Definitions - m

The region around the earth in which the earth's magnetic field plays a dominant part in controlling the physical processes that take place.

Clouds that look like pouches hanging from the underside of a cloud.

Programs which by law require consumers to separate trash so that some or all recyclable materials are recovered for recycling rather than going to landfills.

The part of the earth between the crust and the core.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

The average temperature experienced from the combination of all the surface temperatures in a room, i.e walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, and people.

The scale of meteorological phenomena that ranges in size from a few km to about 100 km. It includes local winds, thunderstorms, and tornadoes.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

The science of weather related phenomena.

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

An effective pesticide; used to fumigate soil and many agricultural products. Because it contains bromine, it depletes stratospheric ozone when released to the atmosphere.

The merging of the urbanized areas of separate metropolitan regions; Megalopolis is an example of this process.

This is a small Inverter that mounts on to the back of each solar panel instead of having one large Inverter used by all the panels. While it works better when partial shading is a concern, it can increase the cost of the overall system.

Micro wind turbine is an umbrella term for small scale wind turbines that are typically deployed on or near buildings and used to generate electricity that is transmitted direct to the property.

Micro wind turbines have in the past been criticized for being visually intrusive and generating less energy than expected.

However, suppliers maintain that models can generate up to 100Kw of energy and represent an efficient source of on-site renewable energy as long as they are situated correctly.

A strong localized downdraft less than 4 km wide that occurs beneath severe thunderstorms. A strong downdraft greater than 4 km across is called a down burst.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

The area of the ocean beneath the twilight zone, extending from 3,000 feet (1,000 m) down to the ocean floor, where only about 1 percent of marine life can survive.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

Recycling involves processing used materials into new products to:

• Prevent the waste of potentially useful materials,
• Reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials,
• Reduce energy usage,
• Reduce air pollution (from incineration),
• Water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and,
• Lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.

Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass). Includes wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline.

Greenhouse gases are those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of thermal infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, the atmosphere itself, and by clouds. This property causes the greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse gases are essential to maintaining the current temperature of the Earth; without them the planet would be uninhabitable.

Wikipedia Entry

A change in the genetic material of a living organism, usually in a single gene, which can be passed on to future generations.