Water Quality Vocabulary

2. The ability of an organism to survive in subpar environmental conditions.
5. A measure of how clear or "cloudy" water is.
6. Any substance that makes water, air, or soil dirty or unsafe.
13. Substances (like nitrogen and phosphorus) that plants and animals need to grow.
14. The process where a body of water becomes overly enriched with nutrients.
16. Pollution, A harmful increase in water temperature.
17. Water that flows over the surface of the land.
18. Water found underground.
19. Bloom, A rapid, excessive growth of algae in a body of water, often caused by too many nutrients.
20. An underground layer of rock or sediment that holds significant amounts of groundwater.

1. Solvent, Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid.
3. Smaller stream or river that flows into a larger one.
4. Source Pollution, Pollution that comes from a single, identifiable location.
7. Source Pollution, Pollution that comes from many sources rather than one specific spot.
8. An area of land where all the water drains to the lowest point.
9. Oxygen, The amount of oxygen gas available in the water.
10. Basin, A larger version of a watershed.
11. Living organisms used to monitor the health of an ecosystem.
12. Water that is safe enough to drink.
15. Small animals without backbones that are large enough to see without a microscope, they are often used as bioindicators.