| TERM |
DEFINITION |
LOCATION |
| abundant |
many, amply supplied |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| acidic |
high in acid content, below seven on the pH scale |
Testing for Water Quality |
| adaptable |
capable of changing to meet environmental conditions |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| aerators |
a source of oxygen that is added to water |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| aerial |
occurring in the air or atmosphere |
Testing for Water Quality |
| afflicting |
distressing so severely as to cause suffering |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| algae |
an aquatic organism that uses chlorophyll and sunlight to produce
energy |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| alternative |
a choice, a different solution |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| amphipods |
a group of small crustaceans that are characterized by a body
that is compressed from side to side |
Testing for Water Quality |
| Apatosaurus |
formerly known as the Brontosaurus, one of the largest
land animals ever- it had a small head, walked on four legs, and
ate plants |
Minnehaha:
Changing Climates & Habitats |
| apprentice |
a person who works with a skilled worker to learn a trade or
art |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| aquatic |
a plant or animal that grows or lives in water |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| aquatic habitat |
an environment for plants and animals where water is a major
and essential feature |
Mississippi:
Recreation and Tourism |
| archeology |
the scientific study of past human life and activities through
the material remains such as fossils and artifacts. |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| Artesian |
well water under pressure that flows naturally to the surface |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| artifact |
an object from a particular time period that results from human
activity |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| asphalt |
a dark coal-like substance found in the earth used for pavement
|
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| assessment |
an evaluation |
Testing for Water Quality |
| atmosphere |
the mass of air which surrounds the earth |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| awls |
a pointed tool used for piecing small holes in leather or wood
|
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| bacteria |
a group of single-celled microorganisms that live in colonies
in the soil, water, or in organic matter |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| basic |
low in acid content, bitter tasting, above seven on the pH
scale |
Testing for Water Quality |
| basswood |
a 60-80 foot tree in the Linden family with light wood often
used for making boxes and crates |
Mississippi:
Early Logging
|
| bedrock |
the solid rock underlying the surface soil |
Minnehaha:
Climate Change Video |
| biological processes |
a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward
a particular result relating to life and living processes (growth,
metabolism, photosynthesis, etc.) |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| biomes |
a major ecological community type such as the desert, tropical
rain forest, or grassland |
Minnehaha:
Climate Change Video |
| boreal |
an area characterized by conifer forests |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| bridles |
the rein and bit used to guide a horse |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| by-products |
something produced in addition to the main product in an industrial
processes |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| canopy |
the uppermost branchy layer of a forest |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| capacity |
the maximum amount or number that can be contained or accommodated |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| carbon dioxide |
CO2, a heavy colorless gas that does not support combustion,
dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, is formed especially
in animal respiration and in the decay or combustion of animal
and vegetable matter, and is absorbed from the air by plants in
photosynthesis. |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| cathedral |
a large church or something that resembles one |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| Celsius |
a scale used to measure temperature where 0 degrees is the freezing
point of water and 100 degrees is its boiling point |
Testing for Water Quality |
| ceremonial |
involved in or belonging to a special event or ceremony |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| channel |
the bed where a natural stream of water flows |
Understanding Watersheds |
| channelize |
to straighten a stream through an artificially created channel
|
Testing for Water Quality |
| charred |
to convert to charcoal or to burn partly |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| chert |
a rock resembling flint and consisting essentially of a large
amount of fibrous chalcedony with smaller amounts of cryptocrystalline
quartz and amorphous silica |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| chlorine |
a halogen element that is isolated as a heavy greenish yellow
gas of pungent odor and is used especially as a bleach, oxidizing
agent, and disinfectant in water purification |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| chlorophyll |
the green pigment found chiefly in plants that is used in photosynthesis
|
What is an Ecosystem? |
| clarity |
the state of being clear |
Testing for Water Quality |
| coarse |
rough in texture |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| combustion |
a usually rapid chemical process of burning that produces heat
and usually light |
Testing for Water Quality |
| commercial |
