APES unit 8 terms

Thermal pollution- change in the temperature of a body of water

Anoxic- low/no oxygen conditions in the water

Eutrophication- nutrients build up in water and create pollution and algae blooms

Distillation- boiling ocean water to remove salt and produce freshwater

Reverse Osmosis- using a membrane to filter out salt and produce fresh water

Cultural Eutrophication- human input accelerating the eutrophication process

Aqueduct- canals used to transfer water from one place to another

Oligotrophic- bodies of water with just a few amounts of nutrients

Desalination- removing salt from ocean water to produce fresh water

Thermal Shock- dramatic change in water temperature that harms a species

Solubility- how well a chemical dissolves in a liquid

microplastics - plastic that degrades and can be easily ingested and become part of the food chain

biomagnification - increase of chemical concentrations in an organism higher up in the food chain

noise pollution - loud noise that interferes with an organisms well being and function

North Pacific Garbage Patch- a mixture of plastics and trash found in the ocean

single use plastic- we should reduce all plastic use, particularly this one

slowly degradable pollutants - pollutants that take decades/centuries to break down

Bioaccumulation- the absorption of various chemical in an organism over time

nondegradable pollutants- pollutants that do not break down

persistence- length of time a chemical stays in the environment

endocrine disruptors- chemicals that cause normal hormone disruption

mutagen- chemical that damages DNA

fish ladder- stair like structure designed to help fish get over dams

neurotoxin- chemicals that disrupt the nervous system (brain)

Dike- similar to levees but built by the ocean to protect from flooding

Dam- a barrier that blocks river/stream flow; used to generate electricity

Levee- wall type structure built alongside rivers to protect from flooding

waste water- another name for “dirty” water due to livestock or human activities (sewage/bathing)

Teratogen- chemical that causes embryo/fetus damage

Reservoir- an artificial lake created by a dam

Carcinogen- chemicals that cause cancer

Genetically modified bacteria- used to “eat up” oil spills

pesticide- use in agriculture adds lots of chemicals in the environment

point source- pollution and polluter is identified

Pharmaceutical pollution- refers to the drugs found in our water sources

Hormones and steroids- used by the meat industry and are found in our water sources

Minamata disease- linked to Hg through high levels of fish consumption

nonpoint source- pollutant seen but polluter not identified

Mercury- pollutant mainly from burning coal and gas; can lead to paralysis

homeostasis- stable internal conditions for species so they can grow and reproduce

Lead- pollutant that comes from burning leaded gasoline, burning coal and paint

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)- damaging industrial compound used to make electronics and plastics'; are persistent, toxic, and bioaccumulative chemicals that were once widely used in industrial products but are now banned due to their environmental and health impacts

arsenic- pollutant found naturally in rocks and can contaminate ground water