ch 11 brainscape Flashcards
surface water
fresh water on Earth’s land surface.
River system
flowing network of water as streams and rivers move across the land
Watershed
The area of land that is drained by a river.
Groundwater
Water stored beneath the Earth’s surface in sediment and rock formations.
Aquifer
An underground formation that contains groundwater.
Porosity
The amount of space between the particles that make up a rock
Permeability
The ability of rock or soil t allow water to flow through it.
Recharge zone
The area of the Earth’s surface where water percolates down into the aquifer.
Potable
Safe to drink
Pathogens
Organisms that cause illness or disease such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and parasitic worms.
Irrigation
method of providing plants with water from sources other that direct precipitation.
Dam
structure built across a river to control the river’s flow.
Reservoir
formed when the river is dammed, an artificial lake.
Drip irrigation systems
promising step toward conservation which deliver small amounts of water directly to the plant roots by using perforated tubing.
Xeriscaping
landscaping involving minimal water usage
desalination
process of removing salt from salt water
Water pollution
introduction of chemical, physical or biological agents into water that degrade water quality and adversely affect the organisms that depend on the water.
Point-source pollution
pollution discharged from a single source such as leaking septic tank, unlined landfills, leaking storage tanks, water discharged from industries and abandoned mines, and waste water treatment plants.
non-point pollution
Pollution coming from many different sources which are often difficult to identify such as water runoff on streets, fertilizer runoff, chemicals added to road surfaces.
Waste water
water that contains waste from home or industry.
artificial eutrophication
an increase in the amount of nutrients, such as nitrates, in a marine or aquatic ecosystem. Artificial eutrophication is caused by humans.
thermal pollution
when the temperature of a body of water, such as a lake or stream increase.
biomagnification
accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain. Harms the organisms at the to of the food chain.
