Ecology-Aquatic Environment

chapter 3

Driving force behind water cycle

solar radiation

interception

water is trapped by vegatation/structures etc

infiltration

water reaches soil

groundwater

water under clay/rock underground

runoff

urban areas with low inflitration

transpiration

evaporation of water from interior of plants eva

evapotranspiration

evaporating water from the surfaces of ground and plants

largest freshwater reservoir on earf

polar ice caps and glaciers

thermocline in tropical waters

permanent feature. stratification

temperate zone thermocline

only in the summer

solution

liquid that is a mixture of 2+ things

solvent

dissolving agent

solute

substance that dissolved

aqueous solution

solution with water as solvent

diffusion

tendency of molecules to go from high to low concentrations

alkaline

above 7 ph

acidic

below 7 ph

equatorial upwelling

deep cold water replaces warmer surface waters

coastal upwelling

winds move surface water offshore and cold water replaces it

spring tides

when the sun and the moon are aligned and tides are largest

endorheic basins

stream/lake/river that doesnt drain into the ocean

estuaries

area where lake and ocean meet