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.

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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 warming due to more of these gases accumulating and blocking trapping the sun’s radiation on the Earth’s surface. In the past, this was caused by volcanic eruptions and the decay of organisms, but as we continue to use fossil fuels, the number of greenhouse gases will continue to build up and cause more radiation to be trapped on Earth.

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Other Sources

David Suzuki Foundation. “Greenhouse Gases.” David Suzuki Foundation. http://davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-change-basics/greenhouse-gases/. Accessed July 7, 2017.

National Geographic Society. “Atmosphere.” National Geographic. http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/atmosphere/. July 6, 2016.

Pidwirny, M. (2006). "Atmospheric Composition". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7a.html. Accessed July 6, 2016.

An Anaerobic Digester is a unit designed for processing organics through the process of anaerobic decomposition. These containers house a variety of organics along with the organism needed to convert these items into biogases, which can be used as an energy alternative.

These digesters have provided an opportunity for waste reduction. As some organic waste cannot be conventionally composted, decomposing the organics anaerobically allows them to be decomposed and using them in creating a new fuel source. At the same time, it prevents methane from entering the atmosphere.

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Other Sources

American Biogas Council. “What is Anaerobic Digestion.” American Biogas Council. https://www.americanbiogascouncil.org/biogas_what.asp. Accessed July 5, 2015.

DeBruyn, Jake and Don Hilborn. “Anaerobic Digestion Basics.” Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/07-057.htm. Accessed July 5, 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.

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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 of gases such as methane. These gases can be processed into Biogas, which can be used for heating and electricity, a replacement for natural gas, or as a new fuel source for transport.

In an anaerobic decomposing process, the materials are encased in the anaerobic digesters and sealed from oxygen. The organisms begin breaking down the materials into sugars to make them accessible to other bacteria. This second group of bacteria then converts these sugars into carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, and organic acids. After this, a third step occurs, methanogens convert these gases into methane and carbon dioxide.

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Other Sources

“Anaerobic Digestion Basics.” Energy.gov. http://energy.gov/eere/energybasics/articles/anaerobic-digestion-basics. Accessed July 5, 2016.

American Biogas Council. “What is Anaerobic Digestion.” American Biogas Council. https://www.americanbiogascouncil.org/biogas_what.asp. Accessed July 5, 2015.

DeBruyn, Jake and Don Hilborn. “Anaerobic Digestion Basics.” Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/07-057.htm. Accessed July 5, 2016.

M. Charles Gould. “Bioenergy and Anaerobic Digestion” Bioenergy. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/anaerobic-digestion. Accessed September 5, 2019.

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 (O3), and total suspended particles (TSP). It determines the extent of pollution in the air, provides information on air quality, supporting the implementation of clean air strategies among others.

Air quality is an issue that has become a growing problem for modern society. With the rise of the Industrial Revolution during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, coal burning factories spewed carbon into the air, block out the sun in some extreme cases. Coal continued to be used for heating and as a primary energy source into the twentieth century until after World War Two.

Occurrences such as the Great Smog of 1952 in London England claimed the lives of 4,000 people. In the United States, a deadly smog in Donora, Pennsylvania, killed 20 people while 7,000 became ill. The move toward better air quality came in the form of legislation such as the Clean Air Act, passed by the United States Congress in 1963. Though we are becoming more aware of air pollution, air quality is still something to keep watch on.

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Other Sources

EnviroMed Detection Services. “What is Ambient Air Monitoring.” EnviroMed Detection Services. http://enviromed.ca/index.php?id_cms=30&controller=cms. Accessed July 5, 2016.

EPA. “Ambient Air Monitoring.” EPA. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality-management-process/ambient-air-monitoring. Accessed July 5, 2015.

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 way to protect fields from disease and pests that may pose a threat and find ways to ensure that the soil is at an optimal level for crop growth. At the same time, agronomists look to find the means to maintain food and water security while also looking for the most sustainable methods to conserve resources.

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Other Sources

“Agronomist.” Eco Canada. http://www.eco.ca/career-profiles/agronomist/. Accessed July 7, 2016.

American Society of Agronomy. “About Agronomy.” https://www.agronomy.org/about-agronomy. Accessed July 7, 2016.

Agricultural waste is refuse produced by farms in the production of agriculture. This is made up of poultry and livestock manure; residuals from output and marketing of poultry, cattle, and fur-bearing animals; and the remains from the production and harvest of grain, vegetable, and fruit.

This refuse can have severe effects on the environment by how it is created, stored, or reused. Some of this refuse is reused as fertilizer and can be washed out of fields by rain and over watering (see Agricultural Runoff).

