Decay

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-007407",
  "term": "Decay",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The gradual decrease in the amount of a given substance in a given system due to various sink processes including chemical and biological transformation, dissipation to other environmental media, or deposition into storage areas.\n\n2. In nuclear physics, the process of disintegration of an unstable radioisotope by the spontaneous emission of charged particles or photons.\n\n3. The process in which an unstable (radioactive) nucleus emits radiation and changes to a more stable isotope or element. A few different particles can be emitted by decay. The most typical are alpha or beta particles, often accompanied by gamma radiation.\n\n4. The breakdown of organic matter by bacteria and fungi.\n\n5. Rot or destruction and decomposition of plant material by fungi; wood decay is typically separated into brown or white rot depending on the wood compounds consumed.",
  "subject": "Chemicals, toxics and pesticides",
  "references": [
    "Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Glossary",
    "Environmental Geophysics Glossary",
    "RadTown Glossary; Radiation Protection Radiation Glossary",
    "Great Lakes Ecosystem",
    "USDA Forest Service Field Guide to Insects and Diseases of Arizona and New Mexico Forests Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/decay/"
}