Download JPIC 230: Key Terms Part 1, Section 1 The Hydrologic Cycle Aquatic

JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 1, Section 1
The Hydrologic Cycle
Aquatic
of, or pertaining to, fresh water*
Deforestation
the clearing and loss of forests**
Desertification
a loss of more than 10% of a land’s productivity due to
erosion, climate change, drought, depletion of water sources,
or other factors**
Ecosystem
all organisms and nonliving entities that occur and interact
in a particular area at the same time**
Erosion
the removal of material from one place and its transport to
another by the action of wind or water**
Floodplain
the region of land over which a river has historically
wandered and periodically floods**
Groundwater
water held in aquifers underground**
Hydrologic cycle
the flow of water – in liquid, gaseous, and solid forms –
through our biotic and abiotic environment**
Marine
existing in or produced by the sea*
Overwithdrawal
the state of an area when too much water is pumped out**
Rainforest (temperate)
a type of forest ecosystem relatively mild climate within the
temperate zone that receives heavy rainfall, usually includes
numerous kinds of trees
Rainforest (tropical)
a type of forest ecosystem that occurs roughly within the
latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator (in the
equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of
Capricorn) and is characterized by high average
temperatures and high average rainfall
Savannah
a biome characterized by grassland interspersed with
clusters of acacias and other trees**
Surface permeability
the relative extent to which natural and manmade surfaces
permit the flow of water into soil.
Surface water
water that collects on the ground or in a body of water
primarily due to precipitation*
Transpiration
the release of water vapor by plants through their leaves**
Watershed
the entire area of land from which water drains into a given
river**
Wetlands
a system that combines elements of fresh water and dry
land**
*Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. 7 May 2012.
**Withgott, Jay H. Essential Environment: The Science behind the Stories. 3rd ed. Boston:
Pearson, 2010. Print.
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 1, Section 2
Water Resources
Aquifer
an underground water reservoir**
Estuary
an area in which a river flows into an ocean, mixing fresh
water with salt water**
Floodplain
the region of land over which a river has historically
wandered and periodically floods**
Groundwater
water held in aquifers underground**
Recharge of streams
the natural process by which the volume of fresh water in
streams is maintained by underground flows fed by
precipitation permeating into the ground
Recharge of ground water the natural process by which underground stores of fresh
water are maintained by precipitation permeating into the
ground
Riparian zone
the land area along a river**
River basin
a region drained by a river and its tributaries**
Storm water
an abnormal amount of surface water due to heavy rain
from a storm**
Surface water
water that collects on the ground or in a body of water
primarily due to precipitation*
Watershed
the entire area of land from which water drains into a given
river**
*Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. 7 May 2012.
**Withgott, Jay H. Essential Environment: The Science behind the Stories. 3rd ed. Boston:
Pearson, 2010. Print.
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 1, Section 3
Land Degradation
Deforestation
the clearing and loss of forests**
Desertification
a loss of more than 10% of a land’s productivity due to
erosion, climate change, drought, depletion of water sources,
or other factors**
Erosion
the removal of material from one place and its transport to
another by the action of wind or water**
Hydrocide
a term referring to the anthropogenic degradation of bodies
of water that renders the water contaminated or otherwise
unsuitable for human use
Irrigation
the artificial provision of water to support agriculture**
Overgrazing
the consumption by too many animals of plant cover,
impeding plant regrowth, and the replacement of biomass**
“Peak water”
A term coined by Peter Gleick and Meena Palaniappan
characterizing increasing constraints on availability, quality,
and use of fresh water resources, implying that the world
has reached or will soon reach the limits of fresh water
available for use.
Recharge of streams
the natural process by which the volume of fresh water in
streams is maintained by underground flows fed by
precipitation permeating into the ground
Recharge of ground water the natural process by which underground stores of fresh
water are maintained by precipitation permeating into the
ground
Sedimentation
the accumulation of sediments (in bodies of water)*
Sheet erosion
erosion by sheets of running water, rather than by steams*
Turbidity
clouding of water caused by stirred-up sediment*
*Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. 7 May 2012.
**Withgott, Jay H. Essential Environment: The Science behind the Stories. 3rd ed. Boston:
Pearson, 2010. Print.
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 1, Section 4
Water Pollution
Biological oxygen demand the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic
biological organisms in a body of water to break down
organic material present in a given water sample at certain
temperature over a specific time period. BOD is most
commonly expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed per
litre of sample during 5 days of incubation at 20 °C. It often
used as a robust surrogate of the degree of organic pollution
of water.
Dissolved oxygen
the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in a body of water
Eutrophication
the process of nutrient enrichment, increased production of
organic matter, and subsequent ecosystem degradation in a
water body**
Nitrates as water pollutant nitrates—essential to the growth of plants—in excess act
as a nutrient that causes algae blooms that consume oxygen
with the effect that dissolved oxygen is lowered such that
conditions become inhospitable for fish and shellfish.
Pathogen
a microorganism that disease, e.g., bacteria, parasitic worms,
protozoa, and viruses**
Pesticides
an artificial chemical used to kill insects, plants, or fungi**
Pesticides as water pollutants agricultural pest control chemicals that, when present
in sufficient quantities in bodies of water, are toxic to aquatic
organisms
Phosphates as water pollutants phosphates—essential to the growth of plants—in
excess act as a nutrient that causes algae blooms that
consume oxygen with the effect that dissolved oxygen is
lowered such that conditions become inhospitable for fish
and shellfish.
Turbidity
clouding of water caused by stirred-up sediment*
*Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. n.d. Web. 7 May 2012.
**Withgott, Jay H. Essential Environment: The Science behind the Stories. 3rd ed. Boston:
Pearson, 2010. Print.
