air equivalent

American  

noun

Physics.

1. a measure of the effectiveness of a material in absorbing nuclear radiation, expressed as the thickness of an air layer (at 0° C and 1 atmosphere) causing the same absorption.

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Example Sentences

Researchers found that one underground station platform on the Port Authority Trans-Hudson line between New Jersey and Manhattan had up to 77 times the typical concentration of hazardous particles as aboveground city air — equivalent to breathing in a forest fire or near a building demolition, the report said.

From Washington Post

The uptake of carbon from the atmosphere by tropical forests peaked in the 1990s when about 46bn tonnes were removed from the air, equivalent to about 17% of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities.

From The Guardian

In fact, one recent study suggested that agriculture-related changes of land use over the last 12,000 years of human history have released about 133 billion tons of carbon into the air, equivalent to about 13 years of present-day fossil fuel emissions.

From Scientific American

Finally Sir Hugh Trenehard was appointed Marshal of the Royal Air Force, a rank never before bestowed and the air equivalent of "Admiral of the Fleet" or "Field Marshal."

From Time Magazine Archive

This "train"�the air equivalent of a motor truck with tandem trailers�taxied across the field and managed to take off, the plane tugging, the gliders lunging after.

From Time Magazine Archive