Glossary of Environmental Science - S

S

  • salinisation – (ecology) the process by which land becomes salt-affected.
  • salinity – (ecology) salt in water and soils, generally in the context of human activity such as clearing and planting for annual crops rather than perennial trees and shrubs. Can make soils infertile.
  • scale – the physical dimensions, in either space or time, of phenomena or events; cf. a level which may or may not have a scale.
  • sectors – (economics) economic groupings used to generalise patterns of expenditure and use.
  • sediment – (ecology) soil or other particles that settle to the bottom of water bodies.
  • self-organisation – the process by which systems use energy to develop structure and organisation.
  • sentinel indicator – (ecology) an indicator that captures the essence of the process of change affecting a broad area of interest and which is also easily communicated.
  • septic sewage – sewage in which anaerobic respiration is taking place characterised by a blackish colour and smell of hydrogen sulphide.
  • septic tank - a type of sedimentation tank in which the sludge is retained long enough for the organic content to undergo anaerobic digestion. Typically used for receiving the sewage from houses and other premises that are too isolated for connection to a sewer.
  • sequestration – (global warming) the removal of carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere and storage in a sink as when trees absorb CO2 in photosynthesis and store it in their tissues.
  • sewage- water and raw effluent disposed through toilets, kitchens and bathrooms. Includes water-borne wastes from domestic uses of water from households, or similar uses in trade or industry.
  • sewer - a pipe conveying sewage.
  • sewerage - a system of pipes and mechanical appliances for the collection and transportation of domestic and industrial sewages.
  • sewerage system – sewage system infrastructure: the network of pipes, pumping stations and treatment plants used to collect, transport, treat and discharge sewage.
  • sewer-mining - tapping directly into a sewer (either before or after a sewage treatment plant) and extracting wastewater for treatment and use.
  • shredder flock - the residue from shredded car bodies, whitegoods and the like.
  • simple living - a lifestyle individuals may pursue for a variety of motivations, such as spirituality, health, or ecology. Others may choose simple living for reasons of social justice or a rejection of consumerism. Some may emphasise an explicit rejection of "westernised values", while others choose to live more simply for reasons of personal taste, a sense of fairness or for personal economy. Simple living as a concept is distinguished from the simple lifestyles of those living in conditions of poverty in that its proponents are consciously choosing to not focus on wealth directly tied to money or cash-based economics.
  • sinks - processes or places that remove or store gases, solutes or solids; any process, activity or mechanism that results in the net removal of greenhouse gases, aerosols, or precursors of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
  • slow Food – the slow food movement was founded in Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini as a response to the negative impact of multinational food industries. Slow Food is a counteracting force to Fast Food as it encourages using local seasonal produce, restoring time-honoured methods of production and preparation, and sharing food at communal tables. Slow Food encourages environmentally sustainable production, ethical treatment of animals and social justice. Gatherings of Slow Food supporters are called convivia and in September Victoria has 11 of these. Slow Food members seek to defend biodiversity in our food supply, to better appreciate how our lives can be improved by understanding the sensation of taste, and to celebrate the connection between plate and planet.
  • sludge - waste in a state between liquid and solid.
  • sodicity – (ecology) a measure of the sodium content of soil. Sodic soils are dispersible and are thus vulnerable to erosion.
  • sodification - the build-up in soils of sodium relative to potassium and magnesium in the composition of the exchangeable cations of the clay fraction.
  • soil acidification - reduction in pH, usually in soil. Acidification can result in poorly structured or hard-setting topsoils that cannot support sufficient vegetation to prevent erosion.
  • soil bulk density – the relative density of a soil measured by dividing the dry weight of a soil by its volume.
  • soil compaction – the degree of compression of soil. Heavy compaction can impede plant growth.
  • soil conditioner - any composted or non-composted material of organic origin that is produced or distributed for adding to soils, it includes 'soil amendment', 'soil additive', 'soil improver' and similar materials, but excludes polymers that do not biodegrade, such as plastics, rubbers, and coatings.
  • soil moisture deficit – the volume of water needed to raise the soil water content of the root zone to field capacity.
  • soil organic carbon (SOC) – the total organic carbon of a soil exclusive of carbon from undecayed plant and animal residue.
  • soil organic matter (SOM) – the organic fraction of the soil exclusive of undecayed plant and animal residues.
  • soil structure – the way soil particles are aggregated into aggregates or “crumbs”, important for the passage of air and water
