chapter 19 flashcards
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Created by:
dajahmitchell on November 15, 2010
Subjects:
ap earth and environmental science
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22 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Water pollution | It's any chemical, biological or physical change in water quality that has harmful effect on living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses. |
| Point source | Specific location, we can see where the problem is coming from. (Drain pipes) |
| Nonpoint source | Can't be traced to a single site of discharge (Industrial, Runoff) |
| Oxygen Sag Curve | In a flowing stream, the breakdown of degradable wastes by bacteria depletes DO (Dissolved Oxygen). |
| Eutrophication | The natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake, estuary or slow moving stream, mostly from runoff of plant nutrients from the surrounding land. |
| Cultural Eutrophication | Human activities can greatly accelerate the input of plant nutrients to a lake— involving mostly nitrate- and phosphate-containing effluents from various sources. |
| Biological Oxygen Demand | the amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to decompose biological wastes into carbon dioxide, water, and minerals. |
| Dead Zones | Low life areas without nutrients |
| Crude Petroleum | Oil directly from the ground |
| Secondary Sewage Treatment | Biological process in which aerobic bacteria remove as much as 90% of dissolved and biodegradable, oxygen demanding organic wastes. |
| Sludge | Gooey mixture of toxic chemicals, infectious agents, and settled solids removed from wastewater at a sewage treatment plant. |
| Degradable Wastes | potentially polluting substance that can be broken down completely or reduced to acceptable levels by natural physical, chemical, and biological processes |
| Refined Petroleum | Fuel oil, gasoline, and other processed petroleum products. |
| Nondegradable Wastes | (toxic lead, arsenic, flouride) are there permanently. |
| Primary Sewage Treatment | Physical process using screens & a grit tank to remove large floating objects & allows settling. |
| Tertiary Sewage Treatment | (Advanced) Uses series of chemical and physical processes to remove specific pollutants left (Nitrates & Phosphates). |
| Dissolved Oxygen | amount of oxygen present in water. It can be decreased by pollution and impact living organisms in the water. |
| Slowly Degradable Wastes | (such as DDT) are there for decades. |
| Plume | area of moving groundwater that is contaminated with a pollutant. |
| Hypoxia | lack of oxygen. |
| Septic Tank | A large underground tank that collects and cleans waste water from a household. |
| Disinfection | Destroys or kills pathogenic organisms. |
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