chapter 11 Flashcards
(19 cards)
surface water
fresh water on Earths land surface. Found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands
river system
a flowing network that is formed by streams and rivers move across the land
watershed
the area of land that is drained by a river
groundwater
water that is found benath Earths surface in the spaces in sediment and rock formations
aquifier
an underground formation that contains groundwater
porosity
the percenage of the total volume of a rock that has spaces (pores)
permeability
the ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it
recharge zones
an area of Earths surface from which water percolates down into a an aquifer
potable
safe to drink
pathogens
organisms that cause illness or disease
dams
built across rivers to control the flow
reservoir
(artificial lake) formed behind a dam in rivers
desalination
the process of mvoing salt from salt water
water pollution
intorduction of chemical, physical, or biollogical agents into water that degrade water quality and harm the organisms that depend on water
point source pollution
pollutuion discharged from a single source
nonpoint source pollution
runoff polluton, often from many difficult sources that are difficult to identify
waste water
water that contains waste from homes or industry
artificial eutrophication
eutrophication is accelerated when inorganic plant nutrients, suchas phosphorus and nitrogen, enter the water from sewage and fertilizer runoff.
thermal pollution
occur when power plants andother industries use water in their cooling systems and then discharge thewarm water into a lake or river.
