| A | B |
|---|
| Aquifer | An underground layer of rock or soil that holds water. |
| Artesian Well | A well in which water rises because of pressure within the aquifer. |
| Confluence | A place where two streams meet, a flowing together of two streams or rivers. |
| Conservation | The process of using a resource wisely so that it will not be used up. |
| Contour Interval | The difference in elevation represented by each contour line on a topographic map. |
| Contour Line | A line that connects points of equal elevation on a surface map. |
| Delta | The area of sediment deposits that build up near a river's mouth. |
| Dendritic | A drainage pattern often seen in river systems that are branching like a tree or the roots of a plant, resembling or having dendrites. |
| Deposition | The process by which fragments of soil and rock settle out in a new location as moving water, glaciers, or wind SLOW DOWN or stop. |
| Desalination | The process of obtaining fresh water from salt water by removing the salt, usually through evaporation and condensation. |
| Divide | A ridge of land that separates one watershed from another. |
| Drought | A water shortage caused by scarce rainfall in a particular area. |
| Erosion | The process by which fragments of soil and rock are broken off from the ground and carried away by moving water, glaciers, or wind. |
| Eutrophication | The process by which nutrients in a lake build up over time, causing an increase in the growth of algae. |
| Flood Plain | A broad, flat valley through which a river flows. |
| Geyser | A type of hot spring in which the water builds up pressure and periodically bursts through the surface into the air. |
| Glacier | A huge mass of ice and snow that moves slowly over the land. |
| Headwaters | The many small streams that come together at the source of a river. |
| Impermeable | Characteristic of materials through which water does not easily pass, such as clay and granite. |
| Levee | A long ridge formed by deposits of sediments alongside a river channel. |
| Load | The fragments of rock and soil that are carried by moving water, glaciers or wind. |
| Meander | A looping curve formed in a river as it winds through its flood plain. |
| Mouth | The point where a river flows into another body of water. |
| Non-Point Source Pollution | A widely spread source of pollution that is difficult to link to a specific point of origin, such as road runoff. |
| Oxbow Lake | The crescent-shaped, cutoff body of water that remains after a river carves a new channel. |
| Permeable | Characteristic of materials that allow water to easily pass through them, such as sand and gravel. |
| Pesticide | A chemical used to kill pests, often a pollutant of water. |
| Point Source Pollution | A specific source of pollution that can be identified, such as a waste pipe. |
| Pores | Tiny openings in and between particals of rock and soil which may contain air or water. |
| Recharge | New water that enters an aquifer from the surface. |
| Reservoir | A natural or artificial lake that stores water for human use. |
| Riparian Buffer | The area of land next to a stream filled with vegetation that protects it. |
| Runoff | Water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground. |
| Saturated Zone | A layer of permeable rock or soil in which the cracks or pores are totally filled with water. |
| Sediment | The particles of rock and soil that are moved by water or wind, resulting in erosion and deposition. |
| Septic Tank | An underground tank containing bacteria that treat wastewater as it passes through. |
| Sewage | Water containing human wastes. |
| Sludge | Deposits of fine solids that settle out from wastewater during the treatment process. |
| Spring | A place where groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in the rocks. |
| Topographic Map | A map that uses contour lines to show the elevation of the land in an area. |
| Transportation | The process whereby moving water, glaciers or wind carry rock & soil fragments |
| Tributary | A smaller stream or river that feeds into a main river. |
| Unsaturated Zone | A layer of rocks and soil above the water table in which the pores contain air as well as water, the pores ore not completely filled with water. |
| Water Table | The top of the saturated zone, or depth to the groundwater in an aquifer. |
| Watershed | The land area that supplies water to a river system. |
| Wetland | An area of land that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year. |
| - ate / -ic / -tic / -ive / -ite / | a condition of being _______, to be ________ |
| hydr | water |
| struct | to build |
| trans | across |
| -cide | to kill |
| Con/Com | together, with |
| de- | from, down, out |
| dendr- | (G) a tree |
| e- | out |
| eu- | good, well |
| flu- | (G) flow |
| fluen- | (G) flowing |
| graph | write or writing (tells a story) |
| im- | (L) Not, in into |
| lent- | lentil, bean |
| lot- | washing |
| perman- | (L) remain, remaining |
| permea- | (L) pass through |
| pesti- | a pest, a plague |
| photo | light |
| port | carry |
| posit | to place, placed, place |
| rode | to gnaw |
| salin | of salt, salty, a salt pie |
| satur- | (L) full, filled |
| thesis | an arranging |
| topo | a place |
| troph | nourish, food, feeding |
| U- / Un- | (L) Not |
| Lentic | An aquatic system that has "still" or not flowing waters (lakes, ponds, etc). |
| Lotic | An aquatic system that has flowing water (rivers,streams,etc) |
| pH | A water quality test measures how acidic or basic a substance is on a scale from 0-14 ( 0 = Very Acidic, 14 = Very Basic, 7 = neutral). The optimal pH range for Brook Trout is 6.5-8. |
| Dissolved Oxygen | A measurement of the amount of oxygen dissolved into a substance. Brook Trout prefer 8-12ppm DO (80-100% saturation). |
| Turbidity | A measure of water clarity which indicates the amount particulate materials that are suspended in water and which decrease the passage of light through the water (dirty water). Lower is better, measured in JTU/NTU. |
| Nitrate | A contaminent of water quality that is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless compound, expressed as either NO3 (nitrate) or NO3-N (nitrate-nitrogen). Often Nitrates come from fertilizers, manures, and other nitrogen sources. Less is better (less than 5ppm NO3). |
| Nitrite | A contaminent of water quality expressed as NO2 (nitrite). Less is better (less than 1ppm NO2). The major sources of nitrite in drinking water are runoff from fertilizer use; leaching from septic tanks, sewage; and erosion of natural deposits. |
| Ammonia | A contaminant of water quality expressed as NH3, that results from biological waste (urea) and the actions of bacteria on proteins. Small concentrations can severely affect trout (over 0.2 ppm) |
| Flow Rate | A measurement of stream quality that indicates how fast water is moving downstream. |
| Temperature | The Average Kinetic Energy of molecules in a Substance - A critical factor in water quality of streams as cold water holds more oxygen. Trout require cold water - 0-15.6C (32-60F). |
