chap 11 Flashcards
surface water
water that collects on the surface of the ground.
river system
sometimes called a drainage system. It is the whole natural water system in a drainage basin
watershed
an area of land that drains or “sheds” water into a specific waterbody.
groundwater
water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.
aquifer
a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater.
porosity
a measure of the void (i.e. “empty”) spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0% and 100%.
permeability
the state or quality of a material or membrane that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it.
recharge zone
the surface area surrounding an aquifer from which water in the form of precipitation or surface waters replenishes the groundwater stored in the aquifer. About 30 percent of the Earth’s freshwater is from groundwater
potable
safe to drink; drinkable
pathogen
a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.
dam
a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply.
reservoir
most commonly an enlarged natural or artificial lake created using a dam to sto
desalination
a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture.
water pollution
the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities
point-source pollution
defines point source pollution as “any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack.”
nonpoint-source pollution
Oil, grease and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production. Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks.
wastewater
ny water that has been contaminated by human use. Wastewater is “used water from any combination of domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural activities, surface runoff or stormwater, and any sewer inflow or sewer infiltration”.
artificial eutrophication
human activity introduces increased amounts of these nutrients, which speed up plant growth and eventually choke the lake of all of its animal life.
thermal pollution
sudden increase or decrease in temperature of a natural body of water, which may be ocean, lake, river or pond by human influence. This normally occurs when a plant or facility takes in water from a natural resource and puts it back with an altered temperature.
biomagnification
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.
