Water

Groundwater

water found underground trapped in soil or porous rock

Water Cycle

the movement of water through various water compartments such as surface waters, atmosphere, soil, and living organisms

Transpiration

the loss of water vapor from plants

Aquifer

an underground, permeable region of soil or rock that is saturated with water 

Infiltration

the process of water soaking into the ground. (As water travels through the soil and rocks, it is filtered)

Water Table

the uppermost water level of the saturated zone of an aquifer.

Saltwater Intrusion

the inflow of ocean (salt) water into a freshwater aquifer that happens when an aquifer has lost some of its freshwater stores.

Water Wars

political conflicts over the allocation of water sources.

Surface Water

any body of water found above the ground such as oceans, rivers, and lakes

Domestic Water

indoor and outdoor water used by households and small businesses.

Water Scarcity

Physical – not enough water is available

Economic – cannot afford to buy or access water

Potable

water that is clean enough for consumption

Safe drinking water act

federal law that protects public drinking water supplies in the United States (Flint Michigan example)

wastewater

used and contaminated water that is released after use by households, businesses, industry, or agriculture

wastewater treatment

the process of removing contaminants from wastewater

effluent

treated wastewater discharged into the environment

dams

structures that block the flow of water in a river or stream

resevoirs

artificial lakes formed when a river is impounded by a dam

desalination

the removal of salt and minerals from seawater to make it suitable for consumption (expensive process both energetically and monetarily)

water footprint

the water consumed by a given group (that is, person or population) or appropriated and/or polluted by industry to produce products or energy

direct use - water used to meet personal needs of cooking, washing, toilet flushing, and so on.

indirect use - water used on our behalf by industry to produce the products and energy that we consume

water pollution

The addition of any substance to a body of water that might degrade its quality

Point Source

comes from a source we can identify easily Pollution from wastewater treatment plants or industrial sites, such as that from discharge pipes or smokestacks

effluent

wastewater discharged into the environment

non point source pollution

Runoff that enters the water from overland and flow

storm-water runoff

water from precipitation that flows over the surface of the land

dissolved oxygen

the oxygen content in the water

Hypoxia

a situation in which a body of water contains inadequate levels of oxygen, compromising the health of many aquatic organisms

Eutrophication

a process by which excess nutrients in aquatic ecosystems feed biological productivity, ultimately lowering the oxygen content in the water

Watershed

the land area surrounding a body of water over which water such as rain can flow and potentially  enter that body of water

Chemical Assessment

chemical parameters of water quality such as pH and dissolved oxygen content are monitored to see if these values are within acceptable limits for the organisms who live there

physical assessment

physical parameters that are assessed include the water’s turbidity (cloudiness) and temp (higher temp means lower DO levels)

Biological assessment

the process of sampling an area to see what lives there as a tool to determine how healthy the area is

Benthic macroinvertebrates

easy-to-see (not microscopic) arthropods such as insects that live on the stream bottom

Clean Water Act

U.S. federal legislation that regulates the release of point source pollution into surface waters and sets water quality standards for those waters

Performance Standards

the levels of pollutants allowed to be present in the environment or released over a certain time period

watershed managment

management of what goes on in an area around streams and rivers

total maximum daily loads

the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed to enter a water body so that the water body will meet water quality standards

Riparian Areas

the land areas close enough to a body of water to be affected by the water’s presence (e.g., areas where water tolerant plants grow or, provide shade)

Acidification

the lowering of the pH of a solution (the areas are devoid of most of the sea life found in nearby unacidified areas

Marine Calcifers

organisms that make a hard calcium-based shell or exoskeleton

Coral Reef

a large underwater structure formed by colonies of tiny animals (coral) that produce a calcium carbonate exoskeleton that over time builds up; commonly found in shallow, warm, tropical areas

depth

determines availability of sunlight

Proximity to land

which determines availability of nutrients

Estuary

a region where a river empties into the ocean (known as the nurseries of the sea because many species come to the areas to spawn)

Coral

colonial marine animals that secrete hard outer shells in which they live and are mutualistically dependent on an algal partner

Zooxanthellae (zooks)

mutualistic photosynthetic algal partner of a coral polyp; each provides nutrients that the other needs

Coral Bleaching

a stress response in coral in which the mutualistic algal partner is expelled; this weakens and can even kill the coral if it is not recolonized soon

Pollution

Sediments and high levels of nutrient runoff, boost algae production and create algal blooms, smothers coral and blocks sunlight reducing photosynthesis