Water Resources VOCAB

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Groundwater

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water that collects underground in cracks and spaces in rock

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Surface water

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any body of water above ground, including streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, and creeks

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Watershed

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a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers and eventually to outflow points, such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean

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Aquifers

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a body of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater.

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Artificial reef

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a human-created freshwater or marine benthic structure. Typically built in areas with a generally featureless bottom to promote marine life, it may be intended to control erosion, protect coastal areas, etc.

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Dependence

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the state of being conditional or contingent on something, as through a natural or logical sequence

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Irrigation

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the controlled application of water for agricultural purposes through manmade systems to supply water requirements not satisfied by rainfall.

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Ocean systems

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interconnected system that has regions. Water and ocean life move between these regions, up and down the water column. Ocean water circulates around the globe through ocean currents that are either wind-driven currents or density-driven currents.

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Oil spills

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the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity

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Overfishing

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catching too many fish at once, so the breeding population becomes too depleted to recover.