Data_Processing	the use of a machine to handle and analyze raw data.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation	collecting of information while in the field, the natural environment of the thing being observed.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology	the observation of organisms in their living or constructed habitats.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Controlled_Burn_Experiments	scientific experiments in which tracts of land are burned and monitored, usually either to understand the behavior of wildfires or as an attempt to control wildfires by burning strategically-located forest sites.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Fossils	study, description, and interpretation of fossils.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Gut_Analyses	studying the feeding or other habits of a dead organism by removing and examining the contents of its gut.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Optical_Plankton_Counter	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Pathogens	study of the results and movements of disease through a biological population or community either in the field or in a lab which mimics the organisms' natural habitat.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Toxicity	field observations of the effects and transmission of toxins on individual organisms, populations, and communities.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Tracking	the placement of monitoring devices on an organism or population which relay its location and possibly additional information for the purpose of understanding its movement, behaviors, and state.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Translocation	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Trapping	the ensnarement of organisms for a wide variety of laboratory studies.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Biology.Video_Plankton_Recorder	recording of images of plankton, or floating organisms, in seawater; used to assess the density of plankton at a particular location. rlriall 2003-03-01 2003-03-01 1
Field_Observation.Chemical_Tracer	observation of the movements of an artificially-introduced, easily-identified chemical through a biological, hydrological, geological, or atmospheric system (or some combination of them) for the purpose of understanding the flow of natural particles.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Diving	observation of some underwater feature by sending humans underwater, with or without equipment for greater depth.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geology	observations of rocks in the field.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geology.Excavation	observations of non-aerially-exposed geological strata by removal of overlying material.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geology.Stratigraphy	observations of strata, or rock units, in the field, and their correlations to one another over space.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics	field observations of physical and geological characteristics of the Earth.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Bathymetry	measurement of seafloor relief.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Bathymetry.Fathometer	measurement of seafloor relief by interpolating data from a fathometer, the trade name for an acoustic device that finds the depth from a ship to the ocean floor.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Bathymetry.Multibeam	measurement of seafloor relief and sediment texture by use of a multibeam bathemeter, a device which sends many acoustic signals to the seafloor in one burst.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Conductivity	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Gravity	measurement of the gravitational fields at study areas which, when compared to their equivalent at a base station, yields information about relative rock densities.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Heat_Flow	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-02-24	2004-02-24	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Magnetic	measurement of the geomagnetic field at a site; since sedimentary rocks contain less magnetite than igneous or metamorphic formations, this provides information about the subsurface or the relative thickness of a sedimentary wedge.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Natural_Gamma_Radiation	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Ocean_Bottom_Hydrophone	a device which measures the reflectance of subbottom seismic waves (induced by another instrument) into water; changes in reflectance downstrata record lithological and structural changes.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Ocean_Bottom_Seismometer	a device which measures the subbottom seismic waves induced in the seafloor by another instrument; changes in reflectance downstrata record stratigraphic and structural changes.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling	transmission of seismic or other waves from a land or seafloor surface down; the reflection pattern changes with different petrological and structural features.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Onshore	geophysical profiling - the use of waves to understand downward changes in reflection which correlate to petrological and structural changes - of continental strata.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Onshore.Onshore_Seismometer	the transmission of seismic waves downstrata to understand changes in reflection which correlate to structural and lithological changes.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom	geophysical profiling - the use of seismic or other waves to understand downward changes in reflection which correlate to structural and petrological changes - of sub-seafloor strata.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.10kHz	seismic profiling from any source which operates at 10.kHz; seismic profiling interpolates lithological and structural changes from changes in reflection.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.12kHz	seismic profiling from any source which operates at 12kHz; seismic profiling interpolates lithological and structural changes from changes in reflection.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.150kHz	seismic profiling from any source which operates at 120kHz; seismic profiling interpolates lithological and structural changes from changes in reflection.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.2_7kHz	seismic profiling from any source which operates at 2.7kHz; seismic profiling interpolates lithological and structural changes from changes in reflection.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.3_5kHz	seismic profiling from any source which operates at 3.5kHz; seismic profiling interpolates lithological and structural changes from changes in reflection.