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Freshwater Resources
freshwater
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Zone of aeration | Between the water table and Earth’s surface. |
Water table | Upper layer of the zone of saturation. |
Zone of saturation | Water backs up, filling the pores of the rock layer above the impermeable layer. |
Bedrock | Impermeable layer – bottom of aquifer. |
Aquifer | Body of rock through which water flows or is stored. |
Recharge area | Replenishes groundwater (precipitation and runoff). If not replenished (drought), then water table will be lower. |
Artesian Well/Confined Aquifer | Well in which water spouts out of an aquifer due to pressure from surrounding water, so no pump is necessary. |
Cone of Depression | Water is removed faster than it can be replaced forming a depression. Forms a V shape at the water table (lowering it). |
Spring | Natural flow of groundwater that flows to the earth’s surface and flows out (source of freshwater). |
Tributaries | Small streams that feed into rivers, the watershed (the land from which the water runs into the streams), and channel (the path the stream follows). |
Delta | Forms when a river hits a larger body of water – the velocity decreases dramatically and sediments will settle in a fan shape. |
Alluvial Fan | Forms when sediments are deposited in a triangle shape at the base of a mountain stream. |
Meander | Curve in a stream. |
Floodplain | The broad, flat valley floor that gets covered with water. |
Oxbow Lake | A meander that has closed off forming a lake. |
Glacier | A “river” of ice. A moving mass of snow and ice that moves downhill. Form when more snow and ice accumulate than melt. |
Watershed | The drainage area (land) for a bay or river/streams. |
Estuary | Where fresh and salt water mix, producing variations in salinity and high biological activity. |
Percolation | The slow movement of water through the soil. Cleans and purifies. |
Transpiration | Water released by plants into air. |
Chesapeake Bay | Largest estuary in the United States |