| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Surface Water | Fresh water on Earth's land surface; found in lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands |
| River System | Streams & rivers moving across land; making up a network of water |
| Watershed | An area that is drained by a river |
| Groundwater | Water that stored beneath the Earth's surface in sediment and rock formations |
| Aquifer | An underground formation that contains groundwater |
| Porosity | The amount of space between the particles that make up a rock |
| Permeability | The ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through |
| Recharge Zone | The area of the Earth's surface where water percolates down into the aquifer |
| Potable | Water that is safe to drink |
| Pathogen | Organisms that cause illness or disease |
| Irrigation | Method of providing plants with water from sources other than direct precipitation |
| Dam | A structure built across a river to conrol its flow |
| Reservoir | An artificial lake formed behind a dam |
| Desalination | The process of removing salt from salt water |
| Water Pollution | The introduction of chemical, physical or biological agents into water and degrades its quality |
| Point-source pollution | Pollution that is discharged from a single 'known' source |
| Nonpoint-source pollution | Pollution that is discharged from many different sources that are often difficult to identify |
| Wastewater | Water that contains foreign products from households or industry |
| Artificial Eutrophication | An increase in the amount of nutrients, such as nitrates & phosphates, in an aquatic ecosystem due to human activity; causes low levels of oxygen and eventually increased plant life |
| Thermal Pollution | The temperature of a body of water increases due to human activity |
| Biomagnification | The accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain |
| Evaporation | The conversion of water from its liquid state to its vapor state |
| Transpiration | The emission of water vapor from the leaves of plants |
| Condensation | The process by which water changes from its vapor state to its liquid state |
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