Ch. 11 Key Terms

Question 1

surface water

Answer 1

water that collects on the surface of the ground.

Question 2

river system

Answer 2

the network that includes all the waters feeding into a main river and all the waters branching out from it.

Question 3

watershed

Answer 3

an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.

Question 4

groundwater

Answer 4

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.

Question 5

aquifer

Answer 5

a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater.

Question 6

porosity

Answer 6

percentage of space in rock or soil occupied by voids, whether the voids are isolated or connected.

Question 7

permeability

Answer 7

the state or quality of a material or membrane that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it.

Question 8

recharge zone

Answer 8

An area of the Earth’s surface from which water percolates down into a aquifer.

Question 9

potable

Answer 9

safe to drink; drinkable.

Question 10

pathogen

Answer 10

a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.

Question 11

dam

Answer 11

a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply.

Question 12

reservoir

Answer 12

a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.

Question 13

desalination

Answer 13

the process of removing salt from seawater.

Question 14

water pollution

Answer 14

Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities

Question 15

point-source pollution

Answer 15

Point sources release pollutants from discrete conveyances, such as a discharge pipe, and are regulated by federal and state agencies.

Question 16

nonpoint-source pollution

Answer 16

Nonpoint source pollution generally results from land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage or hydrologic modification.

Question 17

wastewater

Answer 17

water that has been used in the home, in a business, or as part of an industrial process.

Question 18

artificial eutrophication

Answer 18

Cultural or artificial eutrophication occurs when human activity introduces increased amounts of these nutrients, which speed up plant growth and eventually choke the lake of all of its animal life.

Question 19

thermal pollution

Answer 19

the discharge of heated liquid (such as wastewater from a factory) into natural waters at a temperature harmful to the environment.

Question 20

biomagnification

Answer 20

the concentration of toxins in an organism as a result of its ingesting other plants or animals in which the toxins are more widely disbursed.