occupied or engaged in commerce or business |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| commission |
a group of persons expected to perform a duty |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| condensation |
the conversion of a substance (such as water) from the vapor
state to a denser liquid |
Understanding Watersheds |
| confluence |
flowing together of two or more streams |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| conifers |
an order of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| conservation |
a careful preservation and protection of something; especially
: planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation,
destruction, or neglect |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| consumer |
an organism that obtains its food by eating other organisms
or particles of organic matter |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| Continental Divide |
the watershed of North America comprising the line of highest
points of land separating the waters flowing west from those flowing
north or east |
Understanding Watersheds |
| contour |
the outline of a curved figure or shape |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| culprit |
the source or cause of a problem |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| Dakota |
a member of the American Indian people of the northern Mississippi
valley |
Introduction video |
| debris |
the remains of something broken down or destroyed |
Mississipps:
Early Logging |
| deciduous |
a plant or tree that looses its leaves seasonally |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| decomposer |
any of various organisms (such as many bacteria and fungi) that
return organic substances to the soil by feeding on and breaking
down dead matter |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| delta |
the alluvial deposit at the mouth of a river |
Understanding Watersheds |
| denials |
refusal to admit the truth or reality |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| dense |
marked by compactness or crowding together of parts or having
a high mass per unit volume |
Minneosta:
Bison Toolbox |
| deposits |
something laid down; especially: matter deposited by a natural
process |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| detritus |
loose material (such as rock fragments or organic particles)
that results directly from disintegration |
Testing for Water Quality |
| diameter |
the length of a straight line through the center of an object
|
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| dissolved |
to break down in a solution so that it no longer can be seen
|
Testing for Water Quality |
| diverse |
differing from one another or composed of distinct or unlike
elements or qualities |
Minnehaha:
Climate Change Video |
| domestic |
living near or about human habitations, tame |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| downspout |
a vertical pipe used to drain rainwater from a roof |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| downstream |
in the direction of or nearer to the mouth of a stream |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| dung |
the waste product of an animal |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| ecological |
concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their
environments |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| ecosystem |
the complex system of a community of organisms and its environment
and how they function together |
Minnehaha:
Changing Climates and Habitats |
| emergent |
newly established vegetation |
Minnesota:
A Modern Refuge |
| epidemic |
an illness that affects a disproportionately large number of
individuals within a population at the same time |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| era |
a period in time identified by some prominent figure or characteristic
feature |
Minnehaha:
Climate Change Video |
| erosion |
the process of wearing away by the action of water, wind, or
glacial ice |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| European |
a native or inhabitant of Europe |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| evaporation |
the process of converting from a liquid to a vapor |
Understanding Watersheds |
| excavate |
to expose to view by digging away a covering such as the soil |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| expansion |
the act or process of growing larger |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| expedition |
a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| exterior |
the outside part of something |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| extinct |
no longer existing |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| extinction |
the act of making extinct or causing to no longer exist |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| facilities |
something (such as a hospital) that is built, installed, or
established to serve a particular purpose |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| fecal coliform |
the presence of E. coli in fecal matter |
Testing for Water Quality |
| fertilizer |
a substance (such as manure or a chemical mixture) used to make
soil more fertile |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| fiber |
a thread or a structure or object resembling a thread |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| filter |
a porous article or mass (such as plants or sand) through which
unwanted particles are separated out |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| filter strip |
a strip of plants or material that filters out unwanted particles
|
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| fire resistant |
able to withstand fire |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| flammable |
