  31. Irrigation The controlled application of water for agricultural purposes through manmade systems to supply water requirements that are not satisfied by rainfall.
  32. Irrigation Non-Expansion Area (INA) (INA) A geographic area in Arizona that has been designated as having insufficient groundwater to provide a reasonably safe supply for the irrigation of the…
  33. Junior water rights Water rights that are more recent than older or more senior rights. See also Senior water rights
  34. Just-in-time ordering A strategy for managing materials used at a project that ensures materials become available as needed to support activities, but are not stockpiled at the…
  35. Key observation point(s) (KOP) One or a series of points on a travel route or at a use area or a potential use area, where the view of a management activity would be most revealing.
  36. Kilowatt A unit of electrical power equal to 1,000 watts (W).
  37. Kiva An underground (or partially underground) ceremonial room or chamber used in ancient and modern Pueblo villages.
  38. Knob A small hilltop that is round in shape.
  39. Known Geothermal Area (KGA) (KGA) A region identified by the U.S. Geological Survey as containing geothermal resources.
  40. L<sub>dn</sub> The day-night average sound level. It is the average A-weighted sound level over a 24-hour period that gives additional weight to noise that occurs during…
  41. L<sub>eq</sub> Equivalent/continuous sound level. Leq is the steady sound level that would contain the same total sound energy as the time-varying sound over a given…
  42. Laccolith An igneous intrusion that has been forced between two layered rock units. The top of the intrusion is arched upwards and the bottom of the intrusion is…
  43. Lacustrine wetland Wetlands that are generally larger than 20 acres and having less than 30% cover of vegetation such as trees, shrubs, or persistent emergent plants.
  44. Lag gravel Residual deposit of coarse material that has had the finer fraction removed by a transporting agent, usually wind or water.
  45. Lahar A mudflow composed of water and volcanic ash. Lahars can be triggered by the flash melting of the snow cap of a volcanic mountain or from heavy rain.
  46. Land area Includes dry land and land temporarily or partially covered by water, such as marshlands, swamps, and river flood plains; streams, sloughs, estuaries, and…
  47. Land cover The physical coverage of land, usually expressed in terms of vegetation cover or lack of it.
  48. Land disturbance Discrete event or process that alters soil and/or kills or damages vegetation. From an ecological and hierarchical perspective, disturbance is a change in…
  49. Land disturbance in natural drainage systems Any movement (e.g., grading or excavation) of soil or sediment in a natural drainageway.
  50. Land subsidence The sinking or settling of land to a lower level in response to various natural and man-caused factors.
  51. Land Use The manner in which a parcel of land is used or occupied.
  52. Land Use Plan A set of decisions that establish management direction for land within an administrative area, as prescribed under the planning provisions of FLPMA; an…
  53. Land withdrawal Withdrawals are governed by regulations issued under FLPMA, contained in 43 CFR Part 2300.
  54. Landform Any feature of the Earth's surface having a distinct shape and origin. Landforms include major features (such as continents, ocean basins, plains…
  55. Landmark Type of reference point external to the observer. Usually a simply defined physical object.
  56. Landscape A region consisting of interacting ecosystems determined by geology, soils, climate, biota, and human influences.
  57. Landscape character The arrangement of a particular landscape as formed by the variety and intensity of the landscape features and the four basic elements of form, line…
  58. Late Archaic The period 3,000 to 1,500 years B.P.
  59. Latite An igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock.
  60. Lava Magma that reaches the Earth's surface and issues from volcanoes.
  61. Lava flow An outpouring of lava onto the land surface from a vent or fissure. Also, a solidified tongue-like or sheetlike body formed by outpouring lava.