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.4kHz	seismic profiling from any source which operates at4.0 kHz; seismic profiling interpolates lithological and structural changes from changes in reflection.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.Airgun	the transmission of airgun-induced seismic waves into the seafloor to map downward changes in structure and petrology; airguns produce low-frequency waves and are especially useful for mapping to great depths.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.Boomer	the transmission of broadband soundwaves into the seafloor to map downstrata changes in lithology and structure; boomers operate from 300Hz-30kHz and achieve resolution as fine as 0.5 m.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Profiling.Subbottom.Watergun	the transmission of watergun-induced, implosive seismic waves into the seafloor to map downward changes in structure and lithology; waterguns are low-frequency (20Hz-1.5kHz), achieve high resolution, and penetrate shallowly.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Resistivity	measurement of differential electrical resistivity between two surfaces, used to understand differences in properties such as sedimentology and porosoity.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Sidescan_Sonar	the bouncing of sound waves off a surface; the intensity upon return provides data about the sediment texture, distribution of grain sizes, and topography.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geophysics.Topography	relief above sea level.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Geotechnical	observation of the mechanical properties and behavior of geological materials - rocks and sediments.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.GPS	use of GPS, or the Global Positioning System, a very precise navigational and locational system which uses satellite signals to extrapolate the position of a tranceiver.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Hydrology	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-04-15	2004-04-15	1
Field_Observation.Hydrology.Subsurface	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Hydrology.Surface	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Mapping	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Field_Observation.Meteorology	field observations of meteorological - weather - conditions.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Meteorology.Cloud_Cover	field observation of clouds in the atmosphere, from Earth or space.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Meteorology.Evapotranspiration	field measurement of the transfer of water from soil by evaporation and from plants by transpiration.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Meteorology.Humidity	field observations of atmospheric humaidity.	rlriall	2003-09-01	2003-09-01	1
Field_Observation.Meteorology.Precipitation	field measurement or characterization of the amount of rain, snow, sleet, or other liquid or frozen meteoric water.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Meteorology.Storm_Tracking	field observation - at present, usually by remote sensing - of the movement of a storm, particularly an extreme one.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Meteorology.Wind	field observation of wind velocity.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography	field observation of some property of the ocean or the application of oceanographic measurements to another body of water, such as a lake or river.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Current	field observation of water current, continuous flow in a specific direction.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Flow	measurement of unidirectional fluid movement, usually in a river.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Flow_Tracer	qualitative assessment of fluid movement that is otherwise unobservable by placing a chemical, dye, or other tracer at one point in the flow and relocating it elsewhere.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Ice	observation in the field of some property of ice.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Ice.Thickness	quantization of the thickness of ice in the ocean or on land.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Sedimentation	observation of the sediment budget - deposition and transport - for some body of water.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Seepage	measurement of water loss from and movement through a geological or other material.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Tides	definition pending.	aallwardt	2007-08-28
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Upward-Looking_Solar	use of an upward-looking solar device, which measures the amount of sunlight reaching it at some depth of water, which may be used to model water or ice depth.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Water	field observation of the chemical and physical properties of a body of water, such as salinity, temperature, suspended particles, and biological contents.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Water_Level	definition pending.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1	aallwardt	2007-07-05
Field_Observation.Oceanography.Waves	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Photography	photography of something that is being scientifically or otherwise studied.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Photography.Microphotography	photography of small organisms, particles, or other objects using a microscope.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing	gathering data about an object or event from afar; although this technically includes any measurement made from a distance, the term is traditionally reserved for satellite or aerial observations.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Aerial_Photography	photography of the Earth or another object from the atmosphere or space.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Aerial_Photography.Infrared	photography of an object from the atmosphere or space in the infrared (non-visible wavelengths from 700 nm to 1 mm) range.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Aerial_Photography.Orthophotography	aerial photography with post-correction for distortion (due to depth, camera lens, and other sources) to create a spatially precise image suitable for mapping.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Aerial_Photography.Video	rapid-sequence photography of an object from atmosphere or space, especially to show changing conditions.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Altimetry	gathering of elevation (negative altitude) and textural information about a surface by flying over it and emitting a microwave, laser, or other pulse whose return time and distortion provides the relevant data.