aquatics envriothon

Abiotic

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect ecosystems.

Biotic

Living components in an ecosystem that interact with each other.

Lentic

Refers to freshwater environments with standing water, such as lakes and ponds.

Lotic

Refers to freshwater environments with flowing water, such as rivers and streams.

Wetlands

Areas that are inundated or saturated by water either permanently or seasonally, supporting aquatic plants.

Riparian Zones

Vegetated areas adjacent to bodies of water that help reduce erosion and filter pollutants.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

Oxygen dissolved in water, essential for aquatic organisms to survive.

Eutrophication

Excessive nutrients in water bodies, leading to algal blooms and decreased oxygen levels.

Point Source Pollution

Pollution that comes from a single, identifiable source.

Nonpoint Source Pollution

Pollution that comes from many diffuse sources, commonly resulting from runoff.

Macroinvertebrates

Organisms without a backbone visible to the naked eye, often used as indicators of water quality.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that can cause harm to ecosystems and biodiversity.

Clean Water Act

U.S. law aimed at regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States.

Safe Drinking Water Act

U.S. law that protects public drinking water supplies throughout the nation.

Watershed

Land area that drains into a particular water body, essential for managing water resources.

Turbidity

Cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large number of individual particles.

Groundwater

Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.

Aquifers

Underground layers of water-bearing rock that can yield groundwater.

Salinity

The measure of all the salts dissolved in water, important for the ecological health of aquatic systems.