capable of being easily ignited and of burning quickly |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| flint |
a material used for producing a spark (can be of hard quartz)
|
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| floodplain |
level land near a lake or river that may be submerged by floodwaters
|
Understanding Watersheds |
| fundamental forces |
basic natural phenomena such as fire, wind, and light |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| fungi |
a major group of parasitic spore-producing organisms usually
classified as plants that lack chlorophyll and include molds,
rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| geologist |
a scientist who studies the history of the earth and its life
especially as recorded in rocks |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| geology |
a science that deals with the history of the earth and its life
especially as recorded in rocks |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| gnarly |
full of knots or gnarls |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| grassed waterway |
a strip of plants or material planted where water flows to filter
out unwanted particles |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| gravel |
loose rounded fragments of rock |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| grit chambers |
tanks where grit and sand are removed during the water treatment
process |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| gullies |
trenches which were originally worn in the earth by running
water and through which water often runs after rains |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| habitat |
the environment where a plant or animal naturally lives |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| hardwood |
strong wooded trees such as sugar maple, oak, and basswood |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| height of land |
a ridgeline that serves as the boundary between two watersheds-water
flows in a different direction on each side of the ridge |
Understanding Watersheds |
| herbicides |
an agent used to destroy or inhibit plant growth |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| herbivore |
a plant-eating animal |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| hide |
the skin of an animal |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| homo sapiens |
any of the group of primate mammals that includes modern humans
|
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| hooves |
curved covering of horn that protects the front of or encloses
the ends of the digits of a mammal and that corresponds to a nail
or claw |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| hydrogen |
a nonmetallic element that is the simplest and lightest of the
elements, is normally a colorless, odorless highly flammable gas,
and is used especially in synthesis |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| Hypsi-thermal |
the period around 5000 B.C. following the post glacial era when
Minnesota's climate was hotter and drier than today |
Minnehaha:
Changing Climates & Habitats |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| impervious |
not allowing entrance or passage-example: a surface such as
cement that does not allow water to pass through it |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| incineration |
to cause to burn to ashes |
Testing for Water Quality |
| industrial |
used in or developed for use in industry |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| inefficient |
wasteful of time or energy |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| inland |
the interior part of a country away from the coast |
Understanding Watersheds |
| inorganic |
being or composed of matter other than plant or animal such
as a mineral |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| intolerant |
unable to endure certain conditions |
Testing for Water Quality |
| invertebrate |
lacking a spinal column |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| keel |
the chief structural member of a boat or ship that extends along
the center of its bottom and that helps the boat remain balanced
and upright |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| larval |
the stage where an animal is an immature, wingless, and often
wormlike feeding form that hatches from the egg of many insects
that is finally transformed into a pupa or chrysalis from which
the adult emerges |
Testing for Water Quality |
| lichens |
any of numerous complex plants made up of an alga and a fungus
growing together on a solid surface (such as a rock) |
Minnesota:
Introducing the Watershed |
| linden |
any of a genus of trees of temperate regions that are planted
as shade trees and are distinguished by having cordate leaves
|
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| lithic |
a stone tool |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| lobby |
to promote (as a project) or secure the passage of (as legislation)
by influencing public officials |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| marshes |
"a tract of soft wet land usually characterized by grasses or
cattails " |
Understanding Watersheds |
| meander |
a turn or winding of a stream |
Understanding Watersheds |
| mercury |
a heavy silver-white poisonous metallic element that is liquid
at ordinary temperatures and is used especially in scientific
instruments and thermometers |
Testing for Water Quality |
| metal refining |
An industrial process where metals are freed from impurities
or unwanted material through the use of extreme heat |
Testing for Water Quality |
| metamorphosis |
a marked and more or less abrupt developmental change in the
form or structure of an animal (such as a butterfly or a frog)
occurring subsequent to birth or hatching |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| metropolitan |
