1-5 vocab
Aquifer
A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.
Freshwater
Does not contain any salt and can be rivers, lakes, streams,ponds, and wetlands
point source pollution
pollution that enters a body of water from a specific source; "You can easily point to it"
runoff
water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground
zone of saturation
zone where all open spaces in sediment and rock are completely filled with water
brackish water
mixture of fresh and salt water
gyre
the large circular surface current pattern found in each ocean
permeability
Ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it
specific heat
The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree celcius
cohesion
Attraction between molecules of the same substance
discharge
the amount of water in a stream that passes a given point in a period of time
infiltration
the process by which surface water enters the soil
porosity
the volume of open spaces in rock or soil
Transpiration
Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant
adhesion
An attraction between molecules of different substances
eutrophication
excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
land Subsidence
The gradual sinking of land. The condition may result from the removal of groundwater or oil, which is frequently instrumental in supporting the overlying rock and soil.
pesticide
A chemical intended to kill insects and other organisms that damage crops.
water table
The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater
polarity
the uneven distribution of electrical charge in a molecule. They have positive and negative ends, like a magnet.
Floodplain
The area subject to flooding during a given number of years according to historical trends.
non-point source pollution
water pollution that does not have a specific point of origin; "You cannot easily point to it.
river basin
The area of land drained by a river and its branches.
Watershed
an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet
thermohaline circulation
an oceanic circulation pattern driven by differences in temperature and salinity (saltiness)