Apes Ch.14 Flashcards
(44 cards)
Groundwater
Water that sinks into the soil and is stored in slowly flowing and slowly renewed underground reservoirs called aquifers
Zone of saturation
Area where all available pores in soil and rock in the earth’s crust are filled by water
Water table
Upper surface of the zone of saturation, in which all available pores in the soil and rock in the earth’s crust are filled with water
Aquifer
underground places where water collects
Drip irrigation
delivers small amount of water directly to plants’ roots
Watershed
Land area that delivers water, sediment, and dissolved substances via smalls streams to a major stream (river)
Center pivot
a method of crop irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot
Desalination
Purification of salt water or brackish (slightly salty) water by removal of dissolved salts.
Reverse osmosis
a device that forces water, under pressure, against a fine membrane to remove minute particles of contaminants
Consumptive water use
using water and not returning it to its original source-mostly because of losses such as evaporation, seepage into the ground, transport to another area, or contamination.
Natural recharge
Natural replenishment of an aquifer by precipitation, which percolates downward through soil and rock.
Floodplain
Flat valley floor next to a stream channel. For legal purposes, the term often applies to any low area that has the potential for flooding, including certain coastal areas.
Ogallala aquifer
a nonrenewable aquifer that stretches across the U.S. Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas.
saltwater intrusion
movement of saltwater into freshwater aquifers in coastal and inland areas as groundwater is withdrawn faster than it is recharged by precipitation
Distillation
A process that separates the substances in a solution based on their boiling points
Grey water
all of the wastewater that drains from washing machines, sinks, dishwashers, tubs or showers and can be reused for non-sanitary purposes
Hydrological poverty
Serious water shortages are emerging as the demand for water in many countries simply outruns the supply forcing people to live in poverty.
Nonconsumptive use
fresh water use in which the water from a particular aquifer or surface water body either is not removed or is removed only temporarily and then returned
Channelization
Altering a stream channel to speed the flow of water to prevent it from reaching flood height
Land subsidies
Sinking of the Earth’s surface (depletion of groundwater/divergent boundary)
Reliable runoff
surface runoff of water that generally can be counted on as a stable source of water from year to year
Soil moisture detector
alert farmers if soil moisture is too high or low
Tiered water pricing system
system in which the required amount of needed water costs very little, however increases of water use cost increasingly more money
Water hotspot
In these areas, competition for scarce water to support growing urban areas, irrigation, recreation, and wildlife could trigger intense political and legal conflicts; where water is scarce.
