Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Active solar:
As an energy source, energy from the sun is collected and stored using
mechanical pumps or fans to circulate heat-laden fluids or air between solar
collectors and a building.
Adaptation:
Adjustment to environmental conditions.
Adaptive management:
Approach that focuses on learning and adapting through
partnerships of managers, scientists, and other stakeholders who learn
together how to create and maintain sustainable ecosystems. Adaptive
management helps science managers maintain flexibility in their decisions,
knowing that uncertainties exist; provides managers the latitude to change
direction; improves our understanding of ecological systems to achieve
management objectives; and is about taking action to improve progress
toward desired outcomes.
Advanced regeneration:
Tree seedlings or small saplings that develop in the under-
story prior to removal of the overstory.
Adverse water conditions:
Reduced stream flow, lack of rain in the drainage basin,
or low water supply behind a pondage or reservoir dam resulting in a
reduced gross head that limits the production of hydroelectric power or
forces restrictions to be placed on multipurpose reservoirs or other water
uses.
Adverse weather conditions:
Reduced streamflow, lack of rain in the drainage
basin, or lower water supply behind a pondage or reservoir dam resulting
in a reduced gross head that limits the production of hydroelectric power
or forces restrictions to be placed on multipurpose reservoirs or other water
uses.
AFC:
See
Alkaline fuel cell.
AFUE:
See
Annual fuel utilization efficiency.
Agglomerating character:
Agglomeration describes the caking properties of coal.
Agglomerating character is determined by examination and testing of the
residue when a small powdered sample is heated to 950°C under specific
conditions. If the sample is agglomerating, the residue will be coherent,
show swelling or cell structure, and be capable of supporting a 500-gram
weight without pulverizing.
Agriculture:
An energy-consuming subsector of the industrial sector that consists of
all facilities and equipment engaged in growing crops and raising animals.
Air cleaner:
A device using filters or electrostatic precipitators to remove indoor air
pollutants such as tobacco smoke, dust, and pollen. Most portable units are
40 watts when operated on low speed and 100 watts on high speed.
Air collector:
A medium-temperature collector used predominantly in space heat-
ing, it utilizes pumped air as the heat-transfer medium.
Air pollution abatement equipment:
Equipment used to reduce or eliminate air-
borne pollutants, including particulate matter (dust, smoke, fly ash, dirt,
etc.), sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides (NO
x
), carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons,
odors, and other pollutants.
Air temperature adjustment:
Change in air temperature associated with a change
in tree canopy cover (°C per 1% change in tree canopy cover).
Albedo:
The ratio of light reflected by a surface to the light falling on it.