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Atmospheric_Temperature	the indirect measurement of atmospheric temperature of Earth or another celestial body, often by artificial satellites.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Geodesy	mathematical study of Earth's surficial morphology and gravitational field.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Hyperspectral_Imaging	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Passive_Microwave	measurement of passive - or naturally-emitted - microwaves to remotely characterize a surface.  See also Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Radiometry.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Radar	satellite or other methods of indirect observation which bounce radio waves off objects, measuring the reflectance.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Radiometry	the measurement of radiant or acoustic energy from a remote location.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Reflectance	remote, usually satellite, observation of the reflectance of a surface, which is related to its texture; the reflectance of water generally increases with increased sediment suspension and decreases with increased salinity.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.SAR	remote observation by synthetic aperture radar, a satellite- or ship-borne device which transmits a radar pulse and assesses backscatter during movement overhead (this enables the instrument to gather more data about any point, simulating the effects of a larger antenna).  See also Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Radar.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Scatterometry	the use of a scatterometer, a device that emits a microwave which is bounced off and scattered by water; the amount of backscatter is proportional to wind velocity.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Sea_Surface_Temperature	the indirect measurement of the surface temperature for any large body of water, often by artificial satellites.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Remote_Sensing.Shuttle	observation of some aspect of the Earth by instruments or people aboard NASA's shuttle orbiter.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling	removal of something for later study or analysis.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Biochemical	removal of a material, often a fluid or sediment, for later analysis for biochemical composition (certain chemicals are commonly markers that may be interpreted to give information about their biological origin).	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Cores	the sampling of some material using a corer, a device that extracts a vertical sequence of continuous samples from the surface downward.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Cores.Box	use of box-shaped corers, which removed a box-shaped, disturbed vertical sequence of strata from a location.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Cores.Drill	use of drill cores, which drill downward into sediment or rock, extracting a core sample.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Cores.Gravity	use of gravity cores, which are dropped from the water surface, where their weight cares them down and into the pelagic sediments, which they collect after hitting the seafloor.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Cores.Piston	use of piston cores, which are pushed downward to extract material by the operation of pistons.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Cores.Push	sampling with push corers, corers which are pushed by the user or some other mechanism, into loose sediment often for short distances.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Cores.Vibracores	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Sampling.Dredges	sampling by dragging a dredger through something, then sampling the newly-loosened materials.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Hand_Auger	definition pending.	aallwardt	2007-07-10
Field_Observation.Sampling.Liquid	the removal of liquid samples for later studies, such as composition.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Surface	sampling of only surficial materials-- such as sediment, rock, or liquid - rather than a vertical sequence.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Surface.Diver	sampling of underwater surficial material by divers, possibly using equipment.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Surface.Grab	sampling of surficial material by hand.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Surface.Photography	observation of surficial material by photography rather than physical sampling.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Surface.ROV	sampling of surficial material by an ROV - a "Remotely Operate Vehicle" undersea or in space, which is controlled remotely by humans but does not carry them.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Surface.Submersible	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Surface.Video	observation of surficial material by video rather than physical sampling, usually to show change with location or over time.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Sampling.Well_Cuttings	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Field_Observation.Seismography	measurements of movement of the Earth's crust.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Seismography.Creep_Meter	device that measures horizontal movement along a fault.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Seismography.Stress_Meter	device that measures tectonic stress - compressive or extensive forces at plate boundaries, but not necessarily movement.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Underwater_Vehicles	observation of underwater features by use of submersible vehicles.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Field_Observation.Video	recording of video data in the field for later analysis.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Interviewing	gathering information by speaking with individual people about their observations.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory	observations made in a laboratory, or artificial, setting.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology	in-lab observations and experiments involving organisms or biological materials.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Culturing	process in which microbial specimens (such as bacteria or algae) are intentionally grown on a nutrient medium to be observed or used in experimentation.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Disease	laboratory observation, possibly in the context of an experiment, of pathogens as they affect and spread through a population or community of organisms or as they react to various conditions and substances.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Disease.Detection	tests undertaken to determine whether an organism is infected with a given disease.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01
