The environmental characteristics, or attributes, defined and described in this appendix represent a selected set of elements designed to be used in the environmental assessment process. They may be too generalized for many analyses, but too specific for others. Use them as a guide in classifying the environment into factors which may be affected by the actions of your agency. The manner in which they are incorporated into an analysis is shown in Appendix C.

It should be noted that these descriptions are intended to give the reader an overview of each attribute in the context of its role in impact assessment. None of the descriptions should be considered complete, as indeed, many of the individual subject areas themselves form the basis for complete texts. It is anticipated that familiarity with these 49 attributes can serve to expedite interdisciplinary studies, which frequently encounter difficulties due to lack of communication between disciplines. This communication problem can be overcome when the participants attain some understanding of each other s terminology, problems, and difficulties in achieving solutions to those problems.