| Term | Definition |
|---|
| headwaters | beginning top or highest part, generally steep areas. water will be moving quickly and generally not deep |
| divide | highest point that separates two watersheds. |
| down river | the direction the water flows. |
| channel | steep sides that holds the "normal" water level. |
| tributaries | smaller streams or rivers that empty into a larger body of water. |
| flood plains | broad, flat land next to a body of water, wehere flooding regularly occurs. |
| mouth | where a faster smaller stream or river empties into a larger body of water. (generally slower rate of flow. |
| wetland | a low- lying area that holds water some time of the year has specific plants and animals. |
| factors that determine run off | ground surface- porous (decreases runoff) non porous or impervious (increase runoff) rate of rainfall/ amount of precipitation- greater rate= greater run-off. slope of the land- greater slope= greater run-off. |
| erosion | ways that rivers change the land. where water, ice, or wind breaks down rock into smaller pieces; causes sediments. |
| deposition | ways rivers change the land. when sediments are put down into the water; leads to sedimentary rock. |
| flooding | when water overflows the channel. regular and naturally occurring phenomenon. |
| dams | built across the channel to reserve water upstream and prevents and controls flooding. |
| levees | built along the channel to make channel higher to prevent flooding. ex.- New Orleans. |
| important functions of wetlands | flood control, habitual- plants/ animals/ bacteria. filtration of water, sediments falls due to plants, atmospheric maintenance- stores ____ in organisms, nitrogen fixation occurs. ground water recharge is wter in the ground that lets the land water to fill in. |
| sources of drinking water | most common: rivers, lakes, resrvoirs, underground rock layers, (aquifers,) |
| water quality | is a measurement of the substances in water besides water molecules. |
| pH | measurement of how acidic or basic it is. this is done on a scale of 0-14. pure water is neutral, meaning that it is neither an acid or a base. pH balance of 7. range 6.5-8.2. the lower the more acidic the water is. if water is too acidic it could w=cuase problems by dissolving some metals in the pipes it passes thorough. |
| hardness (pertaining to water) | the level of two minerals- calcium and magnesium. |
| hard water | has high levels of these minerals; calcium and magnesium . |
| soft water | contains lower levesl of calcium and magnesium. |
| concentration | the amount of one substance in a certain volume of another substance. |
| water pressure | is what causes water to move throughout the pipes. |
| pumping stations | designed to keep water pressure steady and consistent throughout the system. |
| sewage | wastewater (toilets, laundry etc) |
| sanitary sewers | network of pipes that carries sewage away from homes, these are separate from storm sewers. |
| storm sewers | rainwater and runoff from sidewalks, lawns, or parking lots go into it. |
| sludge | deposits of fine solids. |
| activated sludge | can break down remaining sewage with bacteria in the water. |
| septic system | includes septic tank and is a private sanitary system for private residences. |
| septic tank | underground tank containing bacteria that treat wastewater as it passes through. |
| leach field | the area around the septic tank that the water filters though. eventually left over waste decomposes naturally. |
| ecology | the study of the way organisms interact with their surroundings. |
| nodules | holds the bacteria on the roots of plants which preform nitrogen fixation. |
| phosphate | come from industrial effluent and detergent and organically bound come from animal matter and wastes. it is a nutrient. it can limit how much plant life can be there. optimal range 0.05- 0.1 ppm. |
| nitrates | ______ enter water though human and animal waste, decomposing organic matter and fertilzer run-off. nutrient can add to an algae bloom (sometimes.) optimal range. 0.1-1 ppm. |
| dissolved oxygen | __________ analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in an liquid solution. oxygen that is diffused into the water. marine organisms use this type of oxygen. optimal range: 4-8 ppm. |
| alkalinity | the amount of buffering materials in the water buffering capacity- ability of the water to resist pH change. water |
| turbidity | is the measure of the degree to which the water has its transparency due to the presence of suspended particles. how many particles floating in the water. 20-75 JTU (?) |
| flow rate | the rate at which the body of water flows: affects: ground surface, slope, big rocks/ little rocks, volume of water. distance/ time= __________ (?) |
| mitigation banking | where a land owner can by or sell credits toward wetland development permits, for instance if i wanted to develop the land near a wetland and my activities would degrade the wetland. i could buy credits from someone else who is making a wetland bigger or cleaner. |
| clean water act of 1972 | gave corps of engineers the responsibility of regulating development in wetlands, began a national permitting system for pollution discharges. by 1988 george h.w. bush, endoreses no net loss of wetland policy. |
