Es Exam 1

Front 1

Wastewater

Back 1

Used and contaminated water that is released after use by household, industry, or agriculture

Front 2

Freshwater

Back 2

Water that has few dissolved ions such as salt

Front 3

Water cycle

Back 3

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

Front 4

Surface water

Back 4

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

Front 5

Transpiration

Back 5

The loss of water vapor from plants

Front 6

Evaporation

Back 6

The conservation of water from a liquid state to a gaseous state

Front 7

Condensation

Back 7

The conversion of water from a gaseous state to a liquid state

Front 8

Precipitation

Back 8

Rain, snow, or any other form of water falling from the atmosphere

Front 9

Groundwater

Back 9

Water found in aquifers

Front 10

Aquifer

Back 10

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

Front 11

Infiltration

Back 11

The process of water soaking into the ground

Front 12

Water table

Back 12

The uppermost water level of the saturated zone of an aquifer

Front 13

Saltwater intrusion

Back 13

The inflow of ocean water into a freshwater aquifer that happens when the aquifer has lost some of its freshwater stores

Front 14

Domestic water use

Back 14

Indoor and outdoor use of water by households and small businesses

Front 15

Safe drinking water act

Back 15

Federal law that protects public drinking water supplies in the US

Front 16

Water scarcity

Back 16

Not having access to enough clean water

Front 17

Water wars

Back 17

Political conflicts over the allocation of water sources

Front 18

Wastewater treatment

Back 18

The process of removing contaminants from wastewater to make it safe enough to release into the environment

Front 19

Effluent

Back 19

Wastewater discharged into the environment

Front 20

Potable

Back 20

Water that is clean enough for consumption

Front 21

Dam

Back 21

A structure that blocks the flow of water in a river or stream

Front 22

Reservoir

Back 22

An artificial lake formed when a river is impounded by a dam.

Front 23

Desalination

Back 23

The removal of salt and minerals from sea water to make it suitable for consumption

Front 24

Water footprint

Back 24

The water appropriated by industry to produce products or energy; this includes the water actually used and water that is polluted in the production process

Front 25

Water pollution

Back 25

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

Front 26

Stormwater runoff

Back 26

Water from precipitation that flows over the surface of land

Front 27

Point source pollution

Back 27

Pollution from discharge pipes, such as that from wastewater treatment plants or industrial sites, Animal feedlots

Front 28

Non point source pollution

Back 28

Runoff that enters the water from overland flow; cropland, construction site, surface mining

Front 29

Eutrophication

Back 29

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

Front 30

Watershed

Back 30

The land area surrounding a body 9f water over which water such as rain can flow and enter that body of water.

Front 31

Biological assessment

Back 31

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

Front 32

Benthic macro-invertebrates

Back 32

Easy to see arthropods such as insects that live on the stream bottom

Front 33

Clean water act

Back 33

US federal legislation that regulates the release of point source pollution into surface waters and sets water quality standards for those waters. Supports best management practices to reduce non point source pollution

Front 34

Performance standards

Back 34

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

Front 35

Watershed management

Back 35

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

Front 36

Riparian area

Back 36

Land areas close enough to a body of water fo be affected by waters presence and that affect the water itself

Front 37

Forest

Back 37

An ecosystem made up primarily of trees and other woody vegetation

Front 38

Boreal forest

Back 38

Coniferous forest found at high latitudes and altitudes characterized by low temperatures and low annual precipitation

Front 39

Temperate forest

Back 39

Forest found in areas with 4 seasons and moderate climate, which receives 30-60 inches of precipitation per year.

Front 40

Tropical forest

Back 40

Found in equatorial areas with warm temperatures year round and high rainfall; distinct wet and dry seasons

Front 41

Canopy

Back 41

The upper layer of a forest, formed where crowns of majority of tallest trees meet

Front 42

Emergent layer

Back 42

Region where a tree that is taller than the canopy trees rise above canopy layer

Front 43

Understory

Back 43

The smaller trees, shrubs, and saplings that live in the shaded area of forest canopy

Front 44

Forest floor

Back 44

Lowest level of forest, containing herbaceous plants, fungi, leaf litter, and soil

Front 45

Deforestation

Back 45

Net loss of trees in a forested area

Front 46

Ecosystem services

Back 46

Essential ecological processes that make life on earth possible

Front 47

Carbon sink

Back 47

An area such as a forest, ocean sediment, or soil, where accumulated carbon does not readily re-enter carbon cycle

Front 48

Hectare (ha)

Back 48

A metric unit of measure for area; 1 ha = 2.5 acres

Front 49

Maximum sustainable yield

Back 49

Amount that can be harvested without decreasing yield in future years

Front 50

Multiple use sustained yield act

Back 50

US legislation (1960) mandating that national forests be managed in a way that balances a variety of uses

Front 51

Forest ecosystem management

Back 51

A system that focuses on managing the forest as a whole rather than for maximizing yields of a specific product

Front 52

Clear cut

Back 52

Timber harvesting technique that cuts all trees in an area

Front 53

Strip harvesting

Back 53

Timber harvesting technique that clear cuts a small section of a forest, allowing regrowth in that section before moving to another

Front 54

Selective harvesting

Back 54

Timber harvesting technique that cuts only highest value treed; remaining trees reseed the plot

Front 55

Shelterwood harvesting

Back 55

Timber harvesting technique that cuts all but the best trees, which reseed the plot and then harvested

Front 56

Ecotourism

Back 56

Low impact travel to natural areas that contributes to the protection of the environment and respects the local people

Front 57

Biological assessment factors

Back 57

Abundant aquatic life, high biodiversity, pollution sensitive organisms