Key: the Yellow Words Are Also in the Glossary

A WATER GLOSSARY IN ENGLISH

Idea! - Make a “pictionary.” Add more images to the words below. Go to: http://www.google.com, click on “images” at the top, put the word in the box and search. Then copy and paste the pictures you like beside the words.

Key: the yellow words are also in the glossary. ------

acid rain: rain with a pH of less than 5.6. It results from atmospheric humidity mixing with sulfur and nitrogen oxides emitted from burning fossil fuels. It can damage buildings, cars, crops, forests, and aquatic life. aeration: exposing to circulating air; addition of oxygen to wastewater or drinking water. affluent or tributary river: water current that discharges into another more important one for its length, flow, surface area of the basin and alluvium carried. aquifer: a geological formation in which ground water is stored and circulates thanks to the porosity and fissuration of the rock it is in. aridity: characteristic in areas with insufficient precipitation or evaporation greater than annual precipitation. bacterial water pollution: the introduction of unwanted bacteria to a water body.

bay: a body of water partly enclosed by land, but having a wide outlet to the sea.

blackwater: domestic wastewater containing human wastes. brackish water: water that is a mixture of fresh and salt water. catch basin: a sedimentation area designed to remove pollutants from runoff before it goes into a stream or pond. cesspool: a covered hole for receiving untreated sewage.

cloud: a visible mass of tiny bits of water or ice in the air.

coagulation: the process by which small suspended solid particles are chemically united using a coagulant (flocculant) so they can be taken out of the water (the second step in drinking water treatment). condensation: the process of changing a vapor (gas) to a liquid. conservation: good use and protection from depletion and pollution. contamination: the state of being contaminated or impure by contact or mixture.

dam: a human-made or animal-made barrier across a stream or river that holds and regulates the flow of water.

degradable: capable of decomposition; chemical or biological. desalinization: the purification of salt or brackish water by removing salt. desert: an arid region with little or no vegetation. dilution: the act of making thinner or more liquid by adding to a mixture. dissolve: to make a solution of, such as by mixing with a liquid. drain field: the part of a septic system where wastewater is released into the soil for absorption and filtration. drought: period of little or no rain. ecology: the study of the relations between organisms and their environment. ecosystem: the relationship between all the parts (living and non-living) within an environmental community. effluent: treated wastewater, flowing from a treatment process or treatment plant released into the environment. environment: the sum of all external conditions and influences affecting the development and life of organisms. erosion: the wearing away of the Earth’s surface by running water, wind, ice, or other geological agents, processes, (weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation) by which material is removed from the Earth’s surface.

estuary: a marine ecosystem where fresh water enters the ocean. evaporate: to convert or change into a vapor. evaporation: process in which the heat energy of the sun causes the water on the Earth’s surface to change into a vapor. filtration: the process of passing a liquid or gas through a porous article or mass. fishery: a place engaged in the occupation or industry of catching fish or taking seafood from bodies of water. flood: a period of above average rain with excess water on the land. flow: move smoothly. food chain: the chain of living things in an ecosystem in which each link in the chain feeds on a link below it and is fed upon by the one above it. fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from the fossilized remains of ancient organisms. fresh water: inland water that has a low concentration of minerals, salts, and dissolved solids. fresh water degradation: fresh water that is either polluted or used up faster than it can replenish itself. freeze: to harden into ice or into a solid body by loss of heat. ground water: water found under the surface of the earth, generally accumulated in aquifers

gulf: a large area of sea or ocean partially enclosed by land. habitat: the place or type of site where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows. hail: precipitation in the form of hard pellets of ice or hard snow. holding tank: a container where wastewater is stored before it is removed for treatment. humidity: the degree of wetness, especially of the atmosphere. humus: organic soil formed from decaying organic materials and mineral particles; usually black or dark brown, and with large amounts of humidity. hydroelectric: the generation of electricity which converts the energy of running water into electric power. hydroin paper: special paper for determining the strength (pH level) of an acid or base. hydrologist: a person that applies scientific knowledge and mathematical principles to solve water-related problems in society. hydrology: the study of water, its properties, distribution on Earth, and effects on the Earth’s environment. impurities: materials that dirty water and make it unsafe for people to use. inland wetland: wetlands that are not affected by tides; this type of water can be fresh water or salt water; they are: island marshes, wet meadows, forested wetlands, and shrub wetlands.

island: a body of land that is completely surrounded by water. lake: a standing body of water surrounded by land. litter: rubbish discarded in the environment instead of in trash containers. marsh: wetland dominated by grasses. melt: to change from a solid to a liquid usually through the process of heating. natural resource: something (as a mineral, forest, or kind of animal) that is found in nature and is valuable to humans. ocean: a very large body of salt water; oceans cover almost 3/4 of the Earth’s surface. offshore dumping: the disposal or dumping of waste material off or away from the shore. oil spill: a form of pollution in which oil from various sources leaks into the water. oxygen depletion: the reduction of the dissolved oxygen level in a water body. pesticide: any chemical or biological agent that kills plant or animal pests; herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, etc. are all pesticides. pollutant: an impurity (contaminant) that causes an undesirable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of the air, water, or land that can be dangerous to humans or other living organisms. pollution: contaminants in the air, water, or soil that cause harm to human health or the environment.