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Other Sources

“Agricultural Waste.” Progressive Gardening. http://www.progressivegardening.com/agricultural-wastes/definition-of-agricultural-waste.html. Accessed July 5, 2016.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Search Results: Agricultural Waste.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://iaspub.epa.gov/sor_internet/registry/termreg/searchandretrieve/termsandacronyms/search.do?search=&term=agricultural%20waste Accessed July 11, 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.

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Agricultural runoff is typically a nonpoint source pollution, which means it is hard to exactly locate where the pollution comes from. This is because the runoff picks up other pollutants throughout its travel until it reaches its final location, typically a body of water. Agricultural runoff can occur because of improper management of animal feeding operations, plowing excessively, poorly executed application of pesticides, irrigation water and fertilizer. As agricultural runoff enters bodies of water it can have negative impacts on the environment. Not only can it contaminate sources of drinking water but the chemicals in the fertilizers can be absorbed into aquatic plants, contribute to algae blooms and effect animals’ ability to find food and reproduce. These impacts can be reduced by adapting management practices to local conditions. These practices can include implementing nutrient management plans, using high-efficient irrigation equipment, and limiting pesticide use.

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Other Sources

Swanson, Abbie Fentress. “What is Farm Runoff Doing to the Water? Scientists Wade in.” NPR. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/07/09/199095108/Whats-In-The-Water-Searching-Midwest-Streams-For-Crop-Runoff. July 5, 2016.

U. S. National Library of Medicine. “Agricultural Runoff.” Tox Town. https://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/locations.php?id=1. Accessed July 5, 2015.

“Agriculture and Water Quality.” Agriculture and Water Quality - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/science-and-innovation/agricultural-practices/water/watershed-protection/agriculture-and-water-quality/?id=1371491033072. . Accessed September 27, 2019.

EPA. “Protecting Water Quality from Agricultural Runoff” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/ag_runoff_fact_sheet.pdf. Accessed September 27, 2019.

Aerated Static Pile – or ASP Composting – is a form of organic composting used by farms in dealing with large volumes of livestock manure and animal feedstock. It has also proven useful among municipalities and communities in addressing compostable municipal solid waste items like food waste or yard debris.

In this system, pipes are placed underneath with a blower attached to push and pull air through the mound of organics. These pipes are first covered with a layer of wood chips and then a mix of watered compost is piled on top. This pile is finally covered with old, dry compost or another layer of wood chips to insulate and block odours. After a period of between 14 and 28 days, when the temperature or the moisture levels become low enough to limit efficient composting, the mounds are then cured and screened for sale.

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Other Sources

EPA. “Types of Composting and Understanding the Process.” EPA. https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/types-composting-and-understanding-processhttps://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/types-composting-and-understanding-process. Accessed July 7, 2017.

Green Mountain Technologies. “Aerated Static Piles.” Green Mountain Technologies. http://compostingtechnology.com/aerated-pile-systems/aerated-static-pile-asp-system/. July 5, 2016.

O2Compost. “Aerated Static Piles (ASP).” O2Compost. http://www.o2compost.com/aerated-static-piles-asp.aspx. July 5, 2016.

Accretion is the accumulation of sand or land mass over time along coastal regions. This occurs through a combination of ocean currents and the movement of oceanic and continental plates, or through human activity.

Naturally, sand builds up in areas from the movement of water currents and tectonic plates, forming mounds. Accretion has benefited humans in extending land out from shorelines and being able to make more land for human activity and living. This has also posed a problem; over accretion can harm marine life in those areas which are not used to sudden changes in the environment.

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Other Sources

Pidwirny, M. (2006). "Glossary of Terms: A". Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. http://www.physicalgeography.net/physgeoglos/a.html. Accessed July 11, 2016.

Abatement is reducing or eliminating the amount of refuse arriving in landfills through practices such as recycling or source reduction. This action is also used in the removal of hazardous materials such as asbestos or lead to prevent any short or long term issues that may affect humans or animals.

The main idea of abatement is finding alternative ways to remove refuse from the landfill or causing serious harm to all organisms. Recycling and source reduction are great applications for this because recycling reduces waste by processing and reusing materials while source reduction looks to make the same product but with fewer materials or designing the product in a way that will have less of an environmental impact when it has fulfilled its purpose.

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Other Sources

“Abatement.” Business Dictionary.com. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/abatement.html. July 5, 2016.

Ramachandran, P.A. “Abatement.” Pollution Issues. http://www.pollutionissues.com/A-Bo/Abatement.html. Accessed July 5, 2016.