| conservation viewpoint | use resources buy not destroy them or use them all sustainability is important. the viewpoint that you can use the resources but not destroy them. only use what is necessary. |
| preservation | choose to not use resources in order to preserve them. |
| development viewpoint | is the idea that resources have economic value and should be used for numbers. |
| agriculture | crop land and pasture. |
| development | the idea of building structures. |
| mining | trying to remove non-renewable resources. |
| nutrient depletion | when nutrients leave the soil faster than when their replenished. |
| litter | dead leaves and matter on top of the soil surface. |
| top soil | the soil which contains rock fragments, nutrients, water, air and decaying animal and plant matter. |
| sub soil | is less rich in animal and plant matter and can take hundreds of years to form just a few cm of the rock that makes up the earth |
| bedrock | rock that makes up the earth's crust. |
| agriculture | a land use used for farming and such. |
| development | the construction of buildings, roads, bridges, and dams. |
| mining | the removal of nonrenewable resources such as iron, copper, and coal from the land, |
| acid rain | rain that is more acidic than normal, caused by the release of molecules of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the air. |
| aquifer | an underground layer of rock or soil that holds water. |
| artesian well | a well in which water rises because of pressure within the aquifer. |
| climate | the pattern of temperature and precipitation typical of an area over a long period of time. |
| coagulation | the process by which particles in a liquid clump together; a step in the water treatment process. |
| condensation | the process by which a gas changes to a liquid. |
| conservation | the process of using a resource wisely so it will not be used up. |
| delta | the area of sediment deposits that build up near a river's mouth. |
| deposition | the process by which soil and fragments of rock are deposited in a new location. |
| desalination | the process of obtaining fresh water from salt water by removing the salt. |
| divide | a ridge of land that separates one watershed from another. |
| erosion | the process by which fragments of soil and rock are broken off from the ground surface and carried away. |
| estuary | a coastal inlet or bay where fresh water from rivers mixes with salty ocean water. |
| eutrophication | the process by which nutrients in a lake build up over time, causing an increase in the growth of algae. |
| evaporation | the process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to the gaseous state. |
| filtration | the process of passing water thorough a series of screens that allow the water through, but not larger solid particles. |
| flocs | sticky globs created by adding a chemical such as alum during water treatment. |
| flood plain | a broad, flat valley though which a river flows. |
| food web | the feeding relationships in a habitat. |
| geyser | a type of hot spring in which the water is under pressure and bursts periodically into the air. |
| glacier | a huge mass of ice and snow that moves slowly over the land. |
| groundwater | water that fills the cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers. |
| habitat | the place where an organism lives and that provides the things it needs to survive. |
| impermeable | characteristic of materials though which water does not easily pass, such as clay and granite. |
| irrigation | the process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops. |
| leach field | the ground area around a septic tank through which wastewater filters after leaving the tank. |
| levee | a long ridge formed by deposits of sediments alongside a river channel. |
| meander | a looping curve formed in a river as it winds through its flood plain. |
| mouth | the point where a river flows into another body of water. |
| nodule | a lump formed when metals such as manganese build up around pieces of shell on the ocean floor. |
| open-ocean zone | the area of the ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf. |
| oxbow lake | the crescent-shaped, cutoff body of water that remains after a river carves a new channel. |
| permeable | characteristic of materials that allow water to easily pass through them, such as sand and gravel. |
| pesticide | a chemical intended to kill insects and other organisms that damage crops. |
| pH | how acidic or basic a substance is, measured on a scale of 1 ( very acidic) to 14 (very basic). |
| photosynthesis | the process by which plants use water, plus carbon dioxide and energy from the sun, to make food. |
| point source | a specific source of pollution that can be identified, such as a pipe. |
| pores (soil and water pertained) | tiny openings in and between particles of rock and soil which may contain air or water. |
| precipitation | water that falls to earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. |
| recharge | new water that enters an aquifer from the surface. |
| reservoir | a natural or artificial lake that stores water for human use.- usually human made. |
| runoff | water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground. |
