Definitions - a

A shift in climate (e.g., temperature or precipitation) that occurs faster than the rate of change in the mechanism causing the change.

Any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (including visible light) that is trapped by free atoms or molecules in the path of the radiation,so  reducing their transmission. In the climate context, this is important for the greenhouse effect since water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane absorb certain wavelengths of infrared radiation.

Molecules of acid formed from reactions high in the atmosphere involving nitrogen, sulfur oxides, and water vapor that settle out of the atmosphere without any additional water.

Acid Free is used to describe paper which is free from traces of acid; e.g. made under neutral sizing conditions. This helps improve its longevity.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

This is the most commonly used adsorption medium, produced by heating carbonaceous substances or cellulose bases in the absence of air. It has a very porous structure and is commonly used to remove organic matter and dissolved gases from water. Its appearance is similar to coal or peat. Available in granular, powder or block form; in powder form it has the highest adsorption capacity.

A biological wastewater treatment process in which a mixture of waste water and activated sludge is agitated and aerated. The activated sludge is then separated from the treated wastewater by sedimentation and disposed of or returned to the process as needed.

Active Ventilation is forced air ventilation, this is where a fan is used to move air into a space or room to provide ventilation.

The ability of a system (like an ecosystem) to adapt to climate change or other environmental disturbances. This may mean moderating potential damages, taking advantage of opportunities or coping with the consequences.

In discussions on global warming adaptive capacity often refers to a country. In this case it is currently much lower in developing countries, consequential to poverty.

The horizontal movement of heat energy. A warm breeze through a relatively cool orchard, for instance.

A water treatment pond that speeds up biological decomposition of organic waste by stimulating the growth and activity of bacteria, which are responsible for the degradation.

Tiny organisms living in the atmosphere. Certain small seeds, bacteria, and spores are examples.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

A term coined by Australian writer Clive Hamilton to describe a society where the pursuit of material wealth has led to a lower quality of life with more unhappiness, depression and mental illness due to lack of community and the pressure to get rich.

Planting of new forests on lands that have not been recently forested.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

A material often installed around the frame of a building to prevent or reduce the infiltration of air into the interior which could be too hot, too cold or too humid for comfort.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

Air sealing refers to the steps undertaken to prevent uncontrolled inward or outward air leakage via the building envelope.

This is the tendency of heated air to rise and to arrange itself in layers with the warmest air at the top. The assumption here is that there are no external wind sources to keep mixing the air and that the air is in an enclosed space.

A term encountered in passive solar design.

An area characterized by air with common qualities. Compare Watershed.

Capacity factor is a ratio (usually expressed as a percentage) of power actually generated by an installed wind turbine compared to its theoretical maximum power output.

This is important as the available wind varies considerably by location and you want to pick a location that ensures maximum utilization. Although typically the maximum capacity factor achieved in practice is around 30%. This can be compared to the typical capacity factors of 15% for solar and nuclear which ranges in 60 to 100%. Base load thermal power plants (i.e. fire fired) often achieve 70 to 90%.

When capacity factor is combined with cost of production you get the effective cost of power production for a given energy producing technology; i.e. cost divided by capacity factor. This figure you can use as a basis for a ROI (Return on Investment) comparison.

The ratio of reflected to incident light; albedo can be expressed as either a percentage or a fraction of 1. Snow covered areas have a high albedo (up to about 0.9 or 90%) due to their white color, while vegetation has a low albedo (generally about 0.1 or 10%) due to the dark color and light absorbed for photosynthesis. Clouds have an intermediate albedo and are the most important contributor to the Earth's albedo. The Earth's aggregate albedo is approximately 0.3.

Alcohol can be blended with gasoline for use as transportation fuel. It may be produced from a wide variety of organic feedstock. The common alcohol fuels are methanol and ethanol. Methanol may be produced from coal, natural gas, wood and organic waste. Ethanol is commonly made from agricultural plants, primarily corn, containing sugar.

A group of highly reactive chemical compounds used in making resins and dyes. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). One of the better-known members of this group is formaldehyde.

The metabolic impact of one plant on another, whether beneficial or harmful. Example: eucalyptus tree toxins that inhibit the growth of certain plants.

Something organic imported into an ecosystem from outside of it (e.g., nutrients brought by streams or blown in on the wind). Contrasts with Autochthonous.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

Energy derived from nontraditional sources (e.g., compressed natural gas, solar, hydroelectric, wind).

Energy derived from nontraditional sources (e.g., compressed natural gas, solar, hydroelectric, wind).

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

The temperature of the surrounding area.

Also known as Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), plug-in hybrids are similar in design to conventional Hybrids except their battery can be recharged from an external power source such as electric vehicle charging points.

As a result they can travel significant distances, typically 40 miles, using just their electric motor before their internal combustion engine kicks in.

They are being widely touted as a means of cutting carbon emissions and urban air pollution, while improving vehicle fuel efficiency to a level where cars can travel upwards of 250 miles on a single tank of fuel.

A range of new plug-in hybrids are expected to be launched over the next two years, including GM's Chevy Volt and a new version of Toyota's Prius.

