Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Maximum contaminant level:
the maximum allowable amount of a contaminant in
drinking water.
Mesothelioma:
a type of cancer attributed to asbestos exposure.
Mechanical soil aeration:
a remedial method using photolysis to remediate soil at or near
the surface of the ground; typically includes a periodic tilling or mixing of soil.
Metamorphic rocks:
formed by applying extreme temperature and pressure to existing
rocks that rearrange their structure and mineralogy to create a new rock.
Mineral:
a naturally occurring solid formed through geological processes having a char-
acteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific
physical properties.
Minimization:
pollution prevention term used to describe a reduction in use of harmful
chemicals or production of waste through process changes, recycling, or other
methods.
Mobility:
a measure of a substance's potential to migrate in the environment.
Molecular attraction:
a force pulling molecules together.
Molecular diffusion:
the movement of a chemical from an area of higher concentration
to an area of lower concentration due to the random motion of the chemical mol-
ecules. Also referred to as diffusion.
Molecular mass:
the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule. Also referred
to as molecular weight.
Molecular weight:
the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule. Also
referred to as molecular mass.
Monitored natural attenuation:
a remedial method relying on natural processes to clean
up the contaminated medium.
Monitoring well:
a device inserted into the subsurface that penetrates the groundwater
surface for the purposes of collecting hydrologic, chemical, or other information
with respect to groundwater. Also referred to as a piezometer.
Moraine deposits:
sedimentary glacial deposits formed by the deposition of material from
a glacier and often exposed after the glacier has receded.
Mudcracks:
formed when a fine-grained deposit (most often clay size particles) undergoes
drying and is subsequently buried, preserving the feature. Also referred to as
desiccation cracks.
Mudflow:
the rapid downslope movement of a plastic and almost fluid mass of regolith
or debris.
Multiphase extraction:
a groundwater remedial method designed to remove contami-
nants present in more than one phase or state (i.e., dissolved phase and free phase).
Mutagen:
a chemical capable of causing genetic changes which could affect future
generations.
Natural landscape:
earth surface formations resulting from the interactions within and
between the physical systems comprising the four spheres of the geosphere: atmo-
sphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
Natural resource:
air, land, water, fish, biota, wildlife, groundwater, rock, soil, aquifers,
ice, or other identifiable entities on Earth considered a resource and occurring
naturally.
Natural resource damage assessment:
a study evaluating damages or injuries to the
environment.
Negative feedback:
when an output from a process in a system slows down or dampens
the overall operation of the system.
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