| salinity | the total amount of dissolved salts in a water sample. |
| saturated zone | a layer of permeable rock or soil in which the cracks and pores are totally filled with water. |
| sediments | the particles of rock and soil that are moved by water or wind, resulting in erosion and deposition. |
| septic tank | an underground tank containing bacteria that treat wastewater as it passes through. |
| sewage | water containing human wastes. |
| sludge | deposits of fine solids that settle out from wastewater during the treatment process. |
| spring | a place where groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in the rocks. |
| unsaturated zone | a layer of rocks and soil about the water table in which the pores contain air as well as water. |
| water cycle | the continuous process by which water moves through the living and non living parts of the enviorment. |
| water pollution | the addition of any substance that has a negative effect on water or the living things that depend on the water. |
| water quality | the degree of purity of water, determined by measuring the substances in water, besides water molecules. |
| watershed | the land area that supplies water to a river system. |
| water table | a top of the saturated zone, or depth to the groundwater in a aquifer. |
| water vapor | the invisible, gaseous form of water. |
| wetland | an area of land that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year. |
| air pollution | a change to the atmosphere that has harmful effects. |
| bedrock | rock that mekes up earth's crust. |
| biodegradable | capable of being broken down by bacteria and other natural decomposers. |
| composting | helping the natural decomposition process to break down certain wastes. |
| consumer | an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms. |
| decomposer | an organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms. |
| desert | an area that receives less than 25 cm of precipitation a year. |
| desertification | the advance of desert like conditions into areas that previously were fertile |
| development | the construction of buildings, roads, dams, and other structures. |
| ecology | the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment. |
| ecosystem | all the living and nonliving things that interact in an area. |
| efficiency | the percentage of energy that is used by a devise to perform work. |
| emissions | solid particles and gases released into the air from a smokestack or motor vehicle. |
| endangered species | a species in danger of becoming extinct in the near future. |
| energy conservation | the practice of reducing energy use. |
| erosion | the process by which water, wind, or ice moves particles of rock or soil. |
| estuary | a habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean. |
| fallow | left unplanted with crops. |
| fertilizer | a chemical that provides nutrients to help crops grow better. |
| flammable | capable of catching fire easily and burning at low temperatures. |
| food chain | a series of events in which one organism eats another. |
| food web | the pattern of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem. |
| hazardous waste | a material that can be harmful if it is not properly disposed of. |
| incineration | the burning of solid waste. |
| land reclamation | the process of restoring land to a more natural state. |
| leachate | water that has passed through buried wastes in a landfill. |
| litter | layer of dead leaves and grass on top of the soil. |
| municipal waste | waste produced in homes, businesses,and schools. |
| nitrogen fixation | the process of changing free nitrogen gas into a usable form. |
| nodules | bumps on the roots of certain plants that house nitrogen- fixing bacteria. |
| nonrenewable resource | a natural resource that is not replaced as it is used. |
| nutrient depletion | the situation that arises when more soil nutrients are used than the decomposers can replace. |
| pesticide | a chemical that kills crop-destroying organisms. |
| pollution | a change to the environment that has a negative effect on living things. |
| precipitation | rain, snow, sleet, or hail. |
| radioactive | containing unstable atoms. |
| recycling | the process of reclaiming and reusing raw materials. |
| renewable resource | a resource that is naturally replaced in a relatively short time. |
| reserve | a known deposit of fuels. |
| resin | solid material produced during oil refining that can be used to make plastics. |
| sanitary landfill | a landfill that holds nonhazardous waste such as municipal solid waste and construction debris. |
| scavenger | a carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms. |
| sediments | particles of rock and sand. |
| sewage | the water and human wastes that are washed down sinks and toilets. |
| species | a group of organisms that are similar and reproduce to produce fertile offspring. |
| subsoil | layer of soil below topsoil. |
| topsoil | an upper layer of soil consisting of rock fragments, organisms, nutrients, water, air, and decaying matter. |
| water cycle | the continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back. |
| water pollution | a change to water that has a harmful effect. |
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