Glossary M

The Environmental Glossary. Letter M +++ Popular Articles: 'Monitoring', 'Measurement', 'Mean'

A meridian is One of a group of abstract lines on the surface of the Earth formed by the longitude and latitude coordinate system. meridians represent lines of equal longitude

meridional zones are areas on the surface of the earth formed by adjacent meridians.

A Mesoscale Model (MM5): is the MM5 model was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Penn State University.

Metabolism is ability of a living cell or Organism to capture and transform Matter and Energy from its environment to supply its needs for survival, growth, and reproduction.

A Metadata is a component of data which describes the data. It is "data about data." The metadata files on this site describe the content, authors, lineage, and other characteristics

Deutsch: Metall / Español: Metal / Português: Metal / Français: Métal / Italiano: Metallo /

In the environmental context, 'metal' refers to a group of chemical elements characterized by their high electrical conductivity, malleability, and luster. Metals have various applications in industries and everyday life, but their extraction, use, and disposal can have significant environmental implications.

Deutsch: Metallverschmutzung / Español: contaminación por metales / Português: poluição por metais / Français: pollution métallique / Italiano: inquinamento da metalli

Metal pollution in the environmental context refers to the contamination of ecosystems with metallic elements that can be toxic to life. This type of pollution is primarily a concern due to the non-biodegradable nature of metals, which allows them to persist in the environment and potentially accumulate to harmful levels in the soil, water, and living organisms.

Deutsch: Metallrecycling / Español: Reciclaje de metales / Português: Reciclagem de metais / Français: Recyclage des métaux / Italiano: Riciclaggio dei metalli

Metal recycling refers to the process of recovering and processing used metals to produce new metal materials. This practice is crucial for environmental sustainability as it reduces the need for virgin ore extraction, decreases energy consumption, and minimizes waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

Deutsch: Metalltoxizität / Español: Toxicidad de metales / Português: Toxicidade de metais / Français: Toxicité des métaux / Italiano: Tossicità dei metalli

Metal toxicity refers to the harmful effects caused by excessive levels of certain metals in the environment, which can negatively impact human health, wildlife, and ecosystems. Metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic are particularly notorious for their toxic properties when they accumulate in living organisms.

A metalimnion is the stratum of steep thermal gradient that separates the epilimnion from the hypolimnion in a thermally stratified lake.