  62. Lava tubes Natural conduits through which lava moves beneath the surface of a lava flow during a volcanic eruption.
  63. Law of the River A complex body of laws, court decrees, contracts, agreements, regulations and an international treaty used to govern allocation and management of Colorado…
  64. Laydown area An area that has been cleared for the temporary storage of equipment and supplies.
  65. Lead A gray-white metal that is listed as a criteria air pollutant. Health effects from exposure to lead include brain and kidney damage and learning…
  66. Leasable minerals Federal minerals such as coal, oil shale, oil, gas, phosphate, potash, sodium, tar sands, geothermal resources, potassium, asphaltic materials, and all…
  67. Lease A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent).
  68. Left-lateral fault See Fault, left-lateral
  69. Lek A communal mating area within which males of certain species hold small territories, which they use solely for courtship and copulation.
  70. Lentic environment An aquatic ecosystem in which the water is still and not rapidly moving, such as is found in ponds and swamps.
  71. License a contract in which the owner of the patent grants another person or company permission to make, use, or sell the patented invention.
  72. Light fixture An electrical device used to create artificial light and/or illumination.
  73. Light pollution Any adverse effect of human-made lighting, such as excessive illumination of night-skies by artificial light.
  74. Light spillage An undesirable condition in which light is cast where it is not wanted. (Also referred to as light trespass.)
  75. Light trespass See Light spillage
  76. Limestone A sedimentary rock made mostly of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate). Limestone is usually formed from shells of once-living organisms or other…
  77. line See Groove
  78. Lineament A straight topographic feature of regional extent that is thought to represent crustal structure.
  79. Liner A relatively impermeable barrier designed to keep leachate inside a landfill. Liner materials include plastic and dense clay.
  80. Liquefaction Enzymatic digestion (often by alpha-amylase) of gelatinized starch to form lower molecular weight polysaccharides.
  81. Lithic Relating to stone or rock.
  82. Lithic debitage Debris produced during stone (lithic) tool manufacture.
  83. Lithic scatter A distribution of cultural items that consists primarily of lithic (stone) material.
  84. Livestock guzzler A watering system for cattle and other livestock that maintains a set water level as water is used.
  85. Livestock watering area Water used for livestock watering, feed lots, dairy operations, fish farming, and other on-farm needs.
  86. Loam A soil consisting of an easily crumbled mixture of clay, silt, and sand.
  87. Locatable Minerals Minerals or materials subject to disposal and development through the Mining Law of 1872 (as amended).
  88. LODE A mineralized ledge, vein or mineral deposit in place.
  89. Lode mining claim A claim based on the presumption that the valuable mineral is a part of a bed-rock lode, vein, stockwork, stratum, or intrusion and is not dominantly a…
  90. Loess A group of windblown soils, largely comprising silt, weakly cemented by calcite.
  91. Low-income population Persons whose average family income is below the poverty line. The poverty line takes into account family size and age of individuals in the family.
  92. Low-level magnetic fields Fields of force that are generated whenever electric current flows. The sun's average large-scale magnetic field, and the Earth's, exhibit a north and a…
  93. Luminaire A complete lighting unit consisting of a lamp(s), housing, and connection to the power circuit.
  94. Maar A volcanic crater that is produced by an explosion in an area of low relief, is generally more or less circular, and often contains a lake, pond, or marsh.
  95. Macrophyte (aquatic) An aquatic plant that is large enough to be observed with the naked eye. It grows in or near water.
  96. Mafic (or maphic) A term used to describe an igneous rock that has a large percentage of dark-colored minerals such as amphibole, pyroxene, and olivine.
  97. Magma Molten or partially molten rock at temperatures ranging from 1,260 F to 2,880 F (700 C to 1600 C).
  98. Maintenance area Any geographic region of the United States previously designated nonattainment pursuant to the CAA Amendments of 1990 and subsequently redesignated to…
  99. Mammals A group of air-breathing animals whose skin is more or less covered with hair or fur and who have mammary glands.
  100. Mano A stone with a flat side that was primarily held in one's hand or hands and used to grind edible substances, typically corn, grains, and nut meats.

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