Solar Energy — page 9 of 11

Solar Energy terms

801. RAPTOR A bird of prey such as a falcon, hawk, or eagle.
802. Rare species See Special status species
803. Rated battery capacity The term used by battery manufacturers to indicate the maximum amount of energy that can be withdrawn from a battery under specified discharge rate and…
804. Rebound (of water levels) The recovery/rise of the water level in a groundwater aquifer after groundwater pumping has ceased.
805. Receiver The component of a central receiver solar thermal system where reflected solar energy is absorbed and converted to thermal energy.
806. receptor (reh-SEP-ter) A molecule inside or on the surface of a cell that binds to a specific substance and causes a specific physiologic effect in the cell.
807. Recharge Water that infiltrates into the ground, usually from above, that replenishes groundwater reserves, provides soil moisture, and affords evapotranspiration.
808. Reclamation The process of restoring surface environment to acceptable pre-existing conditions.
809. Reclamation withdrawal Withholding an area of public land from the operation of the public land laws for the purpose of reserving the land for the use of the Bureau of…
810. Record of Decision (ROD) (ROD) The Record of Decision (ROD) is a public document that explains which cleanup alternatives will be used to clean up a Superfund site.
811. Reflector A component of a solar energy facility that reflects incident sunlight to a desired location or component within the facility, allowing it to be converted…
812. Region of Influence (ROI) (ROI) Area occupied by affected resources and the distances at which impacts associated with license renewal may occur.
813. Regular-track proposals Proposals on public land with pending applications considered as potential future projects, but not necessarily foreseeable projects, since not all…
814. Relict A land surface that was once a basin (valley) floor.
815. Renewable Resource Generation Development Area (GDA) (GDA) Regions within Colorado with a concentration of renewable resources that provide a minimum of 1,000 MW of developable electric generating capacity.
816. Reptile Cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Reptilia whose skin is usually covered in scales or scutes.
817. Reserved Water Right A special water right accompanying federal lands (military reservations, national parks, forests, or monuments) or Indian reservations.
818. Reservoir A reservoir of an infectious agent, such as a virus, is any animal, person, plant, soil, substance—or combination of any of these — in which the…
819. Residuum Unconsolidated, weathered, or partly weathered mineral material that accumulates by disintegration of bedrock in place.
820. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (RCRA) The primary goals of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) are to protect human health and the environment from the potential hazards of waste…
821. Resource Management Plan (RMP) (RMP) A land use plan that establishes land use allocations, multiple use guidelines, and management objectives for a given planning area.
822. Retinal damage Damage to photoreceptor cells of the retina. One mechanism for such damage is exposure to bright light that triggers chemical reactions in the tissues…
823. Reuse The reclamation of water diverted from a municipal or industrial wastewater conveyance system.
824. Rhyolite Volcanic rock (or lava), characteristically light in color and containing 69% silica or more and generally rich in potassium and sodium (felsic…
825. Rhyolitic domes See also Dome, volcanic; Rhyolite
826. Richter Magnitude Scale Developed in 1935 by Charles Richter to measure and compare the size of earthquakes.
827. Rift An area where the Earth's crust and lithosphere is being pulled apart by extensional tectonic forces.
828. Rift zone A tectonic feature characterized by a central linear downfaulted segment (graben) with parallel normal faulting and flanking uplifts (horsts).
829. Right-lateral fault See Fault, right-lateral
830. Right-of-way (ROW) (ROW) The legal right to cross the lands of another. Also used to indicate the strip of land for a road, railroad, or power line.
831. Rill A small and shallow incision into topsoil layers resulting from erosion by overland flow or surface runoff that is common on slopes of unvegetated ground…
832. Rinsate Water that is used to rinse or clean equipment or reaction vessels and that may, as a result, become contaminated and require special handling and…
833. Riparian Relating to, living in, or located on the bank of a river, lake, or tidewater.
834. Riparian obligate species Plants or animal species found only in riparian habitats.
835. Risk The possibility of loss; the uncertainty of future returns.
836. River Basin The land area surrounding one river from its headwaters to its mouth. The area drained by a river and its tributaries.
837. Riverine wetland Wetlands within river and stream channels, generally characterized by flowing water. Ocean-derived salinity is less than 0.5 part per thousand.
838. Rock art Images on rock surfaces. There are two types of rock art: pictographs, which are drawn or painted onto the surface, and petroglyphs, which are pecked…
839. Rock outcrop The part of a rock formation that appears above the surface of the surrounding land.
840. Roost An area where birds or bats rest or sleep. Birds often use branches or tree cavities for roosts while bats use tree bark, tree hollows, caves, mines…
841. Sacred landscapes Natural places recognized by a cultural group as having spiritual or religious significance.
842. 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…
843. Safe Drinking Water Act (SWDA) (SWDA) Act authorizing development of maximum contaminant levels for drinking water applicable to public water systems (i.e.
