Ch.15 Vocabulary
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Created by:
jcondrummer on March 21, 2012
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Description:
AP Environmental Science
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17 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 aquifer | underground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etc |
| arid | lacking sufficient water or rainfall |
| desalination | the removal of salt (especially from sea water) |
| drought | a temporary shortage of rainfall |
| evaporation | the process of extracting moisture |
| floodplain | a low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding |
| groundwater | water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers |
| hydrologic cycle | the natural process by which water is purified and made fresh through evaporation and precipitation. The cycle provides all the fresh water available for biological life. |
| natural recharge | Natural replenishment of an aquifer by precipitation, which percolates downward through soil and rock. |
| recharge area | An area where permeable soil or rock allows water to seep into the ground to replenish an aquifer. |
| reliable runoff | Surface runoff of water that generally can be counted on as a stable source of water from year to year. |
| saltwater intrusion | Movement of salt water into freshwater aquifers in coastal and inland areas as groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is recharged by precipitation. |
| subsidence | the sudden collapse of something into a hollow beneath it |
| surface runoff | water that flows over land until it reaches lakes, rivers, or other areas |
| watershed | a ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems |
| zone of aeration | The upper zone which usually isn't completely filled with water, but with rocks and soil too. ( Is about Ground water) |
| zone of saturation | The lower zone where water accumilates between small rock particles. |
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