Glossary

Category: Environmental Science (Select letter)

Looking in Category Environmental Science for letter S

salination
the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process.
CIA World Factbook 2000

Scarp
Also "escarpment." A steep cliff or steep slope, formed either as a result of faulting or by the erosion of inclined rock strata.
http://www.geographic.org

sea level
The ocean surface.
http://www.geographic.org

Sedimentary Rock
Rock formed by the hardening of material deposited in some process; most commonly sandstone, shale, and limestone.
http://www.geographic.org

Shield
A broad area of very old rocks above sea level. Usually characterized by thin, poor soils and low population densities.
http://www.geographic.org

Silage
Fodder (livestock feed) prepared by storing and fermenting green forage plants in a silo.
http://www.geographic.org

Silo
Usually a tall, cylindrical structure in which fodder (animal feed) is stored; may be a pit dug for the same purpose.
http://www.geographic.org

siltation
occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion.
CIA World Factbook 2000

Sinkhole
Crater formed when the roof of a cavern collapses; usually found in areas of limestone rock.
http://www.geographic.org

Site
Features of a place related to the immediate environment on which the place is located (e.g., terrain, soil, subsurface, geology, ground water).
http://www.geographic.org