Wetlands


Glossary

A

abundant
 - Lots of something
agriculture
 - Related to farming
anaerobic
 - Living without oxygen
aquatic
 - Living in water
aquifers
 - Underground water storage
archeological
 - Related to the study of ancient people

B

brackish
 - A mixture of sea water and fresh water

C

chemical reactions
 - A scientific process that involves rearranging the chemical structure of a molecule
consumes
 - Eats
contaminant
 - Harmful substance deposited in the air or water or land
contiguous
 - Touching or near

D

decomposing
 - To break something down
dredged
 - Dug up

E

ecosystems
 - Habitats
erosion
 - To move soil from one location to another through water, wind, etc
estuaries
 - Areas near the ocean where salt and fresh water mix together

I

invertebrates
 - Animals without backbones

M

microscopic
 - So small it can only be seen through a microscope

N

non-native
 - Does not normally grow or exist in that location
noxious
 - Harmful

P

photosynthesis
 - The process that allows plants to convert sunlight into food
pollutants
 - Waste products that are harmful
primary consumers
 - Animals at the first level of a food chain who eat mostly plants
properties
 - The qualities of an object that define it
purifiers
 - Things that clean

R

respiration
 - A plant's version of breathing
runoff
 - Water that drains or flows off the surface of the land

S

saturated
 - Full, no more room, super wet
sediments
 - Fine dirt and soils that sink to the bottom of a body of water

T

toxins
 - Poisons

U

urban expansion
 - The process in which towns and cities grow - through more building and creating - spreading out

V

vertebrates
 - Animals with backbones

W

water cycle
 - The continuous circulation of water in systems throughout the planet, involving condensation, precipitation, runoff, evaporation, and transpiration
water treatment system
 - A process that cleans water - either natural or man-made