Chapter 7 Vocabulary

Question 0

Brackish water

Answer 0

A mixture of salt water and fresh water; the Chesapeake Bay is an example

Question 1

Aquifer

Answer 1

An underground layer of porous rock, sand, or other material that allows the movement of water between layers of no porous rock or clay; aquifers are frequently tapped for wells

Question 2

Capillary water

Answer 2

Water that clings in small pores, cracks, and spaces against the pull of gravity; ex.- water held in a sponge

Question 3

Condensation

Answer 3

The collecting of molecules from the vapor state to form the liquid state, s for example, when water vapor condenses on a cold surface and forms droplets

Question 4

Consumptive

Answer 4

Use if water for such things such as irrigation, wherein the water does not remain available for potential purification and reuse

Question 5

Channelization

Answer 5

The straightening and deepening of stream or river channels to speed water flow and reduce flooding; a waterway so treated is said to be channelized

Question 6

Desalination

Answer 6

Process that purifies seawater into high-quality drinking water via distillation or micro-filtration

Question 7

Estuaries

Answer 7

A bay or river system open to the ocean at one end and receiving fresh water at the other; in the estuary, fresh and salt water mix, producing brackish water

Question 8

Evaporation

Answer 8

Process whereby molecules leave the liquid state and enter the vapor or gaseous state as, for example, when water evaporates to form water vapor

Question 9

Freshwater

Answer 9

Water that has a salt content of less than 0.1% (1,000 parts per million)

Question 10

Gray water

Answer 10

Wastewater, as from sinks and tubs, that does not contain human excrement; such water can be reused without purification for some purposes

Question 11

Groundwater

Answer 11

Water that has accumulated in the ground, completely filling and saturating all pores and spaces in rock or soil; free to move more or less read.iy, it is the reservoir for springs and wells, and is replenished by infiltration of surface water

Question 12

Hydrologic cycle

Answer 12

The movement of water from points of evaporation, through the atmosphere, through precipitation, and through or over the ground, returning to points of evaporation

Question 13

Infiltration

Answer 13

The process in which water soaks into soil as opposed to running off the surface of the soil

Question 14

Irrigation

Answer 14

Any method of artificially adding water to crops

Question 15

Hadley cell

Answer 15

A system of vertical or horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical or subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns

Question 16

Land subsidence

Answer 16

The gradual sinking of land; the condition may result from the removal of groundwater or oil, which is frequently instrumental in supporting the overlying rock and soil

Question 17

Nonconsumptive

Answer 17

Use if water for such purposes as washing and rinsing, wherein the water, albeit polluted, remains available for further uses; with suitable purification, such water may be recycled indefinitely

Question 18

Percolation

Answer 18

The process of water seeping downward through cracks and pores in soil or rock

Question 19

Rain shadow

Answer 19

The low-rainfall region that exists on the leeward (downside) side of a mountain range; this rain shadow is the result of the mountain range causing precipitation on the windward side

Question 20

Recharge area

Answer 20

The area over which groundwater will infiltrate and resupply an aquifer

Question 21

Relative humidity

Answer 21

The percentage of moisture in the air, compared with how much the air can hold at the given temperature

Question 22

Runoff

Answer 22

The portion of precipitation that runs off the surface, as opposed to soaking into the ground

Question 23

Water table

Answer 23

The upper surface of groundwater, rising and falling with the amount of groundwater

Question 24

Watershed

Answer 24

The total land area that drains directly or indirectly into a particular stream or river; the watershed is generally named from the stream or river into which it drains

Question 25

Xeriscaping

Answer 25

Landscaping with drought-resistant plants that need no watering