Water Part II
pH level - Potential of Hydrogen. A low pH toward 1 is acidic. A high pH toward 14 is basic. Water is neutral at
7.
Salinity - How much salt is dissolved in water.
Phosphates - Nutrients that can cause Eutrophication. Come from fertilizer and detergents.
Nitrates - Nutrients that can cause Eutrophication. Come from fertilizer and animal waste.
Thermal pollution - When water temperature increases. Causes a decrease in dissolved oxygen.
Dissolved oxygen - The amount of oxygen dissolved in water. More is better, colder water can hold more
oxygen.
Bio-indicators - Life that indicates if a water source is safe or not. Smaller life is more sensitive to changes in
their environment.
Turbidity - The 'cloudiness' of a substance.
Upwelling - The movement of nutrient-rich ocean water from the depths to the surface; caused by the wind.
Food chain - A linear chain that shows how food is passed from one organism to another.
Food web - An expanded web that shows what all organisms in an ecosystem may eat.
Eutrophication - The enriching of an ecosystem (usually water) with nutrients such as nitrogen and
phosphorous.
Point source pollution - A source of pollution that can be easily identified (direct source you can point at).
Non-point source pollution - A source of pollution that cannot be easily identified (indirect source).
Continental shelf - The submerged border of a continent that slopes gradually down.
Phytoplankton - Microscopic organisms that inhabit the upper, sunny layers of oceans and most fresh water.
Phytoplankton produce most of the world's oxygen.
Hydrothermal Vent – Vent found in the deep zone. Release chemicals used for chemosynthesis.
Intertidal zone - Animals and plants must be able to live in wet and dry conditions, zone with most sunlight,
shoreline.
Neritic zone - Home to unique habitats: kelp forests and coral reefs, zone with most life, above the continental
shelf.
Deep zone - High pressure, no light, zone with most water (65%), cold, most diverse species.
Cohesion - When water sticks to itself.
Adhesion - When water sticks to other objects.
Coral reef - An ecosystem in the neritic zone comprised of colorful reef made of the rocky skeletons of
organisms.
Kelp forest - An ecosystem in the neritic zone comprised of up to 200-foot tall kelp plants.