Chapter 11 Flashcards
Fre$hwater
relatively pure, with few dissolved salts, most tied up in glaciers ice caps, and aquifers
Groundwater
water beneath the surface held in pores in soil or rock (20% of the earth supply of fresh water)
Aquifers
porous, spongelike formations of rock, sand, or gravel that hold water
Water table
boundary between the two zones
Surface water
on earths surface:
1% of freshwater
is vital for out survival and ecological systems
becomes groundwater by infiltration
Runoff
water that flows over land
water merges in rivers and ends up in a lake or ocean
Watershed
the area of land drained by a river and its
Floodplain
areas nearest to the rivers course that are flooded periodically
Wetlands
the soil is saturated with shallow, standing water
Consumptive use:
Water is removed from an aquifer or surface water body and not returned (eg irrigation)
Non-consumptive use
does not remove or only temporarily removes water (hydro dams)
Harmful algal blooms (red tides):
excessive nutrients increase marine algae, which release powerful toxins
Kill organisms and people, decreases tourism, fishing
Ocean acidification
: oceans absorb excess CO2
Lowing the pH of seawater
Reducing carbonate ions and dissolving calcium carbonate in coral shells
Pelagic
habitats and ecosystems occurring between the ocean’s surface and floor
El Niño
Deep, cold water rises and brings up nutrients
