B
Acronyms and Glossary
AALA:
American Agricultural Law Association
Accuracy:
The ability of a measurement to match the actual value of the quantity being measured.
AED:
Aerodynamic equivalent particle diameter
AER:
Allowable emission rate
AFO:
Animal feeding operation. As defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR 122.23), a “lot or facility” where animals “have been, are, or will be stabled or confined and fed or maintained for a total of 45 days or more in any 12 month period and crops, vegetation, forage growth, or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the lot or facility.”
Anthropogenic:
Caused by humans.
APA:
Administrative Procedure Act
APRP:
Air Pollution Regulatory Process
ARS:
Agricultural Research Service (USDA)
ASAE:
American Society of Agricultural Engineers
ASM:
Aerosol mass spectrometer
ASTM:
American Society for Testing and Materials
Atmospheric stability:
a property that depends on inversion strength—how rapidly air temperature rises with altitude (in units of degrees Celsius per 100 m). Strong inversions near the ground tend to stabilize the atmosphere, trap emissions, and result in higher pollutant concentrations. For a discussion of meteorological effects on carbon monoxide concentrations, see NRC (2002b).
AU: Animal unit:
A unit of measure used to compare different animal types.
• EPA (66 Fed. Reg. 2960-3138): 1 cattle excluding mature dairy and veal cattle; 0.7 mature dairy cattle; 2.5 swine weighing more than 55 pounds; 10 swine weighing 55 pounds or less; 55 turkeys; 100 chickens; and 1 veal calf.
• USDA: 1000 pounds of live animal weight.
BACT:
Best achievable control technology
bar:
A unit of pressure equal to one atmosphere (14.7 pounds per square inch).
BAT:
Best available technology (economically achievable)
Bioaerosol:
Particulate matter in the atmosphere containing materials of biological origin that may cause disease, such as toxins, allergens, viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
BMP:
Best management practice
BOD:
Biochemical oxygen demand
BPT:
Best practicable control technology (currently available)
BST:
Bovine somatotropin
BW:
Body weight
C:
Carbon
C2, C10, C16:
Hydrocarbons with 2, 10, and 16 carbon atoms, respectively.
CAA:
Clean Air Act
CAFO:
Concentrated animal feeding operation (see Appendix E).
CCC:
Commodity Credit Corporation, a government-owned and operated corporation, was created in 1933 to stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices. It now operates as a federal corporation within USDA; the Secretary of Agriculture chairs its Board of Directors. CCC programs are carried out through the personnel and facilities of other USDA organizations, including the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. CCC funds are used for a number of conservation programs, include EQIP (67 Fed. Reg. 48431), the Conservation Reserve Program, the Wetlands Reserve Program, and the Farmland Protection Program.
CCN:
Cloud condensation nuclei
CERCLA:
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
cfm:
Cubic feet per minute
CFR:
Code of Federal Regulations
CFU:
Colony forming units (bacteria formed on nutrient media)
CH4:
Methane
CNMP:
Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan
CO2:
Carbon dioxide
COD:
Chemical oxygen demand
CRP:
Conservation Reserve Program
CSP:
Conservation Security Program
CSREES:
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (USDA)
CWA:
Clean Water Act
CZARA:
Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments
CZMA:
Coastal Zone Management Act
Denitrification:
Reduction of nitrates or nitrites to nitrogen-containing gases.
DHIA:
Dairy Herd Improvement Association
DM:
Dry matter
DMI:
Dry matter intake
DNA:
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DOAS:
Differential optical absorption spectroscopy
dscm:
Dry standard cubic meter
Electronic nose:
An array of gas sensors that are combined with pattern recognition software to mimic human olfactory response (Lacey, 1998).
ELG:
Effluent limitation guideline
Emission flux:
The rate of mass emission per unit of area (e.g., tonnes per hour per hectare), typically from an area such as a waste lagoon or field.
Emission inventory:
A list showing the sources and amounts (e.g., tonnes) of a pollutant emitted from a defined area for a period of time, usually one year.
