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Socio-ecological System A complex interdependent system of biogeophysical and
social factors interacting in a nonlinear multidimensional ordered manner that
may exhibit unpredictable behavior.
Socio-Ecological-Technical
Systems
(SETS) Socio-Ecological-Technical
Systems combine hard and soft infrastructures.
Soft Infrastructure Human institutions and social systems that form infrastructure, for example an irrigation district or elected board of officials. Compare to
Hard Infrastructure.
Soft Law Agreements between parties, including nation-states, without legally
binding components.
Soil A layer of relatively loose minerals that have been weathered from the earth’s
crust and have undergone a variety of other physical, chemical, and biological
processes making them suitable to support plant growth. Typically composed of
a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and microorganisms, different soils may exhibit specific textural, structural, and chemical properties. Soil
is typically distinguished from its underlying parent material or subsoil by the
presence of organic matter and other materials that can support life.
Sovereignty The right and power of entity to self-government, independently from
other governments.
Spatial Datasets Datasets with location information. Although often confused
with “geospatial,” spatial datasets do not need to have a geographic location.
Thus, any coordinate system that defines a location in regards to other objects in
space may be considered spatial.
Spatial Scale It defines the extent of the area, length or distance of a spatial data
object.
Stakeholder A person, group or organization that has a stake in the outcome of a
particular activity.
Stakeholders People and organizations in the real-world system and who have
something to gain and/or lose from an initiative or conversation.
Stated Preference Method An economic practice of measuring individuals’ value
for environment quality directly, by asking them to state their preference for the
environment. See also revealed preference method. See also Revealed Preference
Method.
Stocks Stocks are accounted quantities of material, good, currency, and so on that
exist at a specific space-time location; stocks may be human (e.g., bank account,
gasoline tank) or natural (e.g., aquifer, coal seam).
Storage An accumulation of a commodity or input, usually for the purpose of
absorbing changes in supply or demand rates. Compare to Buffer.
Stranded Capital The circumstance where capital invested in assets (e.g., a power
plant) or resources (e.g., coal) loses its value because the asset or resource is no
longer required and cannot be adapted to other valuable purposes. Compare to
lock-in.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve A reserve of petroleum managed by the
U.S. Department of Energy stored at four sites in Texas and Louisiana intended
to maintain supplies to the USA during severe energy supply interruptions.
Glossary
Socio-ecological System A complex interdependent system of biogeophysical and
social factors interacting in a nonlinear multidimensional ordered manner that
may exhibit unpredictable behavior.
Socio-Ecological-Technical
Systems
(SETS) Socio-Ecological-Technical
Systems combine hard and soft infrastructures.
Soft Infrastructure Human institutions and social systems that form infrastructure, for example an irrigation district or elected board of officials. Compare to
Hard Infrastructure.
Soft Law Agreements between parties, including nation-states, without legally
binding components.
Soil A layer of relatively loose minerals that have been weathered from the earth’s
crust and have undergone a variety of other physical, chemical, and biological
processes making them suitable to support plant growth. Typically composed of
a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and microorganisms, different soils may exhibit specific textural, structural, and chemical properties. Soil
is typically distinguished from its underlying parent material or subsoil by the
presence of organic matter and other materials that can support life.
Sovereignty The right and power of entity to self-government, independently from
other governments.
Spatial Datasets Datasets with location information. Although often confused
with “geospatial,” spatial datasets do not need to have a geographic location.
Thus, any coordinate system that defines a location in regards to other objects in
space may be considered spatial.
Spatial Scale It defines the extent of the area, length or distance of a spatial data
object.
Stakeholder A person, group or organization that has a stake in the outcome of a
particular activity.
Stakeholders People and organizations in the real-world system and who have
something to gain and/or lose from an initiative or conversation.
Stated Preference Method An economic practice of measuring individuals’ value
for environment quality directly, by asking them to state their preference for the
environment. See also revealed preference method. See also Revealed Preference
Method.
Stocks Stocks are accounted quantities of material, good, currency, and so on that
exist at a specific space-time location; stocks may be human (e.g., bank account,
gasoline tank) or natural (e.g., aquifer, coal seam).
Storage An accumulation of a commodity or input, usually for the purpose of
absorbing changes in supply or demand rates. Compare to Buffer.
Stranded Capital The circumstance where capital invested in assets (e.g., a power
plant) or resources (e.g., coal) loses its value because the asset or resource is no
longer required and cannot be adapted to other valuable purposes. Compare to
lock-in.
Strategic Petroleum Reserve A reserve of petroleum managed by the
U.S. Department of Energy stored at four sites in Texas and Louisiana intended
to maintain supplies to the USA during severe energy supply interruptions.
Glossary