Aquatics: 3_People, Stewardship, Conservation Flashcards
(39 cards)
What are anthropogenic impacts?
Effects on the environment caused by human activities.
What is nonpoint source pollution?
Pollution that originates from a diffuse area, such as agricultural runoff or logging.
What is point source pollution?
Pollution that originates from a specific, identifiable location, such as a factory discharge pipe or a leaking underground storage tank.
What is turbidity?
The cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air.
What are nutrients in aquatic ecosystems?
Substances like nitrogen and phosphorus that, in excess amounts, can lead to eutrophication (excessive algal growth).
What is eutrophication?
The process by which a body of water becomes overly enriched with nutrients, leading to excessive growth of algae and other aquatic plants.
What is groundwater?
Water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.
What is an aquifer?
A body of permeable rock which can contain or transmit groundwater.
What is an underground storage tank (UST)?
A tank, or combination of tanks (including connected underground piping), that is used to contain regulated substances and the volume of which is 10 percent or more beneath the surface of the ground.
What are fisheries?
Areas where fish are caught, or the industry or occupation of catching fish.
What is maximum yield in fisheries?
The maximum catch that can be taken from a fishery while leaving a self-sustaining population.
What is a food web?
A system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
What is a watershed?
An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.
What are watershed stewardship groups (WSGs)?
Local groups that encourage actions to promote watershed health.
What are watershed planning and advisory councils (WPACs)?
Independent, non-profit organizations in Alberta designated to report on watershed health, lead collaborative planning, education, and stewardship.
What is a water management plan?
A statutory plan developed under Alberta’s Water Act, providing guidance for regulatory decisions related to water use and protection.
What is a watershed management plan?
A plan that broadens the scope of management to consider all activities that potentially impact water quality and quantity within a watershed, often developed collaboratively.
What is collaborative co-management?
A form of environmental governance that involves multiple stakeholders working together to manage natural resources.
What is a riparian area?
The interface between land and a river or stream.
What is a wetland?
Land area that is saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of a distinct ecosystem.
What is a seed bank?
A natural storage of seeds, often dormant, within the soil or in the form of plant or animal material.
What is infiltration?
The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.
What is runoff?
The draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc.
What is snowmelt?
The surface runoff produced from melting snow.