Emission rate:
The rate of mass emission (e.g., tonnes per hour).
EPA:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPCRA:
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
EQIP:
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
Feedlot:
An animal feeding operation where beef cattle are finished to slaughter weight; it consists of fenced earthen or concrete paddocks with cattle having little of no access to pasture.
FEP:
Tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer
FID:
Flame ionization detector
FPM:
Flame photometric detector
FRM:
Federal reference method
FSA:
Farm Service Agency (USDA)
ft2:
Square feet
FTIR:
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
g:
Gram
g/cm3:
Grams per cubic centimeter
GC:
Gas chromatography
GC-EC:
Gas chromatography with electron capture detection
GC-FID:
Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection
GC-MS:
Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry
GLAS:
Ground-level area source
ha:
Hectare; an area 100 meters square, about 2.5 acres
HAP:
Hazardous air pollutant
HC:
Hydrocarbon
HNO3:
Nitric acid
H2S:
Hydrogen sulfide
H2SO4:
Sulfuric acid
Hz:
Hertz (cycles per second)
IPCC:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
ISCST:
Industrial Source Complex Short Term
kg:
Kilogram, or 1000 grams (about 2.2 pounds)
km:
Kilometer, or 1000 meters
kwh:
Kilowatt-hour
L:
Liter
LAER:
Lowest achievable emission rate
lbs:
pounds
LD-50:
The dose lethal to 50 percent of the laboratory animals tested.
Lidar:
Light detection and ranging. A device similar to radar except that it emits pulsed laser light rather than microwaves.
LLPS:
Low-level point source
LOAEL:
Lowest observed adverse effect level
LU:
Live unit, 500 kg of body weight
m:
Meter
m3:
Cubic meter
MACT:
Maximum achievable control technology
Manure:
A mixture of animal feces and urine, which may also include litter or bedding materials.
MCF:
Methane conversion factor
MeSH:
Methanethiol
Mg:
megagram. An SI unit of mass equal to 1 million grams or 1000 kg. This means that the megagram is identical to the tonne (metric ton). Large masses are almost always stated in tonnes in commercial applications, but megagrams are often used in scientific contexts. One megagram equals about 2204.623 pounds.
μg/m3:
Micrograms per cubic meter
μm:
Micrometer or micron (10−6 meter)
MMD:
Mass median diameter
MMTCE:
Millions of metric tonnes carbon equivalent (used to express the greenhouse effect of methane and other gases relative to carbon dioxide).
MS:
Mass spectroscopy
MUN:
Milk urea nitrogen
mV:
millivolts
MWPS:
Midwest Plan Service (an organization of extension and research agricultural engineers).
N:
Nitrogen
N2:
Molecular nitrogen
NA:
Nonattainment area
NAAQS:
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NaNO3:
Sodium nitrate
NBS:
National Bureau of Standards (now NIST)
NESHAPS:
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants
NH3:
Ammonia
NH4+:
Ammonium ion
NIST:
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Nitrification:
Oxidation of ammonia or an ammonium ion compound to nitric acid, nitrous acid, or any nitrate or nitrite, especially by the action of nitrobacteria.
NMHC:
Nonmethane hydrocarbon
NO:
Nitric oxide
N2O:
Nitrous oxide
NO2:
Nitrogen dioxide
NOAEL:
No observed adverse effect level
NODA:
Notice of data availability
NOV:
Notice of violation
NOx:
NO and NO2 (rapidly interconverted in the atmosphere)
NOy:
All oxidized nitrogen species in the atmosphere
NPDES:
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
Nr:
Reactive nitrogen (all nitrogen other than N2). The term reactive nitrogen (Nr) is used in this report to denote all biologically active, photochemically reactive, and radiatively active nitrogen compounds in the atmosphere and biosphere of the earth and to distinguish all reactive forms of nitrogen from nonreactive gaseous dinitrogen (N2). Thus, Nr includes (1) inorganic reduced forms of nitrogen (e.g., NH3, NH4+), (2) inorganic oxidized forms of nitrogen (e.g., NOx, HNO3, N2O, NO3−), and (3) a wide variety of organic nitrogen compounds including urea, amino acids, amines, proteins, nucleic acids, and so forth.
