Water and Aquatic Food Production Systems and Societies

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to water systems and aquatic food production systems.

Hydrological Cycle

A system of water flows and storages that may be disrupted by human activity.

Ocean Conveyor Belt

The ocean circulatory system that influences climate and the global distribution of water.

Evapotranspiration

The process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation and plant transpiration.

Aquifers

Underground layers of water-bearing rock that can yield water to wells and springs.

Freshwater Scarcity

A situation where the supply of fresh water is insufficient to meet demand.

Eutrophication

The process that enriches water bodies with nutrients, leading to excessive plant growth and decay, often causing oxygen depletion.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

A measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter in water.

Indicator Species

Species used to assess the health of an ecosystem or the level of pollution.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms in controlled environments for food production.

Desalination

A process that removes minerals from saline water to produce fresh water.

Sustainable Abstraction

The extraction of water resources in a way that can be maintained over time without depleting the resource.

Water Security

The capacity of a population to ensure sustainable access to adequate quantities of and quality of water.