of, relating to, or characteristic of a large city and sometimes
including its suburbs |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| microbes |
organisms of microscopic or ultramicroscopic size |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| microorganisms |
organisms of microscopic or ultramicroscopic size |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| mineralogy |
a science dealing with minerals, their crystallography, properties,
classification, and the ways of distinguishing them |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| moisture |
liquid diffused or condensed in a relatively small quantity:
amount of wetness |
Minnesota:
Pioneer Agriculture |
| molecules |
"the smallest particle of a substance that retains all the
properties of the substance and is composed of one or more atoms"
|
What is an Ecosystem? |
| mouth |
the place where a stream enters a larger body of water |
Understanding Watersheds |
| murky |
characterized by a heavy dimness or obscurity caused by smoke,
fog, or pollution |
Testing for Water Quality |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| native species |
a plant or animal originally living or growing in a particular
region-not introduced to a region by modern humans |
Minnesota:
Pioneer Agriculture |
| negotiates |
to arrange for or bring about through conference, discussion,
and compromise |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| nimble |
quick and light in motion: agile |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| non-point source pollution |
from a variety of small individual locations such as neighborhood
storm drains |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| nutrients |
substances or ingredients that provide nutritional value |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| observation |
an act of recognizing and noting a fact or occurrence often
involving measurement with instrument |
Minnesota:
Introducing the Watershed |
| Ojibway |
a member of the American Indian people of the region around
Lake Superior and westward |
Introduction Video |
| organic |
of, relating to, or derived from living organisms |
Testing for Water Quality |
| ornithology |
the study of birds |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| orphanage |
an institution that cares for children without parents |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| oxygen |
a colorless, tasteless, odorless, gaseous element that constitutes
21 percent of the atmosphere and is found in water, in most rocks
and minerals, and in numerous organic compounds |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| panorama |
a complete view of an area in every direction |
Minnesota:
Pioneer Agriculture |
| paper pulp |
a material prepared by chemical or mechanical means from various
materials (such as wood or rags) for use in making paper |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| paralysis |
loss of the ability to move |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| peak flow rates |
being at or reaching the maximum amount of running water |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| periodic |
occurring or recurring at regular intervals |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| pesticides |
a chemical agent used to destroy pests |
Minnehaha:
Journey of Raindrop |
| pH |
A scale used to measure the amount of hydrogen ions present
in a concentration. It identifies acids and bases. |
Testing for Water Quality |
| photosynthesis |
the process by which a plant uses light to form food (carbohydrates)
from carbon dioxide and water |
Testing for Water Quality |
| pier dwelling |
a living space built with vertical structural supports to keep
the home above flood waters |
Minnehaha:
Changing Climates & Habitats |
| pine |
any of a genus of coniferous evergreen trees that have slender
elongated needles and include some valuable timber trees and ornamentals |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| pioneer tree species |
a type of tree capable of establishing itself in a bare, barren,
or open area and initiating an ecological cycle |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| planting |
an area where plants are grown for commercial or decorative
purposes |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| plow |
to turn, break up, or work with a plow |
Minnesota:
Introducing the Watershed |
| Point-Source pollution |
from a single source such as a factory |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| pollen |
a mass of microspores in a seed plant appearing usually as a
fine dust |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| pollution |
the action of polluting especially by environmental contamination
with man-made waste |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| Post Glacial |
the period immediately following the glacial era |
Minnehaha:
Survival Game |
| prairie |
a large area of level or rolling land in the Mississippi valley
that in its natural uncultivated state usually has deep fertile
soil, a cover of tall coarse grasses, and few trees |
Introduction video |
| precipitation |
a deposit on the earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow |
Understanding Watersheds |
| predator |
an animal that primarily obtains food by the killing and consuming
of other animals |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| prediction |
the act of foretelling on the basis of observation, experience,
or scientific reason |
Testing for Water Quality |
| prehistoric |
of, relating to, or existing in times before written history
|
Minnehaha:
Climate Change Video |
| prevailing |
to be frequent: predominate |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| producer |
any of various organisms (such as a green plant) which make
their own food from simple substances (such as carbon dioxide
