Ch. 11 Key Terms

Question 1

surface water

Answer 1

is fresh water on Earth’s land surface. Surface water is found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands

Question 2

river system

Answer 2

As streams and rivers move across the land, they form a flowing network of water

Question 3

watershed

Answer 3

The area of land that is drained by a river

Question 4

groundwater

Answer 4

Water that is found beneath Earth’s surface in the spaces in sediment and rock formations

Question 5

aquifer

Answer 5

An underground formation that contains groundwater

Question 6

porosity

Answer 6

the percentage of the total volume of a rock that has spaces (pores).

Question 7

permeability

Answer 7

The ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it

Question 8

recharge zone

Answer 8

An area of Earth’s surface from which water percolates down into an aquifer

Question 9

potable

Answer 9

water that is safe to drink

Question 10

pathogen

Answer 10

organisms that cause illness or disease.

Question 11

dam

Answer 11

built across rivers to control the river’s flow

Question 12

reservoir

Answer 12

used for flood control, drinking water, irrigation, recreation, and industry.

Question 13

desalination

Answer 13

the process of removing salt from saltwater

Question 14

water pollution

Answer 14

the introduction of chemical, physical, or biological agents into water that degrade water quality and harm the organisms that depend on the water.

Question 15

point-source pollution

Answer 15

is pollution discharged from a single source

Question 16

nonpoint-source pollution

Answer 16

also known as runoff pollution, comes from many different sources that are often difficult to identify

Question 17

wastewater

Answer 17

water that contains waste from homes or industry

Question 18

artificial eutrophication

Answer 18

Eutrophication is accelerated when inorganic plant nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, enter the water from sewage and fertilizer runoff

Question 19

thermal pollution

Answer 19

can occur when power plants and other industries use water in their cooling systems and then discharge the warm water into a lake or river

Question 20

biomagnification

Answer 20

Each organism stores the pesticide in its tissues and the concentration of the pesticide that is passed on to the next organism in the food chain increases