chapter 11 Flashcards
surface water
all the bodies of fresh water, salt water, ice, & snow that are found above the ground.
river system
a flowing network of rivers & streams draining a river basin.
watershed
the area of land that is drained by a water system.
groundwater
the water that is beneath the earth’s surface.
aquifer
a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.
porosity
percentage of space in rock or soil occupied by voids, whether the voids are isolated or connected.
permeability
property of rocks that indicates whether fluids (gas or liquid) can flow through rocks. affected by the pressure of a rock.
recharge zone
the area where water enters an aquifer. surface water or precipitation filter percolate through relatively porous, unconsolidated, or fractured materials, such as sand, moraine deposits, or cracked basalt, that lie over a water bearing, or aquifer, formation.
potable
water safe for humans to drink.
pathogen
a bacteria, virus, or other microorganism that causes disease.
dam
structure built across a stream, a river, or an estuary to retain water.
reservoir
artificial lake where water is stored. can also be formed from a natural lake whose outlet has been dammed to control the water level.
desalination
the process of removing salt from seawater.
water pollution
contamination of water by waste matter or other material that is harmful to organisms that are exposed to water .
point-source pollution
pollution that comes from a specific site.
nonpoint-source pollution
pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single specific site; an example is pollution that reaches a body of water from streets and storm sewers.
wastewater
water that contains wastes from homes or industry.
artificial eutrophication
a process that increases the amount of nutrients in a body of water through human activities, such as waste disposal and land drainage.
thermal pollution
a temperature increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has a harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life.
biomagnification
the accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain.