and inorganic nitrogen) |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| projectile |
an object projected by external force and continuing in motion
by its own inertia |
Mississippi:
Rivers of Time |
| pump station |
a place that pumps water up into a water tower so that later
it can be delivered to homes and businesses |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| purified |
to make pure from undesirable elements |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| pyramid |
a structure built on a broad supporting base and narrowing gradually
to a point |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| quartz |
a mineral consisting of silicon dioxide occurring in colorless
or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| ravine |
a small narrow steep-sided valley that is larger than a gully
and smaller than a canyon and that is usually worn by running
water |
Minnesota:
Introducing the Watershed |
| raw sewage |
refuse liquids or waste matter in its original form (untreated)
|
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| reckoning |
to compute or a settling of accounts |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| recommendation |
suggestion |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| redeposited |
deposited or put back again |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| refuge |
a place that provides shelter or protection |
Minnesota:
A Modern Refuge |
| regeneration |
renewal or restoration |
Minnesota:
Pioneer Agriculture |
| regulations |
a rule or order issued by a regulatory agency of a government
and having the force of law |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| remnant |
a small part, member, or trace remaining |
Minnesota:
Pioneer Agriculture |
| renew |
to restore to existence |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| reputation |
recognition by other people of some characteristic or ability
|
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| residential |
an area populated mainly by homes instead of businesses |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| residents |
one who resides in a place |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| resistant |
an organism that is able to resist a disease, drought, flooding,
toxic agents, malnutrition, or some other condition |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| rheumatism |
any of various conditions characterized by inflammation or pain
in muscles or joints |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| ridge |
a raised strip |
Understanding Watersheds |
| rigid |
stiff and unyielding |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| riparian |
relating to, or living, or located on the bank of a natural
watercourse (as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater |
Mississippi:
Timber: Part 2 |
| rivulets |
small streams of water |
Understanding Watersheds |
| run-off |
water that drains off the land rather than absorbing into the
earth |
Minehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| Return to the
top of the page |
| sacred |
of or relating to religion |
Minnesota:
A Modern Refuge |
| saugers |
a pike perch similar to but smaller than the walleye |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| seasonally |
of, relating to, or varying in occurrence according to the season
|
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| secondary treatment |
part of the water treatment process where oxygen is added to
the water and tiny bacteria clean it |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| sedge |
any of a family of usually tufted marsh plants differing from
the related grasses in having solid stems |
Minnehaha:
Survival Game |
| sediment |
material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers |
Mississippi:
Timber: Part 2 |
| sediment basin |
a pond where surface run-off is collected and allowed to settle
in order to reduce the amount of farming sediment that ends up
in nearby waterways |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| sedimentation process |
a process where larger pieces of matter settle to the bottom
of a tank and are removed from the water |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| seep |
to flow or pass slowly through fine pores or small openings
|
Mississippi:
Recreation and Tourism |
| septic system |
a tank stored under the ground in which the solid matter of
continuously flowing sewage is disintegrated by bacteria |
Mississippi:
Recreation and Tourism |
| settlers |
one that settles a new region |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| settling tanks |
water treatment tanks where larger pieces of matter settle to
the bottom and are removed from the water |
Mississippi:
Point-Source Pollution |
| sewage |
refuse liquids or waste matter carried off by sewers |
Mississippi:
Point-Source Pollution |
| sewer |
an artificial underground pipe to carry off sewage and sometimes
surface water (as from rainfall) |
Mississippi:
Point-Source Pollution |
| silt |
loose sedimentary material with rock particles usually 1/20
millimeter or less in diameter |
Understanding Watersheds |
| sinew |
a tendon dressed for use as a cord or thread |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| skidders |
a tractor or some other device used especially for hauling logs
|
Mississippi:
Timber: Part 2 |
| sludge |
precipitated solid matter produced by water and sewage treatment
processes |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| sod |
the grass- and forb-covered surface of the ground |
Minnesota:
Pioneer Agriculture |
| sod bustin' |
when the settlers used the plow to break up the prairie turf
|
Minnesota:
Pioneer Agriculture |
| sophisticated |
having a refined knowledge of the ways of the world |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| source |
