| Term | Definition |
| Parts of the hydrologic cycle | evaporation, transpiration, runoff, condensation, precipitation, infiltration |
| aquifer | any water-breing layer in the ground |
| cone of depression | lowering of the water table around a pumping well |
| salt water intrusion | near the coast, overpumping of groundwater causes saltwater to move into the aquifer |
| excess phosphorus is added to aquatic ecosystems by | runoff of animal wastes, fertilizer discharge of sewage |
| fecal coliform | indicator of sewage contamination |
| chlorine | good < disinfection of water to kill bacteria; bad > forms trihalomethanes |
| percent water on earth by type | 97.5% seawater, 2.5 % freshwater |
| ways to conserve water | agriculture, drip and trickle irrigation; industry, recycling; home, use gray water, reapir leaks, low flow fixtures |
| BOD | biological oxygen demand, amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down organic materials |
| eutrophication | rapid algal growth caused by an excess of N & P |
| hypoxia | when aquatic plants die, the BOD rises as aerobic decomposers break down the plants, the DO drops & the water cannot support life |
| Minamata Disease | mental impairments caused by mercury |
| Clean Water Act | set maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants thart can be discharged into waterways - aim to make surface waters fishable and swimmable |
| Water Quality Act | attempt to reduce non-point source pollution |
| Ocean Dumping Ban Act | bans ocean dumping of sewage slude & industrial waste in the ocean |