BMP, Best Management Practice
BNL, Brookhaven National Laboratory
BTRI , Brown Tide Research Initiative
CAC, Citizen’s Advisory Committee
CCMP, Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan
CLPP, Critical Lands Protection Plan
CLPS, Critical Lands Protection Strategy
CNRA , Critical Natural Resource Area
CPF , Community Preservation Fund
CVA, Clean Vessel Act
DIN , Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen
DO, Dissolved Oxygen
DON, Dissolved Organic Nitrogen
DPW , Department of Public Works
EPA , United States Environmental Protection Agency
EPF, Environmental Protection Fund
FWS , United States Fish and Wildlife Service
HRWG, Habitat Restoration Work Group
NDA, No Discharge Area
NEP , National Estuary Program
NOAA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
N-P-K, Nitrogen : Phosphorous : Potassium Ratio
NPS, Nonpoint Source
NRCS, Natural Resources Conservation Service
NYS, New York State
NYSDEC , New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
NYSDOS, New York State Department of State
NYSDOT, New York State Department of Transportation
NYSG, New York Sea Grant
OMWM, Open Marsh Water Management
OSDS, Onsite Disposal System
PEP , Peconic Estuary Program
SAV , Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
SCDHS, Suffolk County Department of Health Services
SEQRA, State Environmental Quality Review Act
SPDES, State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
STP, Sewage Treatment Plant
TAC, Technical Advisory Committee
TMDL, Total Maximum Daily Load
USDA, United States Department of Agriculture
USEPA, United States Environmental Protection Agency
USGS, United States Geological Survey
anadromous: fish that are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean to grow into adults, and return to fresh water to spawn
anoxia: the state when a body of water has near-zero concentrations of dissolved oxygen
anthropogenic: originating from human activities (vs. an effect of the natural environment)
aquaculture: fish farming
benthic: of, relating to, or occurring at the bottom of a body of water
brackish: slightly salty waters, where fresh and salt water mix
Brown Tide: excessive growth of a small marine alga (Aureococcus anophagefferens)
catadromous: fish that are born in the ocean, migrate to brackish waters and freshwater rivers and lakes to grow and mature into adults, and return to the ocean to spawn
cesspool: an underground disposal system for household sewage
culvert: a transverse drain pipe made of cement, steel, etc.
current: tidal or nontidal movement of water
dam: a barrier that restricts the flow of water
diadromous: fish that migrate between fresh and salt waters during different life stages
dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN): nitrogen in the form of nitrates (NO3-) and nitrites (NO2-); readily available to plants
dissolved organic nitrogen (DON): nitrogen forms found in organic materials such as urea; must be converted to DIN to be absorbed by plants
dissolved oxygen (DO): the amount of oxygen contained in water, reflecting an equilibrium between oxygen-producing processes (e.g. photosynthesis) and oxygen-consuming processes (e.g. aerobic respiration) and the rates at which DO is added to and removed from the system by atmospheric exchange and hydrodynamic processes
dock: a wooden structure built on pilings, such as a boardwalk or a floating platform for mooring a boat
erosion: the process of wearing away the land due to the action of water, wind, and/or traffic
estuary: a semi-enclosed area where fresh and salt water meet and mix
eutrophic: a body of water that is rich in nutrients, often resulting in a seasonal deficiency of dissolved oxygen
fertilizer: a substance (e.g., manure or a chemical mixture) applied to make soil more fertile
groin: a rigid structure built more or less perpendicular to the beach for the purpose of trapping sand for the beach
groundwater: water found under the earth’s surface
habitat: the natural environment where a plant or animal lives and grows
hardened shoreline: un-natural, man-made shoreline structures such as bulkheads and seawalls
harmful algal bloom: a proliferation of a toxic alga or excessive growth of a nontoxic alga
herbicide: a pesticide used to kill unwanted plants (e.g., weeds)
hypoxia: the state when a body of water has low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (but not as low as anoxic conditions)
impervious surface: land cover that prevents filtration of water or sediments down into the ground (e.g., asphalt)
insecticide: a pesticide used to kill unwanted insects
invasive species: organisms that have been moved to an area outside their natural range via human-mediated transport (also “exotic” or “alien” species)
jetty: a rubble mound constructed at the mouth of an inlet to stabilize the opening and prevent inlet migration
macroalgae: non-rooted aquatic plants commonly referred to as seaweed
marsh: a wetland where the dominant vegetation is non-woody plants, such as salt grasses and sedges
nonpoint source pollution: pollution that cannot be traced to a single source (e.g., stormwater runoff); comes from many diffuse sources, including rainfall and snowmelt moving over and through the ground, and also atmospheric deposition
nutrient: elements required by organisms for survival and growth (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorous)
open space: an area that is permanently set aside for public or private use and will not be developed; the space may be used for recreation or may be reserved to protect or buffer natural areas.
pathogen: an agent (i.e., bacteria or virus) that causes disease
pelagic: of, relating to, or occurring in open water
pesticide: an agent used to kill pests
petiole: stalk of a leaf
photosynthesis: process by which plants capture carbon dioxide and solar energy and convert them to oxygen and carbohydrates
phytoplankton: plant plankton
pier: a wharf constructed on solid fill or pilings that restricts water circulation
plankton: passively floating or weakly swimming, microscopic animals and plants
point source pollution: pollution stemming from a well-defined source (e.g., sewage treatment plant outfall)
pollution: the presence of matter or energy whose nature, location, or quantity produces undesired environmental effects
productivity: the conversion of light energy and carbon dioxide into living organic material (i.e., photosynthesis)
rhizome: a horizontal stem, often underground, that sends out additional roots and/or shoots
riparian: of or relating to the bank of a river
riverine: relating to a river
salinity: a measure of the salt content of water; seawater is 35 ppt (parts per thousand)
sediment: mud, sand, silt, and other particles that settle on the bottom of rivers, estuaries, and oceans
septic system: an underground treatment system for household sewage
stormwater: runoff from urban areas that is not absorbed into the ground but rather is conveyed to coastal waterways by natural and man-made conduits and drains
submerged aquatic vegetation: rooted aquatic vegetation, such as seagrasses, that lives with their leaves at or below the water surface in shallow areas of estuaries where light can penetrate to the bottom
subwatershed: refers to smaller drainage areas (e.g., Meetinghouse Creek) within the Peconic watershed
tide: the twice-daily rising and falling of the surface of the ocean and connecting waters caused by the unequal gravitational influence of the sun and moon on different parts of the earth
toxic: a poison
tributary: a river that feeds a larger river or bay
trophic level: a grouping of organisms that uses the next lower grouping of organisms as a food source within the food web
turbidity: a measure of water clarity that expresses the degree to which light is scattered
waterfowl: a bird that frequents water
watershed: the entire area of land whose runoff of water, sediments, and dissolved materials drains into a body of water such as the Peconic Estuary
wetland: an area that is covered by water or has water-saturated soil during a portion of the growing season; provides wildlife habitat, flood protection, erosion control, water quality maintenance and recreational opportunities
zooplankton: animal plankton