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 3, Unit 4
Problems with Availability
Accessibility
relative ease with which sources of water may be
tapped
Accountability of the government the idea that governmental officials, both elected
and appointed, are answerable to the citizens
Affordability
pricing of water appropriate to typical incomes in
a given
Decentralized authority structures the degree to which governmental decision
making and implementation institutions are
spread geographically rather than concentrated in
the capital city
Devolved authority structures
the degree to which governmental decision
making and implementation institutions are
housed at lower rather than higher levels, for
example, at local or regional levels rather than the
national level
Inclusiveness and participation in decision making the extent to which all affected
parties are included in decision making processes
Privatization (of water supply)
turning ownership of water supply systems to
private sector, that is, for–profit entities (as
opposed to governmental) entities
Right to water
the idea that all humans have a fundamental right
to adequate, safe, affordable drinking water
Transparency of policy making
access by stakeholders in an issue to decisionmaking deliberations; access by citizens to
governmental decision-making deliberations
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 3, Unit 5
Research on Availability
Accessibility (of water)
relative ease with which sources of water may be tapped
Accountability (of institutions and decision makers to constituent interests)
the idea that decision-makers are answerable to constituents;
in the case of government, the citizens
Affordability (of water)
pricing of water appropriate to typical incomes in a given
area
Participation (in group and governmental decision making)
the extent to which all affected parties are included in
decision making processes
Right to water
the idea that all humans have a fundamental right to
adequate, safe, affordable drinking water
Transparency (of decision making procedures)
access by stakeholders in an issue to decision-making
deliberations
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 3, Unit 6
Action toward Creating Availability
Affordable investment capital
money available for borrowing at reasonable interest
rates
Appropriate technology
technology that is, generally speaking, small-scale,
labor-intensive, energy-efficient, environmentally
sound, and locally controlled. Synonymous with
intermediate technology
Capital intensive process or technology technology that requires relatively greater
investment in equipment relative to labor utilized
Commodification (of natural resources) the process of transforming water from a
public good into a tradable commodity
Intermediate technology
equipment that is more effective than simple tools or
"primitive" technology but is less expensive and smallerscale than the technology used in mass production
Synonymous with appropriate technology
Intensive technology
technology that uses relatively more labor relative to
greater investment in equipment and processes
relative to labor utilized
Low tech
of modest technical complexity, typically not capital
intensive
Privatization (of water supply)
turning ownership of water supply systems to private
sector, that is, for–profit entities (as opposed to
governmental) entities
Public good
in the parlance of economics, a good the consumption
of which by one party does not reduce its availability
to other parties, and from whose use no one can be
effectively excluded
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 4, Unit 7
Problems of Quality
Bilharzia
also known as schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease caused by
several species of trematodes, or “flukes”, typically
contracted through exposure to water containing the
parasites
Biological oxygen demand the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic
biological organisms in a body of water to break down
organic material present in a given water sample at certain
temperature over a specific time period. BOD is most
commonly expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed
per litre of sample during 5 days of incubation at 20 °C. It
often used as a robust surrogate of the degree of organic
pollution of water.
Diarrhea
condition of having three or more loose or liquid stools per
day usually a symptom of gastrointestinal infection by a
variety of pathogens, often contracted through contaminated
food or drinking-water or from person to person as a result
of poor hygiene.
Pathogen
a microorganism that disease, e.g., bacteria, parasitic worms,
protozoa, and viruses
Schistosomiasis
also known as Bilharzia, a parasitic disease caused by
several species of trematodes or "flukes", typically
contracted through exposure to water containing the
parasites
Waterborne disease
infectious diseases whose pathogens live in water
synonymous with water-related disease
Water-related disease
infectious diseases whose pathogens live in water
synonymous with waterborne disease
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 4, Unit 8
Research on Quality
Chlorination of water
disinfection of water through infusion of chlorine to destroy
pathogens
Chlorine
a commonly used disinfectant
Constructed wetland
an artificial wetland, swamp, or marsh created to treat
wastewater
Conventional wastewater and sewage treatment
•
primary or mechanical stage
•
secondary or biological stage
•
tertiary or chemical stage
screening and settling out of solids in
wastewater
microbial decomposition of organic
components of wastewater, generally
accelerated by aeration of wastewater
treatment of effluent water with disinfectant,
chlorine, ozone, or ultraviolet light
Decomposition
the microbial degradation of organic material
Living Machine ™
an alternative wastewater treatment process that relies on
microbial decomposition in specially designed constructed
wetlands plantings to biologically treat wastewater
Ozonation of water
disinfection of water through infusion of to ozone to destroy
pathogens
Ozone
a chemical whose molecule is made up of three oxygen
atoms, used as a disinfectant
Ultraviolet light (for water purification) disinfection of water by exposure to
ultraviolet to destroy pathogens
JPIC 230: Key Terms
Part 5
Microfinance and Water
FilterPureFilters
an international NGO with locations in Canada, Haiti, and
Tanzania with the mission of providing inexpensive “point
of use” water filtration pots in developing countries
Micro-credit/ micro-lending provision of very small loans (microloans) to poor
borrowers who typically lack collateral, generally intended
to support entrepreneurship, increase incomes, alleviate
poverty and often also to empower women.
Microfinance
financial services provided to the poor and/or those without
access to conventional banking, often through micro-credit
or micro-lending
Pure Water for All
a program of the worldwide NGO Rotary international with
the aim of providing start-up financing for small-scale
enterprises to manufacture and sell affordable water filter
pots in poor regions
Self-employed
working in business for oneself
Structural obstacles (in credit and banking) overall circumstances and procedures
that preclude access to credit by poor people, including high
collateral requirements, high interest rates, short payback
times, formal credit history
Underemployed
a condition in which people cannot secure full-time
employment