chp 11. key terms

Question 1

surface water

Answer 1

water that collects on the surface of the ground

Question 2

river system

Answer 2

a drainage basin or watershed

Question 3

watershed

Answer 3

an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas

Question 4

groundwater

Answer 4

water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.

Question 5

aquifer

Answer 5

a body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater

Question 6

porosity

Answer 6

the quality or state of being porous

Question 7

permeability

Answer 7

the state or quality of a material or membrane that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it.

Question 8

recharge zone

Answer 8

a 1,250 square mile area where highly faulted and fractured Edwards limestones outcrop at the land surface, allowing large quantities of water to flow into the Aquifer

Question 9

potable

Answer 9

safe to drink; drinkable

Question 10

pathogen

Answer 10

a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease

Question 11

dam

Answer 11

a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply

Question 12

reservoir

Answer 12

a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.

Question 13

desalination

Answer 13

the process of removing salt from seawater.

Question 14

water pollution

Answer 14

the contamination of water sources by substances which make the water unusable for drinking, cooking, cleaning, swimming, and other activities.

Question 15

point source solution

Answer 15

a source of radiation (such as light) that is concentrated at a point and considered as having no spatial extension

Question 16

nonpoint source pollution

Answer 16

diffuse contamination (or pollution) of water or air that does not originate from a single discrete source

Question 17

wastewater

Answer 17

water that has been used in the home, in a business, or as part of an industrial process

Question 18

artificial eutrophication

Answer 18

occurs when human activity introduces increased amounts of these nutrients

Question 19

thermal pollution

Answer 19

the discharge of heated liquid (such as wastewater from a factory) into natural waters at a temperature harmful to the environment.

Question 20

biomagnification

Answer 20

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.