What does "delineate" mean in this context? I was reading a _Scientific American_ story, “Controversial Spewed Iron Experiment Succeeds as Carbon Sink” (by David Biello), when I came across this sentence: > “The problem for scientists is that oceanic waters tend to mix, which makes monitoring and _delineating an experiment_ in the ocean challenging.” I'm wondering what “ **delineate** ” means in this context. I think I grasp the general idea of this sentence, but it is the exact meaning of the word that has been troubling me. Could someone kindly enlighten me on this? Thanks!

I think this would me more on topic at English.SE, but (from Merriam-Webster):

> Delineate:
>
> **1** a : to indicate or represent by drawn or painted lines
> b : to mark the outline of
>
> **2** : to describe, portray, or set forth with accuracy or in detail — de·lin·ea·tor noun

In this case, it could be either meaning that is used. Either 2, as Richard Smith said in his answer, to define the experiment's parameters in general, or 1b, to mark, limit a specific area of the ocean in which the experiment will be done. Obviously, delimiting an area in a body of liquid is not very easy.