Fresh and Saltwater Systems Vocab Flashcards
Freshwater
Water with a low amount of dissolved salts. Humans can drink freshwater if it is clean.
Ex: rain, lakes, rivers, ponds, and tap water
Saltwater
Water with a high amount of dissolved salts.
• Most of the Earth’s water is saltwater. Humans cannot drink saltwater.
Ex: oceans and seas
Surface Water
Water that we can see above ground. Most of the Earth’s water is visible on the surface.
Ex: rivers, lakes and streams
Groundwater
Water that we are unable to see because it is underground. A lot of Earth’s freshwater is underground.
Ex: well water
Potable
Water that is safe to dirnk.
Water Quantity
Refers to the amount of water available for use.
Water Quantity
Refers to the amount of water available for use.
Water Quality
Refers to how pure the water is.
Water Management
The balance between maintaining water quality and water quantity.
Retreating Glacier
If the glacier melts faster than it is replaced by new ice
Advancing Glacier
If ice builds up faster than it melts
Striations
When glaciers move across rock, the fragments imbedded in the ice cause scratches in the
rock face.
Glacier
Masses of snow and ice that slowly move downhill
Valley Glacier
Form in mountain ranges
Continental Glacier
A huge mass of ice or snow
Icecaps
A glacier that forms on relatively flat land.
Icefield
Upland area of ice that feeds two or more glaciers.
Icefalls
Result from where a glacier flows over a steep cliff and breaks up.
Crevasse
A crack in the ice.
Wetlands
an area that is saturated with water all or most of the time.
Ex: Marshes
Watershed
watersheds or drainage basins are areas of land that drain into bodies of water.
Streamflow
The amount of water discharged by a watershed. Watersheds measure the amount of water flowing through a stream channel over some time.
Aquifer
a system of water flowing through porous rock.
Point Sources
where the source of a pollutant is from a small, defined area.
Ex: Leaking gasoline storage tanks, leaking septic tanks and accidental spills
Non Point Sources
where a pollutant comes from a wide area.
Ex: Run-off from farmland treated with pesticides and fertilizers
Weathering
the breakdown of rocks/minerals into sediments over time due to physical, chemical or biological activities.
Erosion
the transport of sediments from one place to another due to water, wind and/or gravity.
Deposition
when sediments are dropped off at a new location.
Seawalls & Breakwaters
barriers help to slow down the speed & force of the waves
Jetties
Prevent sand from blocking the mouth of rivers/harbours
Groins
reduce the movement of sand along the shore
What do we call the beginning and the end of a watershed?
The beginning of a watershed is called the headwaters and the end is called the outflow.
