Ch. 11 Key Terms Flashcards
Surface Water
It’s a fresh water on Earth’s land surface
River System
Streams and rivers move across the land, they form a flowing network of water
Watershed
Area of land that is drained by a river
Groundwater
Water is found beneath earth’s surface in the spaces in sediment and rock formations
Porosity
The percentage of the total volume of a rock that has spaces (pores)
Permeability
Ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through
Recharge Zone
An area of earth surface from which water percolates down into an aquifer
Potable
Keep the water safe to drink
Pathogens
Organisms cause illness or disease
Dams
Built across rivers to control the river’s flow
Reservoir
Formed behind the dam, can be used to flood control, drinking water, irrigation, etc
Desalination
The process of removing salt from salt water
Water Pollution
It’s the introduction of chemical, physical or biological agents into water that degrade water quality
Point-Source Pollution
Can be often identified and traced to a source
NonPoint-Source Pollution
Comes many different sources that are often difficult to identify