Laboratory.Biology.Disease.Detection.Microscopy	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Laboratory.Biology.Disease.Detection.Microscopy.Blood_Smear	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01 1
Laboratory.Biology.Disease.Detection.PCR_(Polymerase_Chain_Reaction)	definition pending.	rlriall 2003-03-01	2003-03-01 1
Laboratory.Biology.Disease.Detection.Serotological_Tests	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Laboratory.Biology.Dissection	the process of observing an organism's internal structure by cutting it apart.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Fossil_Abundances	laboratory description of the composition and relative numbers of fossil species from an assemblage such as a sediment or rock bed; this information can be used to interpret ecological and climatic change.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Genetic_Tests	tests of a living or dead organism's genetic materials - such as DNA, RNA, and mtDNA - often to understand its evolutionary or hereditary relationship to another organism or group of organisms.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Genetic_Tests.DNA_Probe	test in which an organism is tested for a specific DNA sequence, often one that marks a phylogenic line or a specific trait.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Hatchery	a laboratory setting in which organisms, usually fish or birds, are hatched in controlled conditions from their egg forms.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Identification_of_Organisms	definition pending.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Production	measurement in the laboratory of the capacity of organisms in a fluid or other sample to produce certain compounds.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Production.Carbon	laboratory observation of the types and amount of organic chemical species produced by organisms in water or some other sample under changing conditions.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Production.Mercury-Oxide	laboratory observation of the types and amount of mercury oxide produced by organisms in water or some other sample under changing conditions; mercury is a strong neurotoxin which accumulates in greater concentration with each increasing level of the food chain.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Biology.Toxins	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-02-24	2004-02-24	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses	measurements and generalizations about the chemical properties - particularly composition - of substances.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Alkalinity	measure of the basicity of a solution.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Elements	analyis of the elemental components of a substance.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Elements.Dissolved_Oxygen_Content	measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen gas in a solution, typically water; the oxycity of a body of water impacts its ecological behavior.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Elements.Graphite_Furnace_Atomic_Absorption_Spectrometry	Definition pending.	rlriall	2001-08-01	2003-02-03	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Elements.Mercury	measure of the amount and reactions of mercury in a system, especially an ecological system.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Elements.Stable_Isotopes	measurement of the relative proportions of stable isotopes within an element; these proportions often reflect fractionation by various and sometimes identifiable biogeochemical processes.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Elements.Sulfur	measure of the amount and forms of sulfur in a system.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Elements.X-Ray_Fluorescence	a method of elemental analysis in which an X-ray is struck against the sample of study; as the X-ray hits, it excites the sample and ultimately results in emission of secondary X-rays and photons, whose wavelengths result from element-specific differences in energy between the outer and inner valences of an atom.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Inorganic_Compounds	analysis of the inorganic - or non-hydrocarbon-bearing - compounds that comprise the substance in question.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Inorganic_Compounds.Carbonates	analysis of the origins, quantity, elemental components, or proportion of carbonates in some substance or system; carbonate rather than organic carbon production by organisms reflects different conditions and types of organisms.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Inorganic_Compounds.Chlorofluorocarbons	measurements of the amount, sources, and types of chlorofluorocarbons in an ecological system.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Inorganic_Compounds.Nutrients	measurements of the elements, sources, and flow of nutrients - nitrogen- or phosphate-bearing compounds - in an ecological system.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Inorganic_Compounds.Salts	measurement of the elements, sources, and behavior of salts - or dissociable ionic compounds - usually in a fluid.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Organic_Compounds	analysis or the organic - or hydrocarbon-bearing - compounds that comprise the substance in question.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.Organic_Compounds.Gas_Chromatography	a method of analyzing volatile organic compounds, which separates the components by their differential behaviors in a transition from mobile to stationary phases.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Chemical_Analyses.pH	calculation of the acidity of a solution by taking the logarithm of its measured concentration of hydrogen ions.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating	several methods of dating very old materials, including such absolute methods as radioisotope analyses, dendrochronology, and use of biomarkers and such relative methods as stratigraphic correlation.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Argon-Argon	method of age-dating in which a potassium-bearing sample is irradiated and the resultant ratio of induced argon-39 (from potassium-39) and "natural" argon-40 (from potassium-40) are used to calculate the potassium-40/argon-40 ratio of the sample, which is in turn related to the amount of time that has passed since the sample hit a certain cooling point; useful from about 4.3 billion years ago to 100,000 years ago with a higher precision than potassium-argon dating.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Beryllium-7	a method of dating beryllium-bearing samples based on the relative proportions of beryllium 7 and its decay (by electron capture) product, lithium 7; Be-7 has a half-life of fifty-three days so this method is useful for dating over a very short term.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Carbon-14	use of carbon-14 abundance relative to nitrogen-14 (its decay product) in a biological object to date the object based on the known decay rate of C-14 and a calibration curve which corrects for varying global C-14 levels over time; C-14 dating is useful for many biogenic objects as old as 10,000 years.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Cesium-137	use of the relative concentrations of cesium-137 and its decay product, barium 137, to date materials; Ce-137 has a half-life of thirty years and is generally produced artificially - such as by atomic bombs fallout - with a peak from 1952 to the mid-1960s, so that it is useful for dating materials produced during this period.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Dendrochronology	definition pending.	aallwardt	2008-05-14
