Ch. 15 vocab

Question 1

process of plants giving off water

Answer 1

evapotranspiration

Question 2

surface water moves across

Answer 2

run off

Question 3

a porous layer of earth material that becomes saturated with water

Answer 3

aquifer

Question 4

an aquifer that is bounded on the top and bottom by impermeable confining layers

Answer 4

confined aquifer

Question 5

an impervious confining layer of an aquifer

Answer 5

aquiclude

Question 6

the result of a pressurized aquifer being penetrated by a pipe or conduit, within which water rises without being pumped

Answer 6

artesian well

Question 7

a zone above the water table and below the land surface that is not saturated with water

Answer 7

vadose zone

Question 8

uses of water for cooling and for dissipating and transporting waste materials

Answer 8

industrial water

Question 9

the amount of oxygen required by microbes to degrade organic molecules in aquatic ecosystems

Answer 9

biochemical oxygen demand

Question 10

the enrichment of water (either natural or cultural) with nutrients

Answer 10

eutrophication

Question 11

pollution of groundwater

Answer 11

groundwater pollution

Question 12

diffuse pollutants, such as agricultural runoff, road salt, and acid rain, that are not from a single, confined source

Answer 12

non-point source

Question 13

used as wastelands, purposes of industry, housing, and agriculture

Answer 13

wetlands conversion

Question 14

comes from oil-drilling blowouts/oil tanker accidents, run-off from streets, improper disposal of lubricating oil from machines or automobile crankcases, and intentional oil discharges that occur during the loading and unloading of tankers

Answer 14

marine oil pollution

Question 15

a method of disposing solid wastes that involves burying the wastes in specially constructed sites

Answer 15

landfill

Question 16

stormwater that runs off of streets and buildings and is often added directly to the sewer system and sent to the municipal wastewater treatment facility

Answer 16

stormwater run off

Question 17

usages of primary, secondary, and tertiary sewage treatment

Answer 17

wastewater treatment

Question 18

process that involves holding the wastewater until the organic material has been degraded by bacteria and other microorganisms

Answer 18

secondary sewage treatment

Question 19

process that removes larger particles by settling or filtering raw sewage through large screens

Answer 19

primary sewage treatment

Question 20

process that involves a variety of different techniques designed to remove dissolved pollutants left after primary and secondary treatments

Answer 20

tertiary sewage treatment

Question 21

a mixture of organic material, organisms, and water in which the organisms consume the organic matter

Answer 21

sewage sludge

Question 22

constant movement of water from surface water to air and back to surface water as a result of evaporation and condensation

Answer 22

hydrologic cycle

Question 23

water that infiltrates the soil and is stored in the spaces between particles in the earth

Answer 23

groundwater

Question 24

the top layer of water in an aquifer

Answer 24

water table

Question 25

an aquifer that usually occurs near the land’s surface, receives water by percolation from above, and may be called a water table aquifer

Answer 25

unconfined aquifer

Question 26

a partially permeable layer in an aquifer

Answer 26

aquitard

Question 27

a measure of the size and number of spaces in an aquifer

Answer 27

porosity

Question 28

water used for domestic activities, such as drinking, air conditioning, bathing, washing clothes, etc.

Answer 28

domestic water

Question 29

adding water to an agricultural field to allow certain crops to grow where the lack of water would normally prevent their cultivation

Answer 29

irrigation

Question 30

use of a stream’s water flow for such purposes as hydroelectric power, recreation, and navigation

Answer 30

in-stream water use

Question 31

the primary condition of the environment that determines the population size for an organism

Answer 31

limiting factor

Question 32

the movement of saltwater into aquifers near oceans when too much water is pumped from aquifers

Answer 32

saltwater intrusion

Question 33

pollution that can be traced to a single source

Answer 33

point source

Question 34

bacteria found in the intestines of humans and other animals, often used as an indicator of water pollution

Answer 34

fecal coliform bacteria

Question 35

waste heat that industries release into the environment

Answer 35

thermal pollution

Question 36

removal of water from an aquifer faster than it is replaced

Answer 36

groundwater mining

Question 37

an underground tank where sewage is collected and allowed to decompose through bacterial activity before draining by means of a leaching field

Answer 37

septic tank

Question 38

the physical process of transferring water from one area to another

Answer 38

water diversion

Question 39

a secondary sewage treatment technique that allows polluted water to flow over surfaces that harbor microorganisms

Answer 39

trickling filter system

Question 40

method of treating sewage in which some of the sludge is returned to aeration tanks, where it is mixed with incoming wastewater to encourage degradation of the waste in the sewage

Answer 40

activated-sludge sewage

Question 41

an increase in salinity caused by growing salt concentrations in soil

Answer 41

salinization