Glossary

“Used land” refers to areas that have been directly and permanently changed by humans for construction, transport, leisure, other purposes through construction or through mining areas and have lost their biological productivity.

Sphagnum mosses feed their water balance solely from rainwater and are built up almost exclusively from peat-forming mosses. Due to the high-water level (lack of oxygen and increased acidity), organic residues hardly decompose, and peat build-up takes place very slowly (approx. 1 mm per year). Peat bogs develop on impermeable mineral soils or on fens.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the gaseous oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides irritate and damage the respiratory system and are responsible for the formation of acid rain.

Organisms that live on animal excrement, dead plants and dead animals (carrion). They break up and transport organic material in the soil. This is then broken down by secondary decomposers into inorganic substances. Important primary decomposers are earthworms, enchytraea, soil mites, fly larvae, isopods and snails.

Humic acids are mainly found in nutrient-rich, slightly acidic to neutral soils. They belong to the humic substances. Humic substances are formed from fragments and residues that are difficult to convert, such as spruce needles. They form organic-mineral complexes that contribute to structural stability and are very rich in nutrients. However, the nutrients are only

The water and air-filled cavities in the soil are called “soil pores”. The pore space represents the entirety of all soil pores. Pore spaces and pore size distributions can be very different depending on the grain size distribution, the soil structure, the content of organic matter and the humus form.

The granulation describes the classification of grains and particles according to their grain size. The grain sizes are divided into the following groups (from large to small): stones, gravel, sand, silt and clay. The science of determining, describing and interpreting the grain size is called granulometry.

In conventional farming it is permissible to use artificial fertilisers, pesticides* and herbicides* as well as artificial feed additives in the prescribed amounts in order to increase yield. Livestock may be treated with stronger drugs than in organic farming. This puts a strain on the environment and brings lower prices for the products compared to

In the context of landscape planning, the term “zoning” refers to the administrative act by which something is released for public use and subject to public law.

Dioxin is a collective term for chemically similar, chlorine-containing and persistent organic substances, which are highly toxic even in small quantities. They are found everywhere in the environment and are ingested through food. Because of their high fat solubility, they accumulate in humans, animals and the environment.

A person’s ecological footprint is a measure of the space required to support their lifestyle. This includes food, clothing, mobility and various resources. If one divides the biologically productive usable area of the earth (2010: 11.9 billion ha) among the earth’s population, about 1.7 ha are allotted to each person. The average footprint of Austrians

Sod tiles are pieces of grass separated from the ground with a thin layer of soil in which the roots are located.

The northern hemisphere is the part of the earth that is north of the equator.

Greenhouse gases reflect sunlight bouncing off the Earth, acting like greenhouse glass. Air pollutants that affect the climate include carbon dioxide (CO2), which is produced when fossil fuels are used, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases (F-gases).

In chemistry, the group of substances that consists only of carbon and hydrogen is called hydrocarbons. They are mainly found in fossil fuels. The molecular formula is CmHn.