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Lead-210	method of age dating based on the decay of uranium-238 and radon gas into lead-210; lead-210, which when created from atmospheric radon is deposited within ten days in turn decays into a nonradioactive lead isotope over a period of 150 years, so recent materials may be dated based on their proportions of radioactive and nonradioactive lead.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Potassium-Argon	use of the relative proportions of potassium-40 and one of its decay products, argon-40 gas, to date materials that have been superheated, melted, and recrystallized; the useful range of this method is from about 4.3 billion years ago to 100,000 years ago with a high uncertainty (up to a million years).	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Strontium_Isotopes	use of the strontium-87 to strontium-86 historical variation curve to date a carbonate-bearing material; strontium replaces calcium in a calcite lattice.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geologic_Dating.Tritium-Helium	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Laboratory.Geotechnical_Experiments	geotechnical experiments done in a laboratory; geotechnical experiments quantify the mechanical behavior of such geological materials as sediments and rocks.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Geotechnical_Experiments.Compressional-Wave_Velocity_(P-Wave_Velocity)	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Laboratory.Geotechnical_Experiments.Magnetic_Susceptibility	studies of magnetic susceptibility, the readiness with which materials in a magnetic field become magnetized, which is related to the amount and strength of magnetizeable particles in the material.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Laboratory.Geotechnical_Experiments.Shear-Wave_Velocity_(S-Wave_Velocity)	definition pending.	aallwardt	2004-11-04
Laboratory.Geotechnical_Experiments.Shear_Strength	a geotechnical experiment to find the shear strength of a rock, sediment, or modeling material; shear strength is the force that a material can tolerate before it fails by either breakage or flow.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Hydrological_Experiments	experiments in the behavior of water under such changing conditions as container morphology, velocity, and density.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Hydrological_Experiments.Flume	experiments in the behavior of water conducted in a flume, or artificial water flow channel.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Microscopy	observation of some very small object or organism by a microscope, a magnifying device.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Microscopy.Scanning_Electron_Micrography	observation of very small objects or organisms with a scanning electron microscope, or SEM, a magnifier in which an electron beam is bounced off and scattered by the subject of study (which is coated in a metal power); the backscatter is used to produce an image in a cathode tube with a wide field of view, high (up to 5 nm) resolution, and great magnification (10-200,000 times the actual size of the object).	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Microscopy.Smear_Slide	observation of a sediment or other material by smearing some of a sample onto a slide and observing it under a microscope.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Microscopy.Thin_Section	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Laboratory.Sedimentology	in-lab observations, experiments, or analyses involving sediments or sedimentary rocks.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Sedimentology.Density	experiments or analyses of sediment density and porosity done in the lab.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Sedimentology.Density.Gamma_Ray_Attenuation_Porosity_Evaluator_(GRAPE)	a method for estimating sample bulk density and porosity; the sample is irradiated with gamma rays, and the number of rays which pass through while maintaining their original energy ("unattenuated") is relative to the density (porosity is calculated using several other experimental variables).	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Laboratory.Sedimentology.Grain_Size	the measure of particle sizes in a sediment or sedimentary rock; these sizes reflect a complex interaction of the size of the parent material and the distance and weathering conditions during transport from the provenance.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Modeling	creation of a model, a computational or other abstract approximation of general real-world systemic behavior.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Modeling.Analytical_Modeling	development of a model which postulates mathematical relationships between real-world variables in a system.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Modeling.Assemblage_Interpretation	the interpretation of environmental conditions from fossil or other assemblages based on the modeling of modern analogues.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Modeling.Conceptual_Modeling	creation of a model - often in the earliest stages - which qualitatively or analogously addresses the behavior of a system.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Modeling.Economic_Modeling	modeling of economic conditions as they vary with a complex set of variables.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Modeling.Graphical_Modeling	definition pending.	rlriall	2003-03-01	2003-03-01	1
Modeling.Numerical_Modeling	development of a model which uses numeric inputs for a suite of variables to produce a numerical model for the system under the represented conditions.	rlriall	2002-06-27	2002-06-27	1
Modeling.Scale_Modeling	definition pending.	aallwardt	2007-06-15
Modeling.Statistical_Modeling	definition pending.	aallwardt	2008-05-15