  • soil water storage – total amount of water stored in the soil in the plant root zone.
  • solar energy - the radiant energy of the Sun, which can be converted into other forms of energy, such as heat or electricity.
  • solar power - electricity generated from solar radiation.
  • solid industrial waste - solid waste generated from commercial, industrial or trade activities, including waste from factories, offices, schools, universities, State and Federal government operations and commercial construction and demolition work. Excludes wastes that are prescribed under the Environment Protection Act 1970 and quarantine wastes.
  • solid inert waste - hard waste and dry vegetative material and which as a negligible activity or effect on the environment, such as demolition material, concrete, bricks, plastic, glass, metals and shredded tyres.
  • solid waste - non-hazardous, non-prescribed solid waste materials ranging from municipal garbage to industrial waste, generally: domestic and municipal; commercial and industrial; construction and demolition; other.
  • source separation – (waste) separation of recyclable material from other waste at the point and time the waste is generated, i.e. at its source. This includes separation of recyclable material into its component categories, e.t. paper, glass, aluminium, and may include further separation within each category, e.g. paper into computer paper, office whites and newsprint; The practice of segregating materials into discrete materials streams prior to collection by or delivery to reprocessing facilities.
  • specialist species – those that can only thrive in a narrow range of environmental conditions and/or have a limited diet.
  • specific heat capacity – the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1oC. It can be considered a measure of resistance to an increase in temperature and important for energy saving.
  • stakeholders - parties having an interest in a particular project or outcome.
  • State Environment Protection Policies - statutory instruments under the Environment Protection Act 1970 that identify beneficial uses of the environment that are to be protected, establish environmental indicators and objectives and define attainment programs to implement the policies.
  • State of the Environment reporting - a scientific assessment of environmental conditions, focusing on the impacts of human activities, their significance for the environment and social responses to the identified trends.
  • steady state – a constant pattern e.g. a balance of inflows and outflows.
  • stormwater – rainfall that accumulates in natural or artificial systems after heavy rain; surface run-off or water sent to (stormwater) drains during heavy rain.
  • strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) - a system of incorporating environmental considerations into policies, plans and programs esp in the EU.
  • sullage – domestic waste water from baths, basins, showers, laundries, kitchens and floor waste (but not from toilets).
  • supporting services – (sustainability) ecosystem services that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services e.g. biomass production, production of atmospheric oxygen, soil formation, nutrient and water cycling.
  • surface runoff – that part of rainfall passing out of an area into the drainage system.
  • suspended solids (SS) – solid particles suspended in water; used as an indicator of water quality.
  • sustainability - the Brundtland definition is ‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.
  • sustainability covenant - Under Section 49 of the Environment Protection Act 1970, a Sustainability Covenant is an agreement which a person or body undertakes to increase the resource use efficiency and/or reduce ecological impacts of activities, products, services and production processes. Parties can voluntarily enter into such agreements with EPA, or could be required to if they are declared by Governor in Council, on the recommendation of EPA, to have potential for significant impact on the environment.
  • sustainability science - the multidisciplinary scientific study of sustainability, focusing especially on the quantitative dynamic interactions between nature and society. Its objective is a deeper and more fundamental understanding of the rapidly growing inter-dependence of the nature-society system and the intention to make this sustainable. It critically examines the tools used by sustainability accounting and the methods of sustainability governance.
  • sustainability Triangle – a graphic indication of the action needed to stabilize CO2 levels below about 500 ppm. It shows stabilization ‘wedges’ indicating savings made per year by the use of a particular strategy.
  • sustainable consumption - sustainable resource use - a change to society's historical patterns of consumption and behaviour that enables consumers to satisfy their needs with better performing products or services that use fewer resources, cause less pollution and contribute to social progress worldwide.
  • sustainable development – see Sustainability.
  • swale – an open channel transporting surface run-off to a drainage system, usually grassed; a swale promotes infiltration, the filtration of sediment by plants and ornamental interest.
  • system – a set of parts organised into a whole, usually processing a flow of energy.

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