What is Agricultural Runoff? July 6, 2016 Defintion Agricultural Runoff is water from farm fields due to irrigation, rain, or melted snow that flows over the earth that can absorb into the ground, enter bodies of waters or evaporate. This runoff can contain pesticides, sediment (soil particles), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium from fertilizers) and metals, which can contaminate sources of water. Want to Know More? Agricultural runoff is typically a nonpoint source pollution, which means it is hard to exactly locate where the pollution…

What is Agronomy? July 7, 2016 Agronomy looks at agriculture from a scientific angle by encompassing the disciplines of biology, chemistry, ecology, earth science, and genetics. Because farming is in some form a science, agronomy has to take in a variety of aspects to consider the best practices in agriculture and plant growth. It looks at various aspects of agriculture from soil management to harvesting, determining the best solutions to farmers as their operations continue to grow. Agronomists look at fields and determine the best…

What is Ambient Air Monitoring? July 6, 2016 Ambient air is a part of the environment located outside of buildings that are accessible to the public. Its quality is essential to the well-being to all organisms that rely on air to survive and thus a monitoring system is needed to ensure that it is safe to inhale. Ambient Air Monitoring is the systematic way of examining air quality for pollutants. It monitors the air for sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone…

What is an Anaerobic Decomposition? July 6, 2016 Definition Anaerobic Decomposition, or Anaerobic Digestion, is renewable energy technology, where organic materials are placed in a container and are broken down by microorganisms to create Biogas. Want to Know More? The containers where the materials are stored are called anaerobic digesters. These systems are able to handle a vast variety of organics such as livestock manure, municipal wastewater solids, and even fats, oils and greases. The materials in the anaerobic digesters break down, releasing a variety…

What are Atmospheric Gases? July 6, 2016 Definition Atmospheric gases are gases located in the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases primarily include oxygen and nitrogen (making up 99% of the air); though greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor and ozone) make up 1% of the air. Want to Know More While nitrogen and oxygen are transferred between the atmosphere and the Earth, greenhouse gases take longer to leave and thus tend to build up more quickly. This leads to climate change and global…