Ch. 11 - Freshwater Systems and Water Resources

Question 1

fresh water

Answer 1

Water that has low salinity (generally, less than about 500 ppm dissolved salts).

Question 2

tributary

Answer 2

A smaller river that flows into a larger one.

Question 3

drainage basin

Answer 3

Area of land drained by one river and its tributaries; sometimes called a catchment.

Question 4

watershed

Answer 4

The term watershed is often used as a synonym for drainage basin; sometimes it is used to refer to the boundaries that delineate a drainage basin; and sometimes it refers to the drainage basic and all of its component parts, including the physical (abiotic) resources, ecological communities, and human occupants and uses of the area.

Question 5

floodplain

Answer 5

The region of land over which a river has historically wandered, and which is periodically inundated.

Question 6

riparian

Answer 6

Relating to a river or the area along a river.

Question 7

wetland

Answer 7

A system that combines elements of fresh water and dry land; usually there is standing water for a least part of the year. These biologically productive systems include freshwater marshes, swamps, peatlands, fens, bogs, and shallow-water wetlands such as vernal pools.

Question 8

marsh

Answer 8

A type of wetland in which shallow water allows grasses and seasonal herbaceous plants to grow above the water’s surface.

Question 9

swamp

Answer 9

A type of wetland consisting of shallow water rich with vegetation, occurring in a forested area.

Question 10

bog

Answer 10

A type of wetland in which a pound is thoroughly covered with a thick, floating mat of vegetation.

Question 11

fen

Answer 11

A type of wetland covered with a tick mat of vegetation, and fed by ground water.

Question 12

shallow-water wetland

Answer 12

A wetland with some open, flowing, or standing water; includes ponds, sloughs, oxbows, and vernal pools.

Question 13

littoral zone

Answer 13

The region ringing the edge of a water body.

Question 14

benthic zone

Answer 14

The bottom of a water body, including the lowermost layer of water and the bottom sediments.

Question 15

limnetic zone:

Answer 15

In a water body, the layer of open water through which sunlight penetrates.

Question 16

profundal zone

Answer 16

In a water body, the volume of open water that sunlight does not reach.

Question 17

oligotrophic

Answer 17

Term describing a water body that has low-nutrient and (typically) high-oxygen conditions.

Question 18

eutrophic

Answer 18

Term describing a water body that has high-nutrient and (typically) low-oxygen conditions.

Question 19

aquifer

Answer 19

An underground reservoir of water, typically a permeable rock or sediment unit.

Question 20

water table

Answer 20

The upper limit of ground water held in an aquifer.

Question 21

confined aquifer:

Answer 21

A water-bearing, porous, and permeable layer of rock, sand, or gravel that is trapped between an upper and lower layer of less permeable substrate, such as clay or unfractured rock. The water in a confined aquifer (also called artesian aquifer) is under pressure because it is trapped between two impermeable layers.

Question 22

unconfined aquifer

Answer 22

A water-bearing, porous, and permeable layer of rock, sand, or gravel, that lies atop a less-permeable substrate. The water in an unconfined aquifer is not under pressure because there is no impermeable upper layer to confine it.

Question 23

recharge zone

Answer 23

An area where precipitation falls and infiltrates the ground, percolating downward to eventually join and replenish ground water in an aquifer.

Question 24

discharge zone

Answer 24

An area where ground water emerges from the subsurface and flows out on the surface to become or join a surface water body.

Question 25

diversion (of water)

Answer 25

Removing water from a river system or changing its flow for use in another location

Question 26

channelization

Answer 26

Modification of a river’s channel or banks by straightening, widening, or concrete-lining, usually for the purposes of navigation, flood control, or diversion for irrigation or water supply.

Question 27

dam

Answer 27

Any obstruction placed in a river stream to block the flow of water so that water can be stored in a reservoir. Dams are built to prevent floods, provide drinking water, facilitate irrigation, and generate electricity.

Question 28

sinkhole

Answer 28

An area where the ground has given way with little warning as a result of subsidence, especially in areas underlain by soluble carbonate (limestone) bedrock, and often associated with depression of the water table or depletion of an underlying aquifer.

Question 29

desalinization (or desalination)

Answer 29

The removal of salt from sea water or from soil.

Question 30

pollution

Answer 30

Any matter or energy released into the environment that causes undesirable impacts on the health and well-being of humans or other organisms. Pollution can be physical, chemical, biological, or thermal, and can affect water, air, or soil.

Question 31

point source

Answer 31

A specific spot - such as a factory’s smokestacks - where large quantities of pollutants are discharged.

Question 32

nonpoint source

Answer 32

A diffuse source of pollutants, often consisting of many small sources.

Question 33

eutrophication

Answer 33

The process of nutrient enrichment, increased production of organic matter, and subsequent ecosystem degradation.

Question 34

water quality

Answer 34

The suitability of water for various purposes (such as drinking or swimming), as determined by comparing the water’s physical, chemical, and biological characteristics with a set of predetermined standards.

Question 35

septic system

Answer 35

A wastewater disposal method, common in rural areas, consisting of an underground tank and series of drainpipes. Waste water runs from the house to the tank, where solids precipitate out. The water proceeds downhill to a drain field of perforated pipes laid horizontally in gravel-filled trenches, where microbes decompose the remaining waste.

Question 36

effluent

Answer 36

Water that flows out of a facility such as a wastewater treatment plant, mine, or power plant.

Question 37

remediation

Answer 37

Removing pollutants from contaminated ground water. More generally, cleaning or restoring a degraded habitat, environment, or ecosystem.

Question 38

pump-and-treat

Answer 38

An approach to groundwater remediation that involves pumping out contaminated ground water, cleaning it in a surface facility, and then (typically) pumping it back into the aquifer.

Question 39

constructed wetland

Answer 39

A wetland that is built, usually for the purpose of storm water runoff management or wastewater management. Also called artificial wetland or engineered wetland.