pond: a still body of water smaller than a lake. precipitation: water droplets or ice particles condensed from atmospheric water vapor and sufficiently massive to fall to the Earth’s surface, such as rain, hail, sleet, or snow. reclamation: bringing land that has been disturbed by some process back to its original condition. recycle: a process to regain materials for human reutilization. red tide: a reddish discoloration of coastal surface waters due to concentrations of toxic producing algae, fatal to many forms of marine life. reforestation: replanting trees and re-establishing a forest. renewable resource: a resource or substance that can be replenished through natural or artificial means. reservoir: a natural or artificial deposit where water is collected and stored for use. riparian area: the area along a waterway or body of water. river: a large body of flowing water that receives water from other streams and/or rivers. riverbank: the land along a river. riverbed / streambed: the natural bed of river or stream covered by water at maximum ordinary rises. river network: series of water courses that drain a region. runoff: water (originating as precipitation) that flows across surfaces and is not absorbed by the land. salinity: the amount of salt dissolved in water. salt water: water that has a high level of dissolved salts (oceans, seas). sand: tiny, loose grains of mineral particles formed by the weathering of rocks. saturated zone: a portion of the soil filled with water. Aquifers are located in this zone. sediment: eroded soil material, often suspended in water that consists mainly of particles from rocks, soil, and inorganic materials. sedimentation: (1) the process of depositing sediment, or the addition of soils to lakes that is part of the natural aging process; (2) the drinking water treatment process of letting heavy particles in raw water settle out into holding ponds or basins before filtration (also called “settling”); (3) the process used in both primary and secondary wastewater treatment that takes place when gravity pulls particles to the bottom of a tank (also called “settling”). septic tank: a tank, usually buried, to which all of the wastewaters from the home should flow and in which, primary digestion of the organic matter occurs by anaerobic bacteria. sewage water: Waste and wastewater produced by residential, commercial, and light industrial establishments; typically discharged into sewer systems and sometimes into septic tanks. sewer system: network of pipes, collectors and accessory structures that transport waste or rain water to a waste treatment plant or dumping point. sleet: precipitation consisting of generally transparent frozen or partially frozen rain. snow: solid precipitation in the form of white or translucent ice crystals of various shapes originating in the upper atmosphere as frozen particles. solar radiation: radiation emitted by the sun. stream: a body of flowing fresh water, smaller than a river. surface water: water that circulates or is found on the earth's surface in oceans, lakes, rivers and seas, etc.; precipitation that does not soak into the ground or return to the atmosphere by evaporation or transpiration. sustainable development: economic and social development that takes place without detriment to the environment or to the natural resources on which human activities and development depend, now and in the future. sustainable use of water: use that permits a balance between existing and future demands and resource availability, while guaranteeing the maintenance of ecological flows of water necessary for the functioning of water ecosystems.

swamp: wetland dominated by plants and trees. tank: a large container for liquids or gases. thermal waters: warm water with an annual average surge temperature greater than 4 ºC. tides: the alternate rising and falling of the ocean’s surface which occurs twice a day (24 hours). topographic map: a map showing the relief features or surface configuration of an area, usually by means of contour lines. toxic: having the characteristic of causing death or damage to humans, animals, or plants. transpiration: process in which water absorbed by the root systems of plants moves up through the plants, passes pores (stomata) in their leaves or other parts, and then evaporates into the atmosphere as water vapor; the passage of water vapour from a living body through a membrane or pores. tributary: a stream or river that flows into a larger river or lake.

turbine: rotating machine that transforms potential kinetic, internal or fluid-pressure energy into mechanical energy. vapor: a substance in the form of a gas. wastewater: water that has been used for domestic or industrial purposes. wastewater treatment: physical, chemical, and biological processes used to remove pollutants from waste water before discharging it into water. wastewater treatment plant (wwtp): facilities for the purification of urban and industrial sewage waste in order to separate harmful elements or transform them so that they can be used again before they are dumped in the receiving medium. water: a clear liquid, solid, or gas made up of tiny molecules of 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. water available: portion of water contained in the ground that can be easily absorbed by plant roots. water cycle: continuous movement of water from oceans and fresh water sources to the air and land and then back.

waterfall: natural or artificial drop in level of a water course. water pollution: water that has been made unclean. watershed: land area from which water drains to a particular water body. water table: upper surface of the zone of saturation of groundwater.

wave: a ridge or swell moving along the surface of a large body of water and generated by the wind or gravity. weathering: to break down rock naturally; water, growing plants, heat, cold, and ice all weather rocks; over many years weathering turns rock into soil.

well: a bored, drilled, or driven shaft or dug hole. Wells can range from a few feet to more than 6 miles in depth. wetlands: areas that periodically have watersoaked soils or are covered with a shallow layer of water resulting in reduced soil conditions; wetland areas typically support plant life that are adapted to life in wet environments. Glossary compiled by Nancy Bailey, originally from a town near Seattle, WA – USA. She lives in Florence, Italy and teaches English at a public middle school there, does teacher training and collaborates with Burlington Books/Le Monnier on dictionaries and English textbooks.