Module 22 Flashcards
Groundwater
After glaciers, this is the next largest reservoir for freshwater
Infiltration
Runoff that percolates through the spoon
Zone of aeration
Upper soil layers that hold both air and water
Zone of saturation
Lower soil layers, where all spaces are filled with water
Water table
The top of the zone of saturation
Aquifer
An underground reservoir of water
Artesian well
A pressurized aquifer
Recharge zone
Where water infiltrates into an aquifer
Surface water
Water that exists above ground, including streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and wetlands
Surface runoff
Water that does not infiltrate the ground
Watershed
Drainage basin
Drought
Long periods of time where regions receive 30% or less of their average annual precipitation
Flood plains
Flat land area that are periodically flooded with nutrient-rich silt from the nearby rivers and streams they surround
Riparian vegetation
Plant habitats and communities along Bodies of water
Overdraft
A condition that occurs when withdrawals exceed recharge and water tables begin to fall
Land subsidence
When a groundwater reservoir sinks
Saltwater intrusion
When saltwater flows into freshwater aquifers
Ogallala aquifers
Provides irrigation water to several midwestern states
Hydroelectric power
Hoover dam generates this
California state water project
Uses a series of pumps, aqueducts, and damns to move water from northern to Southern California
Flood irrigation
This method of irrigation relies on pumping large volumes of water directly into agricultural land
Drip irrigation
This method of irrigation uses a series of plastic pipes containing many small hoes to release water along crop rows
Center pivot
This method of irrigation consist of numerous metal frames rolling on wheels that extend large water pipes out over crops
Desalinization
The process of removing salt from saltwater
Reverse osmosis
Micro-filtration
Distillation
A process of desalination in which water is boiled and the resulting steam is captured and condensed to yield pure water
