Environmental Geology: Water Resources and Flooding

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 13 on global water conflicts, groundwater dynamics, freshwater management, and flood control.

Three Gorges Dam

A dam constructed on the Yangtze River to supply electric power and irrigation water to cities and countryside, which displaced millions of people ($13$ cities, $140$ towns, and $1{,}350$ villages), flooded miles of wildlife habitat, and is situated on an active fault.

California State Water Project

A major water transfer system designed to move water from Northern California to Southern California, resulting in declining water tables and numerous lawsuits.

Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact

An agreement signed by Great Lakes States and $2$ Canadian Provinces in 1985 (ratified in 2005) to protect and manage access to the basin's water resources.

Hydrologic cycle

The natural cycle that collects, purifies, and distributes Earth's fixed water supply from the environment to living organisms and back to the environment.

Watershed (Drainage basin)

A land area that delivers water and sediments to a major river via smaller rivers or tributaries.

Groundwater

Water that soaks into the ground and is stored in slowly flowing and slowly renewed underground reservoirs known as aquifers; it is Earth's most widely available source of freshwater.

Zone of Aeration

The subsurface region located above the water table where open spaces between rock and sediment are filled mostly with air.

Zone of Saturation

The subsurface region where all open spaces between sediment and rock are completely filled with water.

Water table

The line dividing the zone of saturation from the overlying zone of aeration.

Recharge areas

Areas of land that allow surface water to infiltrate downward through the soil and rock into an aquifer.

Discharge areas

Locations where groundwater moves out of the saturated zone to surface water.

Aquifer

Underground porous layers of sand, gravel, rock, and caverns through which groundwater flows.

Aquitard

An impermeable or low-permeability geological layer that prevents the transmission of water.

Saltwater intrusion

A process occurring when freshwater tables are lowered, causing ocean water pressure to increase and blend into freshwater groundwater supplies.

Estuary

An aquatic environment where a river meets the sea, which can be eliminated or degraded downstream when dams deplete water and sediment recharge.

Desalination

An energy-intensive process used to produce freshwater from saltwater that discharges concentrated salt and algae-killing chemicals into seawater, causing pollution.

Xeriscaping

The practice of using climate-adapted vegetation rather than traditional grass lawns to reduce water consumption.

Graywater

Gently used wastewater sourced from household baths and clothes washing machines that can be recycled and reused.