Glossary
- Wind Speed
- The speed that the wind is travelling. Usually expressed as meters
per second in research.
- Wind Direction
- The direction the wind is coming from. Expressed as compass
points or degrees. For example, North-North-East (NNE)
- Wind Vane Sampler (WVS)
- Passive sediment trap used to collect sediment from the
air stream. Can be used at various heights to characterise the
range of sizes being collected. This trap also known in the wind
erosion literature as the ‘Fryrear Trap’ and BSNE.
- Hall Deposition Trap (HDT)
- Passive sediment trap used to collect sediment falling out
of the atmosphere.
- Anemometer
- Instrument used to measure wind speed.
- Tell Tale
- Small pieces of tape commonly tied to yacht rigging to
indicate which direction the wind is blowing from.
- Visibility
- Technique used by the Bureau of Meteorology to estimate the
amount of atmospheric particulates. Wind Erosion researchers are
using the visibility measure to estimate the amount of dust. The
distance reported, is as far as the observer can see an object
clearly, expressed in either kilometres or metres.
- Munsell Colour
- A classification system used to describe the colour of soil
according to the interaction of three variables: Hue, Value
and Chroma. Hue notation of a colour indicates its relation
to Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple. Value notation
indicates its lightness. Chroma notation indicates its
strength.
- Humidity
- A measure of the amount of water vapour in the surrounding
air mass.
- Hydrometer
- Used to calculate the amount of water vapour in the
surrounding air mass. Also referred to as a
‘Hygrometer’.
- Atmospheric Pressure
- Force of molecules in air per volume at a predefined
altitude.
- Barometer
- Instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.
- Soil Texture
- The texture of a soil is the proportion of three size
related particle groups; sand, silt and clay. Combinations of
these three at different ratios produces different feeling
soil.
- Hand Texture
- Technique of kneading soil in palm of hand to determine
roughly the range of particle sizes present.
- Aggregation
- The binding of individual soil particles together forming
clumps which improve the soil structure. These aggregates
can also be move (transported) in the larger form
(therefore referred to as transport stable aggregates).
- Particle-size analysis
- Techniques used to determine the proportion of different
size particles making up the soil sample. Particles range
from clays (<2 μm), silts (2–60 μm) to
sands (>60 μm). A large range of methods are used to
determine particle-size, each varying the resolution and
accuracy.
- Micron (μm)
- Unit of measure. 1 mm = 1000 μm
- Hydrometer Method
- Simple technique used to determine the particle size of
soil by utilising the settling velocity (density) of
different sized particles. A soil sample is placed in a
column of water stirred and measurements are made with a
calibrated hydrometer to determine the size of
particles. Density of water changes through time as the
fraction of coarser particles sink.
- Moisture Tins
- Metal tins with push on lids used to oven dry soil for
determination of soil water content.
- Volumetric Cylinder
- Tall laboratory glassware, cylindrical in shape, has a
pouring spout and graduated in millilitres.
- Soil Colour
- Climate, organics, geomorphic history, parent rock and
age alter the colour displayed by a soil.
- Soil Cover
- Proportion of organic and inorganic material lying on
the soil surface.
- Soil Moisture
- Water content found between the soil particles.
- Loose Erodible Material
- The fraction of both mineral and organic particles
which is lying freely on a soil surface. This material
can potentially be transported by both wind and
water. This can be tested using the KFC method (Kentucky
Fried Chicken—finger lickin' good)!
- Soil Biota
- Organisms which live in the soil profile.
For example, bacteria, cyanobacteria, nematodes,
arthropods etc.
- Quadrat
- Frame used to define an area in which surface features
or organisms are counted to provide a measure of
frequency.
- Percentage Cover
- An estimation of the percentage area covered by
different surface features,
for example rocks, plants, leaf litter.
- Step Point Technique
- Characterisation of soil surfaces by walking a transect
and noting surface feature at the point of each
footfall.
- Quadrat Method
- Quantification of soil surface features by placing a
quadrat at ‘x’ spacings and estimating
percentage cover
of various surface features.
- Frontal Area Index
- The vertical surface area of a plant as seen by the
wind.
- Vegetation type
- Plant growth form varies in size, shape and
duration. To help describe these differences plants are
commonly grouped as grass, herbs, shrubs and trees.
- Field guides
- Small books used to help identify organisms whilst in
the field. Guides will use pictures and written descriptions
of the most characteristic diagnostic features.
- Rainfall Intensity
- The rate at which rainfall fell. Expressed as
mm/hr.
- Rain Gauge
- Calibrated vessel used to calculate the volume of
rainfall that has fallen.
- Droplet Size
- Rain drops vary in size from sub millimetre (fog) to >
5 mm (tropical thunderstorms) in diameter.
- Overland Flow
- Movement of water, usually from rainfall, over the
soil surface towards a defined drainage system e.g stream.
- Sediment Concentration
- The quantity of sediment per unit of area per time.