A-a

Urban supply. Infrastructure and services for the conduction and distribution of drinking water in urban centers.

Abiotic. In the ecosystem, This name those components that have no life, but they play an important role within it, What are mineral substances like?, the gases, climatic and other factors.

Subscriber. Addition to agricultural soil of substances that increase the fertility and yield of crops. Fertilizers can be organic or inorganic. (mineral fertilizers). Fertilization represents the incorporation into the soil of the substances used in plant growth.. A harmonious subscriber must take into account the law of the minimum, according to which growth is limited by the nutrient present in less concentration (limiting factor). By extension, the term subscriber is also fulfilled for the contribution of nutrients to aquatic environments..

soil fertilizer. fertilizer.

Synthetic mineral fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers used to supply minerals to deficient soil or to replenish substances that plants extract from the soil. The main synthetic mineral fertilizers include one or more of the fundamental elements for plants (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), in the form of salts (calcium and ammonium phosphates, ammonium sulfate and nitrate, potassium chloride and sulfate, etc.).  

Cliff. Coastal erosional form resulting from the combined action of mechanical processes (surf), chemicals (Water, temperatures) and biological (plants, animals) on a steep relief. Cliffs are juvenile forms of marine erosion, usually in reverse.

Virgin olive oil. Oily liquid extracted from olives by pressing. Composed mainly of glyceric esters of various fatty acids, among which oleic acid predominates..

Oil. Any fat body, liquid at the average temperature of temperate or hot climates.

Essential oils. Natural volatile substances produced by plants from which they can be extracted by distillation, expression or extraction with solvents. They are used in the cosmetic industry and in aromatherapy..

Mineral oils. Natural oils such as those found in petroleum, or those obtained by industrial distillation processes of carbonaceous rocks.

Accelerograph. Data collection center in real time, equipped with simpler sensors than those of the seismic station, that send the information obtained to the nearest seismic station.

Hydrochloric acid. colorless gas, somewhat heavier than air, very corrosive and composed of chlorine and hydrogen. Formula HCl.

hypochlorous acid. It is the weakest of the series of chlorine oxyacids.. The sodium and potassium salts of this acid are frequently used as disinfectants or bleaches in the pulp industry., due to its high oxidizing power. Formula HClO.

Aquaculture or aquaculture. Cultivation of aquatic organisms of commercial interest. Freshwater aquaculture is distinguished, in which the main species is rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) native to the east coast of North America, and marine aquaculture in which various species of fish are grown, mollusks and crustaceans and is practiced on the coast on an extensive basis, semi-intensive or intensive.

Aquifer: Geological formation of the Earth's crust in which infiltrated waters accumulate, inflow or condensation.

Wind turbine. Machine that uses the kinetic energy of the wind to move the blades of a rotor and produce electrical energy.

Ecological farming. Agriculture that is practiced trying to respect the environment through the use of natural fertilization methods, avoiding the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and tending to the rational use of natural resources (Water, soil and genetic heritage).

Ecological or organic farming: It is agricultural production that is carried out without synthetic chemicals. Promotes the use of organic or green fertilizers, as well as polyculture agriculture, forest conservation as protectors, and the maintenance of local crop varieties. The final product is considered more nutritious and less contaminated.

continental waters. Epicontinental or subterranean non-marine water masses. They can be found in solid state (alpine and continental glaciers or inlandsis) or liquids (rivers, lagos, groundwater). Although they constitute a small fraction of the total waters, represent an important geomorphological agent.

Mineral waters. Waters with dissolved mineral substances, generally salts and their ions.

Oligotrophic waters.Nutrient-poor and low-productivity waters. The concept is opposed to that of eutrophic waters. The oligotrophic quality of a body of water can be affected by the discharge of wastewater or the incorporation of fertilizers used in crops., Inter alia, that can cause eutrophication.

Drinking water: Water that can be drunk without health risks.

Sewage. Water produced as a result of industrial activities, agricultural or urban. Such waters carry undesirable substances or materials of very different nature., according to its origin (organic compounds, metals, microorganisms) which raises the problem of discharges and their treatment.

Groundwater. Water contained in the subsoil, from infiltration (precipitation and runoff) and sometimes magmatic youth waters. The infiltrated water circulates through the subsoil until it reaches an accumulation area limited by impermeable layers., forming a captive mantle or water table.

Hole in the ozone layer: Periodic loss of ozone in the upper layers of the atmosphere above Antarctica. The so-called hole in the ozone layer (whose function is protection against ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun) occurs during the Antarctic spring and lasts several months before closing again. Certain chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, o CFC (fluorine compounds) long used as refrigerants and propellants in aerosols, represent a threat to the ozone layer.

Air: Thin layer of gases that covers the Earth and is made up of nitrogen, oxygen and other gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor and inert gases. It is essential for the life of living beings. The man inhales 14.000 liters of air per day.

Alkalinity. Capacity of a chemical substance in aqueous solution to give up OH- ions. The alkalinity of water is expressed in base equivalents per liter or in calcium carbonate equivalent..

Alloy. Solid mixture of two or more metals obtained by mixing them in a molten state and cooling. Important alloys are bronze (copper, tin and zinc), the brass (copper and zinc) and the steel.

Started. Uni- or multicellular organisms, in this last case of thallophytic organization, photosynthetic autotrophs, almost entirely freshwater and marine aquatic. Some single-celled algae are fungal symbionts in an organization called a lichen.. Diatoms are among the main groups of algae., chlorophyceae or green algae, the rhodophycea or red algae and the phaeophycea or brown algae. The traditionally called blue algae, blue-green or cyanophycean are prokaryotes and should be considered cyanobacteria. Algae are responsible for the bulk of primary productivity in aquatic ecosystems and for providing oxygen to the water and the atmosphere..

