Deutsch: Mittelwert / Español: Media / Português: Mêdia / Français: Moyenne / Italiano: Media
In colloquial language average usually refers to the sum of a list of numbers divided by the size of the list, in other words the arithmetic mean. However, the word "average" can confusingly be used to refer to the median, the mode, or some other central or typical value.
In the context of the environment, "average" typically refers to a numerical value that represents the typical or usual state of a particular environmental variable or condition. Here are some examples:
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Average temperature: This is the mean temperature of a particular location over a specific period of time, such as a month or a year.
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Average rainfall: This is the mean amount of precipitation that falls in a particular area over a specific period of time.
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Average air quality: This is the mean level of pollutants in the air in a particular location over a specific period of time.
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Average water quality: This is the mean level of contaminants in a body of water over a specific period of time.
Other terms that are similar to "average" in the environmental context include:
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Median: This is the middle value in a set of values. In environmental monitoring, the median may be used to represent the typical value of a variable when there are extreme values that skew the average.
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Mode: This is the most frequently occurring value in a set of values. In some cases, the mode may be used to represent the typical value of a variable.
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Range: This refers to the difference between the highest and lowest values in a set of values. In environmental monitoring, the range may be used to indicate the variability of a variable over time or across different locations.
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Standard deviation: This is a measure of the variability or spread of a set of values around the mean. In environmental monitoring, the standard deviation may be used to indicate how much the values of a variable tend to deviate from the average.