Plug in hybrids are expected to be more expensive than conventional cars, however they will result in reduced fuel costs and a number of governments are offering tax breaks to try and increase consumer take up.

A renewable energy technology that generates heat and electricity from waste organic matter.

Anaerobic digestors follow the same principles as landfill gas capture systems, capturing the methane released by decomposing organic waste such as food or slurry and then burning it to create heat and electricity. The resulting residue can also then be used as a fertilizer.

The technology is becoming increasingly popular across the agricultural sector and advocates claim that it is more cost effective than many alternative renewable energy systems.

The angle of relative air flow to the blade chord.

The angle that a ray of sun makes with a line perpendicular to the surface. For example, a surface that directly faces the sun has a solar angle of incidence of zero, but if the surface is parallel to the sun (for example, sunrise striking a horizontal rooftop), the angle of incidence is 90°.

The steepest angle that slope, rock, or detritus material settles into without toppling.

The annual solar savings of a solar building is the energy savings attributable to a solar feature relative to the energy requirements of a non-solar building.

Climategate refers to release/leak/stealing of emails, data and programs related to research into global warming by UEA's Climate Research Unit (CRU); that occurred in 2009 before the Copenhagen Climate Conference (and was therefore probably contributory to its failure). The information obtained was made publicly available for all to see and read through.

It indicates that there good reason to conclude:

• Problems with data retention and archiving;
• Weakly documented data processing both in terms of process and actions undertaken.
• A 'closed ranks' mindset to external criticism and freedom of information
• Close interdependent relationships between a small set of international researchers leading to peer review and career advancement support occurring within the group.

A biologic response to exposure to multiple substances that is less than would be expected if the known effects of the individual substances were added together.

See ATSDR Glossary of Terms

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

Global warming is the name given to the theory that there is increase in the average temperature of the Earth surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation.

The exact mechanism of warming is not precisely understood, although it is strongly suspected that Greenhouse gases are to blame, as increasing concentrations of such gases help trap heat in the atmosphere and so raise mean temperatures.

Wikipedia Entry

Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It can be a change in the average weather or a change in the distribution of weather events around an average (for example, greater or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change may be limited to a specific region, or may occur across the whole Earth.

In recent usage, especially in the context of environmental policy, climate change usually refers to changes in modern climate. It may be qualified as anthropogenic climate change, more generally known as global warming.

Wikipedia - Climate Change entry

spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner (25 February 1861 - 30 March 1925) which postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development - more specifically through cultivating conscientiously a form of thinking independent of sensory experience. Steiner was the initiator of biodynamic gardening.

Cultivation of aquatic plants or animals for harvest and utilization by humans. Usually aquaculture refers to fresh water cultivation, while mariculture refers to seawater cultivation

Rock formations impermeable to groundwater.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

A termed coined by Italian architect Paolo Soleri in 1959 to describe the concept of architecture and ecology working as an integral system. Arcology designs are fully 3-dimensional mega-structure cities which can (theoretically) achieve much greater efficiencies, and promote more social interaction than 2-dimensional cities, while using far less land and consuming fewer resources.

Mechanism by which water is pushed upward by the hydrostatic pressure of a confined aquifer. Overuse of artesian wells lowers the water table and sometimes makes nearby land sink (subsidence).

The northern limit of tree growth; the sinuous boundary between tundra and boreal forest.

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

A mineral fiber that can pollute air or water and cause cancer or asbestosis when inhaled. In most countries it is banned or severely restricted in its use in manufacturing and construction.

A disease associated with inhalation of asbestos fibers. The disease makes breathing progressively more difficult and can be fatal.

A mathematical model for quantitatively describing, simulating, and analyzing the structure of the circulation in the atmosphere and the underlying causes. Sometimes referred to as Atmospheric General Circulation Models or AGCMs (See GCMs as well).

Hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, fracing or hydrofracking, is the process of initiating and subsequently propagating a fracture in a rock layer, employing the pressure of a fluid as the source of energy. The fracturing, known as a frack job (or frac job), is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations, in order to increase the extraction rates and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

Original Wikipedia entry

A coral island consisting of a ring of coral surrounding a central lagoon. Atolls are common in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The phenomenon of the spontaneous initiation of convection in an atmospheric layer in which the lapse rate is equal to or greater than the autoconvective lapse rate.

Literally, "self eater." Organisms capable of producing their own food. See primary producers . Contrast with heterotroph .

The availability factor of a power plant is the amount of time that it is able to produce electricity over a certain period, divided by the amount of the time in the period. Occasions where only partial capacity is available may or may not be deducted. The availability factor should not be confused with capacity factor.

The amount of heat energy that may be converted into useful energy from a fuel.

The cost a utility would incur to generate the next increment of electric capacity using its own resources; many landfill gas projects' buy back rates are based on avoided costs.

An alternator design where a flat disc carrying magnets on the face (the Armature) rotates near a flat disc carrying coils (the Stator).

The angle between true south and the point on the horizon directly below the sun.