Storage of toxic and dangerous waste. The temporary deposit of toxic and dangerous waste that does not involve any form of elimination or use of the same.

alien. Originated elsewhere. It is the opposite concept of autochthonous. In ecology it is applied to populations established in one area but originating in others.. In geology it is applied to formations (for example landslide blankets) poured onto a native substrate and with roots that are sometimes very distant.

Tars. Organic materials that can be found in nature or obtained from the distillation of coal or the refining of petroleum. Tars have industrial applications. In its composition there are toxic substances, including carcinogens.

Amazonia: The area of ​​South America located in the northern central part of the continent is called. Includes part of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Guiana, Peru, Bolivia, Suriname and Venezuela. Por su extensión está considerada la "Reserva Forestal del Mundo". The approximate area is 6 million km 2 .

Environment: It is the set of natural and social phenomena or elements that surround an organism., to which it responds in a certain way. These natural conditions may be other organisms (biotic environment) o non-living elements (weather, floor, Water). Everything together conditions life, the growth and activity of living organisms.

Americio 241. Radioactive isotope of the chemical element Americium. Americium is a chemical element with atomic number 95 rare in nature. The stable isotope is Am 243.

Asbestos. Various minerals from the silicate group. Asbestos is a fibrous material, resistant to chemical attack and non-combustible, so it has very diverse industrial applications. asbestos dust, made up of small particles, can cause serious lung damage (asbestosis).

Ammonia. colorless gas, corrosive, irritating, toxic and suffocating smell, which dissolves easily in water giving basic reaction. It has numerous industrial applications. It is used, among others in the textile industry, like soda, in the production of fertilizer and cleaning products. It is released in large quantities in intensive livestock farming. Formula NH3.

Ammonium. Chemical radical that combines with acids giving salts similar to those of alkali metals. Ammonium salts are used as fertilizers..

Anatidas. Ducks, geese, swans and the like. Migrating waterfowl, present in numerous freshwater habitats. Some species also frequent the coasts.

Annelids. Worms with segmented body and internal organs, semejando 'anillos'. The phylum Annelida presents 4 classes comprising organisms such as earthworms, leeches and some marine worms.

Angiosperms. Phanerogams with ovules in an ovary, which after fertilization forms a fruit that contains the seeds. They are the most evolved phanerogams and the most numerous in species..

phosphate anion. Many organic molecules contain phosphate groups.. Calcium phosphate is very insoluble and is the main constituent of the mineral fraction of bone.. Phosphates are one of the main mineral fertilizers. Discharges can promote eutrophication of waters. Formula PO43-.

Nitrate anion. Some of the salts that form, How ammonium nitrate is used as fertilizer. Nitrate discharges promote eutrophication of waters. Formula NO3-.

Beekeeping. Raising bees to obtain honey and wax.

Waste utilization. Any industrial process whose object is the recovery or transformation of the resources contained in waste.

Clay. Fine-grained detrital sedimentary rock, formed from marine and lake sediments of very small particle size. It is a soft rock that hardens due to heat.. Its composition includes, inter alia, clay minerals and quartz. Clays have the property of absorbing water up to a certain limit., increasing its volume and becoming waterproof. The presence of a layer of clay in the subsoil stops water infiltration and can allow groundwater to accumulate.. In the clay soils, Volume variations of clays due to loss and gain of water can produce deformations (arcillas de bujeo).

Burning. Herons, egrets, egrets and the like. wading birds, long legs and necks, typical of humid areas. They usually nest in colonies.

Area. Unit of area equivalent to 100 square Metres. Abbreviationa.

Drag. Fishing with a trawl net. The trawl is a gear that is used towed by one or two boats.. Trawling can be bottom or pelagic.

Reef. Small depth shoal under the sea surface. Reefs can be of different nature and give rise to different processes. (reefs and coral banks, coastal bars, etc.)

Arsenic. Chemical element of group V of the periodic table, atomic number 33 and atomic mass 74,92. It has industrial applications and as an insecticide. Arsenic and its compounds are toxic substances and its discharges are considered polluting.. Symbol As.

Water appearance. Visual water quality parameter,. The following classification can be used. 1.-clear waters without apparent pollution; 2.- faintly colored waters, with foam and slight cloudiness; 3.-waters with the appearance of pollution and color; and 4.- black water, with fermentations and smells.

Reservoir burying. Accumulation of sediment at the bottom of the reservoir with a decrease in its depth, which in the long term may imply the end of its useful life. The silting is due to the fact that the construction of a reservoir produces an alteration in the water dynamics and transport processes of the river.. Due to loss of water velocity, sedimentation occurs and the reservoir functions as a receptacle for the sediment load transported by the river.

Atmosphere: It is the gaseous envelope of planet Earth. It is made up of a 78% nitrogen, 21% of oxygen and other elements such as argon, carbon dioxide, traces of noble gases like neon, helio, krypton, xenon, plus even smaller amounts of free hydrogen, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Wintering birds. Birds that winter in a given geographic area, the wintering area which they abandon in the prenuptial migration in which they travel to the breeding areas.

Nesting birds. nesting birds (they believed) in a certain area, the breeding area, where they spend spring and summer, after which they abandon it in the post-nuptial migration to travel to the wintering area.

Sulfur. Chemical element of group VI of the periodic table. Atomic number 16, atomic mass 32.064. It can be found in native form or combined with other elements. In living beings it is one of the macroelements and is found as part of proteins.. S symbol. .