Water Quality 3 Review

This set of flashcards covers key terms and concepts related to water quality, including measures of physical and chemical quality, bacteria indicators, and environmental nutrients.

Turbidity

A measure of the cloudiness or haziness of water due to suspended solids.

Total P

Total phosphorus levels in water, typically measured between 0.010 - 0.076 mg/L.

Total N

Total nitrogen levels in water, usually ranging from 0.12 - 2.18 mg/L.

Fecal coliforms

Group of bacteria found in the intestines of animals, indicating potential contamination.

E. coli

A specific type of fecal coliform bacteria, used as a primary indicator of fecal contamination.

CFU

Colony Forming Units, a measure of viable bacterial numbers.

MPN

Most Probable Number, a statistical estimate of the number of viable microorganisms in a sample.

Geometric mean

A type of average used primarily for datasets that are multiplicative or vary exponentially, particularly in water quality assessments.

DO

Dissolved Oxygen, an important indicator of water quality and a requirement for aquatic life.

BOD

Biochemical Oxygen Demand, a measure of the amount of oxygen that microorganisms will consume while decomposing organic matter.