844. 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…
845. Salinity A measure of the amount of salt and other mineral substances dissolved in water.
846. Salt flat Low-lying ground where salts collect in the soil because of the evaporation of standing water.
847. 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.
848. 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.
849. Sand dune An elongated mound (hill or ridge) of sand accumulated and sorted by the action of wind or water.
850. Sand dune obligate species Plant or animal species found only in sand dune habitats.
851. Sanitary waste Nonhazardous, nonradioactive liquid and solid waste generated by normal housekeeping activities.
852. Sanitary wastewater Wastewater (includes toilet, sink, shower, and kitchen flows) generated by normal housekeeping activities.
853. Savanna A flat grassland of tropical and subtropical regions usually having distinct periods of dry and wet weather.
854. Scarify Loosening topsoil or breaking up the forest floor to improve conditions for seed germination or tree planting.
855. Scarp See Escarpment
856. Scenic integrity The degree of "intactness" of a landscape, which is related to the existing amount of visual disturbance present.
857. 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…
858. Scenic resources The visible physical features on a landscape (e.g., land, water, vegetation, animals, structures, and other features).
859. 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…
860. Schist A metamorphic rock formed from many types of rocks. Minerals in the rocks include micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, and garnets.
861. 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…
862. 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.
863. 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…
864. Scree Small, loose, rock debris covering a slope; a slope of loose rock debris at the base of a steep incline or cliff.
865. Scrubland An area of land that is uncultivated and covered with sparse stunted vegetation.
866. Secondary containment A safeguarding method for the prevention of unauthorized releases of toxic or hazardous gases into uncontrolled work areas.
867. Sedentism A term used to describe the process of settling down to live in groups for periods of time.
868. Sedge A grasslike plant with a triangular stem often growing in wet areas.
869. 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…
870. Sedimentation A process in which material carried in suspension by water flows into streams and rivers, increasing turbidity and eventually settling to the bottom.
871. Seepage The act or process involving the slow movement of water or other fluid through a porous material such as soil or rock.
872. Seeps Wet areas, normally not flowing, arising from an underground water source. Any place where liquid has oozed from the ground to the surface.
873. Seismic Pertaining to any earth vibration, especially that of an earthquake.
874. Seismic swarm See Swarm
875. Seismicity Refers to the geographic and historical distribution of earthquakes.
876. Semi-arid Moderately dry region or climate where moisture is normally greater than under arid conditions but still definitely limits the production of vegetation.
877. Semiconductor Any material that has a limited capacity for conducting an electric current. Certain semiconductors, including silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium…
878. 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…
879. Sensitive species See Threatened, endangered, and sensitive species.
880. Sensitivity level (analysis) Measures (e.g., high, medium, and low) of public concern for the maintenance of scenic quality.
881. Shadow zone The region where direct sound does not penetrate because of upward diffraction due to vertical temperature and/or wind gradients.
882. Shale (outcrop) A fine-grained sedimentary rock characterized by parallel layering.
883. Shear strength Internal resistance to stress (or movement) that comes from friction and cohesion of the sediment.
884. Sherds Broken pieces of earthenware/pottery.
885. Shrink-swell potential The extent to which soil shrinks or swells with changes in soil moisture content.
886. 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…
887. Shrub-steppe Habitat primarily composed of various shrubs and grasses.
888. Shrubsteppe obligate A species that is dependent on shrubsteppe habitats to provide food and/or habitat necessary for its survival.
889. Silencer A device used for reducing noise within air and gas flow systems.
890. Silicic volcanism Volcanism characterized by the eruption of magma that is rich in lighter elements such as silicon, oxygen, aluminum, sodium, and potassium.
891. Silicon A chemical element, of atomic number 14, that is semi-metallic, and an excellent semiconductor material used in solar photovoltaic devices; commonly found…
892. Silt A rock or mineral fragment of any composition that has a diameter ranging from 0.002 to 0.05 millimeter.
893. Siltation Process by which loose soil is transferred and builds up in streams, rivers, and lakes, causing changes in stream channels and in depth.
894. Siltstone A sedimentary rock made mostly of silt-sized grains.
895. 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.
896. 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.
897. Sky glow Brightening of the sky caused by outdoor lighting and natural atmospheric and celestial factors.
898. Skylining Siting of a structure on or near a ridge line so that it is silhouetted against the sky.
899. Slash The unmerchantable material left on site subsequent to harvesting a timber stand, including tops, limbs, cull sections.
900. SLIP Motion occurring along a fault plane.