NRC:
National Research Council
NRCS:
Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA)
NSPS:
New Source Performance Standards
NSR:
New source review
NTRM:
NIST Traceable Reference Material
NUE:
Nitrogen utilization efficiency (the ratio of nitrogen in animal product to nitrogen in feed consumed).
Nutrient excretion factor:
An estimate of the amount of a nutrient element (e.g., N) excreted, usually reported as kilograms per day (or year) per animal (or animal unit or kilograms of body weight).
ODT:
Odor detection threshold. The minimum concentration of odorant(s) detectable by 50 percent of the population (represented by an odor panel).
ORP:
Oxidation-reduction potential
OU:
Odor unit. The amount of odorant(s) in 1 m3 of air detectable by 50 percent of the population
OUE:
European odor unit is the amount of odorant(s) that, when evaporated into 1 cubic meter of neutral gas at standard conditions, elicits a physiological response from a panel (detection threshold) equivalent to that elicited by 1 European Reference Odor Mass (erom), evaporated in 1 m3 of neutral gas at standard conditions. One erom is equivalent to 123 mg n-butanol (CAS 71-36-3).
PAN:
Peroxyacetyl nitrate
PBL:
Planetary boundary layer
PCR:
Polymerase chain reaction
PET:
Polyethyleneterephalate (Nalophan)
PF-LIF:
Photolytic fragmentation laser-induced fluorescence
PM:
Particulate matter
PM2.5:
Particulate matter having an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less.
PM10:
Particulate matter having an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less.
PNP:
Permit nutrient plan
Point source:
“[A]ny discernible, confined and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel,…concentrated animal feeding operation,…from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include agricultural stormwater discharges and return flows from irrigated agriculture” (33 USC § 1362(14)).
ppb:
Parts per billion (by volume)
ppd:
Pounds per day
ppm:
Parts per million (by volume)
Precision:
The degree of agreement between two or more results on the same property of identical test material expressed as the repeatability or reproducibility of an instrument reading the results.
PSD:
Particle size distribution
PSD:
Prevention of significant deterioration
psi:
Pounds per square inch
PTFE:
Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)
PVF:
Polyvinylfluoride (Tedlar)
REA:
Relaxed eddy accumulation
RHA:
Rolling herd average
RNA:
Ribonucleic acid
ROG:
Reactive organic gase
RQ:
Reportable quantity
S:
Sulfur gas
SAPRA:
State air pollution regulatory agency
SCD:
Sulfur chemiluminescence detector
SF6:
Sulfur hexafluoride (used as an atmospheric tracer)
SIP:
State implementation plan
SO2:
Sulfur dioxide
SPM:
Single point air monitor
SPME:
Solid-phase microextraction. A method used to concentrate the components in odor samples prior to analysis.
SRM:
Standard reference material
STPD:
Standard temperature and pressure, dry
Synoptic:
Relating to weather conditions that exist simultaneously over a large area.
TAN:
Total ammoniacal nitrogen
TDLS:
Tunable diode laser spectroscopy
Tg:
Teragram. 1 × 1012 g, or 1 million metric tonnes
TKN:
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen
TMDL:
Total maximum daily load
TNRCC:
Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
tpy:
Tons (short) per year
TRS:
Total reduced sulfur (includes H2S and mercaptans)
TS:
Total solids
TSP:
Total suspended particulates
Uncertainty:
The estimated amount or percentage by which an observed or calculated value may differ from the true value.
USC:
United States Code
USDA:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDC:
U.S. Department of Commerce
VFA:
Volatile fatty acid
VOC:
Volatile organic compound
VS:
Volatile solids. The weight lost upon ignition at 550 °C—an approximation of moisture and organic matter present (using Method 2540 E of the American Public Health Association).