Gradient

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-012459",
  "term": "Gradient",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The slope or incline measured by the change in elevation over a specified length. Measurement units may consist of either a dimensionless proportion (percentage) or an angle based on the 360-degree circumference of a circle.\n\n2. The rate of change of the value of one quantity with respect to another; for example, the rate of decrease of temperature with depth in a lake.\n\n3. The rate of change in value of a physical or chemical parameter per unit change in position. For example, hydraulic gradient is equal to the difference in head measured at two points (usually wells) divided by the distance separating the two points. The dimensions of head and distance are both lengths, therefore the gradient is expressed as a dimensionless ratio (L/L).",
  "subject": "Water",
  "references": [
    "Watershed Protection Glossary",
    "Sediment Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) Glossary",
    "Glossary of Technical Terms: Office of Underground Storage Tanks"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/gradient/"
}