Dispersion

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-008186",
  "term": "Dispersion",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The spreading of chemical or biological constituents, including pollutants, in various directions from a point source, at varying velocities depending on the differential in-stream flow characteristics.\n\n2. The extent of variation among cases.\n\n3. Pollutant or concentration mixing due to turbulent physical processes.\n\n4. As used in the modeling of groundwater flow, dispersion is the phenomenon by which dissolved material tends to spread out from the path it would follow simply due to the motion of the groundwater in which it is dissolved. It is sometimes called mechanical dispersion or hydraulic dispersion. It causes dilution of the dissolved material. It occurs because of physical mixing during fluid movement between the solid grains in the rock (fluid in the center of the pore moves faster than fluid at the boundary of the pore) and the crossing of flow paths as the fluid flows around the solid grains in the rock and because of molecular diffusion.\n\n5. A property of seismic surface waves in which their velocity (as well as their penetration into the subsurface) is dependent on their frequency. The basis of methods such as SASW in which seismic wave velocity is analyzed as a function of wave frequency.\n\n6. Variation (differences) from a central (mean or median) value.\n\n7. The process by which a substance or chemical spreads and dilutes in flowing groundwater or soil gas.\n\n8. Property of seismic surface waves in which their velocity (as well as their penetration into the subsurface) is dependent on their frequency. The basis of methods such as SASW in which seismic wave velocity is analyzed as a function of wave frequency.",
  "subject": "Water",
  "references": [
    "Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Glossary",
    "Program Evaluation Glossary",
    "Urban Watershed Management Research Terminology; Wet Weather Flow Glossary",
    "Underground Injection Control Terms",
    "Environmental Geophysics Glossary",
    "Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS) Glossary of Terms",
    "Office of Underground Storage Tanks Technical Terms; Glossary of Technical Terms: Office of Underground Storage Tanks"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/dispersion/"
}