downgradient

adj, adv — 4 senses

downgradient

adj

Etymology From down- + gradient.

1

A position down along a gradient from a starting position.

2

Geography, Hydrology, Natural sciences a location that receives groundwater from another location; similar to downstream.

Monitoring wells are installed downgradient of a contamination source to detect a contaminant plume.

Antonyms: upgradient

downgradient

adv

Etymology From down- + gradient.

1

The direction along a gradient.

2

Geography, Hydrology, Natural sciences a direction that groundwater flows toward.

Antonyms: upgradient

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.