Chapter 13 Flashcards
Zone of Saturation
The spaces in soil and rock close to the earth’s surface, below a certain depth, these spaces are completely
filled with water
Water Table
falls in dry weather, or when we remove groundwater faster than nature can replenish
it, and it rises in wet weather
Aquifers
underground caverns and porous layers of sand, gravel, or rock through which groundwater flows
Surface water
the freshwater from precipitation and melted
snow that flows across the earth’s land surface and into lakes, wetlands, streams, rivers, estuaries, and ultimately into the oceans
Surface runoff
Precipitation that does not infiltrate the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation
Watershed or drainage basin
The land from which surface water drains into a particular river, lake, wetland, or other body of water
Reliable runoff
According to water scientists (hydrologists), two-thirds of the annual surface runoff into rivers and streams is lost in seasonal floods and is not available for human use. The remaining one-third is reliable runoff
Drought
a prolonged period in which precipitation is at least 70% lower than average and evaporation is higher than normal in a particular area
Water footprint
which is a rough measure of the volume of water that we use directly and indirectly to keep ourselves alive and to support our lifestyles
Virtual water
Water that is not directly consumed but is
used to produce food and other products
Desalinization
involves removing dissolved salts from
ocean water or from brackish (slightly salty) water in aquifers or lakes
Dam
is a structure built across a river to control the river’s flow
Reservoir
dammed water creates an artificial
lake
Floodplain
A flood happens when water in a stream overflows its normal channel and spills into an adjacent area
Groundwater
one of our most important sources of freshwater and a key component of the earth’s natural capital