the point of origin of a stream of water |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| stability |
resistance to change |
Minnesota:
A Modern Refuge |
| statistical |
employing the principles of quantity that arecomputed from a
sample |
Mississippi:
Introducing the Watershed |
| subsurface groundwater |
water that is stored between rocks just below the surface of
the ground |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| subwatersheds |
a major watershed divided into smaller parts based on the direction
and flow of water |
Understanding Watersheds |
| succession |
unidirectional change in the composition of an ecosystem as
the available competing organisms and especially the plants respond
to and modify the environment |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| suckers |
"any of numerous chiefly North American freshwater bony fishes
closely related to the carps but distinguished from them especially
by the structure of the mouth which usually has thick soft lips"
|
Mississippi:
Rivers of Time |
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| teepee |
a conical tent usually consisting of skins and used especially
by American Indians of the Plains |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| tendon |
a tough cord or band of dense white connective tissue that unites
a muscle with some other part such as a bone and transmits the
force which the muscle exerts |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| terraces |
a series of horizontal ridges made in a hillside to increase
cultivatable land, conserve moisture, or minimize erosion |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| thrushes |
any of numerous small or medium-sized birds which are mostly
of a plain color often with spotted underparts and many of which
are excellent singers |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| timber baron |
the owner of a logging company who was very wealthy due to
his logging interests |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| tissue |
a particular kind of cell that forms one of the structural materials
of a plant or animal such as skin tissue |
Minnesota:
Bison Toolbox |
| tolerant |
exhibiting the capacity to endure pain or hardship (such as
for a drug or an environmental factor) |
Testing for Water Quality |
| tolerate |
to put up with or endure |
Testing for Water Quality |
| topographic |
showing elevation of natural and man-made features of a place
or region usually on maps or charts |
Mississippi:
Timber: Part 2 |
| topsoil |
surface soil usually including the organic layer in which plants
have most of their roots and that the farmer turns over in plowing
|
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| toxic |
poisonous |
Testing for Water Quality |
| transpiration |
to give off or exude watery vapor especially from the surfaces
of leaves |
Understanding Watersheds |
| tributaries |
a stream feeding a larger stream or a lake |
Understanding Watersheds |
| turbidity |
thick or opaque with sediment |
Testing for Water Quality |
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| ultimate |
the best or most extreme of its kind |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| upstream |
in the direction opposite to the flow of a stream |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| utility substation |
a smaller station serving a particular area and providing a
municipal service such as light, power, or water |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| vapor |
a substance in the gaseous state as distinguished from the liquid
or solid state (water vapor) |
Understanding Watersheds |
| vegetation |
plant life or total plant cover |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
| veneers |
a layer of wood of superior value or excellent grain to be glued
to an inferior wood |
Mississippi:
Early Logging |
| vial |
a small closed or closable vessel especially for liquids |
Testing for Water Quality |
| vireos |
any of various small insectivorous American singing birds that
are chiefly olive and grayish in color |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| voracious |
having a huge appetite |
Testing for Water Quality |
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| wallow |
a muddy or dusty area used by animals for wallowing |
What is an Ecosystem? |
| warblers |
any of numerous small brightly colored American birds with a
usually weak and unmusical song |
Minnehaha:
Introducing the Watershed |
| waste |
refuse from places of human or animal habitation |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| waterfowl |
swimming game birds as distinguished from upland game birds
and shorebirds |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| watermain |
a pipe or conduit for conveying water |
Minnehaha:
Point-Source Pollution |
| watersheds |
a region or area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining
ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water |
Understanding Watersheds |
| wedges |
a piece of a substance (such as wood or iron) that tapers to
a thin edge and is used for splitting wood and rocks |
Mississippi:
A Site for All Seasons? |
| wetlands |
land or areas (such as tidal flats or swamps) containing much
soil moisture |
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| windbreak |
a growth of trees or shrubs serving to break the force of wind
|
Minnesota:
Modern Farming |
| woodlot |
a restricted area of woodland usually privately maintained as
a source of fuel, posts, and lumber |
Mississippi:
Timber: Part 2 |
| zone |
to arrange in or mark off into zones; specifically: to partition
by ordinance into sections reserved for different purposes (as
residence or business) |
Minnehaha:
The Big Cover-Up |
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