Watershed & Water Quality Vocabulary

A complete set of 36 vocabulary flashcards covering watershed dynamics, hydrological processes, and water quality parameters based on the study guide.

Watershed

An area of land where all precipitation and runoff drain to the same stream, river, lake, or other body of water.

Watershed divide

A ridge or high area of land that separates one watershed from another.

Riparian zone

The area of land along the edge of a river, stream, or other body of water.

Point-source pollution

Pollution that comes from one specific, identifiable source, such as a pipe releasing wastewater.

Nonpoint-source pollution

Pollution that comes from many spread-out sources, often carried by rain or snowmelt; examples include fertilizer or oil washed off land.

Habitat

The natural place where an organism lives and gets what it needs to survive.

Food web

A network of connected food chains showing how energy moves among organisms in an ecosystem.

Producers

Organisms, such as plants and algae, that make their own food, usually using sunlight.

Consumers

Organisms that get energy by eating plants or other organisms.

Decomposers

Organisms, such as many fungi and bacteria, that break down dead organisms and waste, returning nutrients to the environment.

Evaporation

The process in which liquid water changes into water vapor.

Condensation

The process in which water vapor cools and changes into liquid water droplets, forming clouds or dew.

Precipitation

Water that falls from clouds to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Transpiration

The release of water vapor from plants, mainly through tiny openings in their leaves.

Runoff

Water from rain or melting snow that flows over the land into streams, rivers, lakes, or drains.

Groundwater

Water stored beneath Earth's surface in soil and cracks in rock.

Percolation

The movement of water downward through soil and porous rock.

Impervious

Describes a surface that water cannot easily pass through, such as concrete or asphalt.

Invertebrates

Animals that do not have a backbone, such as insects, worms, and many aquatic organisms.

Turbulence

Irregular, swirling, or churning movement of water.

Turbidity

A measure of how cloudy or murky water is because of particles suspended in it.

Streamflow/discharge

The volume of water flowing past a point in a stream or river during a certain amount of time.

Hydrograph

A graph showing how a stream's water level or flow rate changes over time, often after rainfall.

Base flow

The portion of streamflow supplied by groundwater that keeps a stream flowing between storms.

Dissolved oxygen

Oxygen gas mixed into water that aquatic organisms need to breathe.

Photosynthesis

The process in which plants and algae use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make sugars and release oxygen.

pH

A scale that describes how acidic or basic a solution is. A pH of $7$ is neutral; below $7$ is acidic and above $7$ is basic.

Logarithmic

A type of scale where each equal step represents a multiplication by a fixed factor; the pH scale is logarithmic, so one pH unit means a tenfold change in hydrogen-ion concentration.

Eutrophic

Describes water rich in nutrients that can support heavy plant or algae growth; too many nutrients may cause algal blooms and low oxygen.

Nitrogen/nitrates

Nitrogen is a nutrient needed by living things. Nitrate is a form of nitrogen in water; excess nitrate can pollute water and encourage excessive algae growth.

Phosphorus/phosphates

Phosphorus is a nutrient needed by living things. Phosphate is a form found in water; too much can cause excessive algae growth and eutrophication.

Chlorine/chlorides

Chlorine is a chemical used to disinfect drinking water. Chloride is a dissolved ion that can enter water from salts, road salt, or wastewater; high levels may harm freshwater life.

Potable

Safe to drink.

Temperature

How hot or cold the water is; it affects how much oxygen water can hold and how aquatic organisms function.

TDS (total dissolved solids)

The total amount of dissolved substances in water, such as minerals and salts.

TSS (total suspended solids)

The amount of solid particles suspended in water, such as silt, clay, or organic matter; these particles can make water cloudy.