Glossary

Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum
Water Quality - Pollutant Sources and Impacts

Acute

Having a rapid onset and short, but severe, course.

Adsorption

The accumulation of chemicals on a solid surface.

Amalgam

A combination of metals; in fillings, silver and mercury.

Antibiotic

A substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of microorganisms.

Bacteria

Types of single-celled microorganisms without a nucleus.

Bioaccumulation

The buildup of a substance in a living organism.

Bonds

Forces holding atoms together in a molecule.

Byproduct

Something produced in the making of something else.

Chronic

Developing over a long period of time.

Clarity

Clearness of appearance.

Colonies

Groups of single-celled organisms living together.

Conservation tillage

Growing crops with very little disturbance of the soil surface.

Contaminant

Something that contaminates.

Contaminate

To make impure; unfit for a particular use.

Corrosion

Rusting.

Cyst

The dormant or resting stage of a microorganism.

Decompose

To rot; break down into simpler components.

Diarrhea

Excessive and frequent passing of water fecal material.

Diffuse (pollution)

Widely spread or scattered.

Disinfect

Cleanse to kill (especially disease-causing) microorganisms.

Disinfectant

A substance that disinfects.

Dysentary

Disease of the intestine resulting in pain and diarrhea caused by bacteria and protozoa.

Effluent

Flowing out from.

Elemental

Relating to the basic element as identified in the Periodic Chart.

Encysted

Forming a cyst.

Epidemic

A rapid and extensive outbreak of an infectious disease.

Epidemiologists

Those working in the branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease.

Eutrophication

Process of enrichment in inorganic and organic nutrients that promote the growth of plant life.

Exposure

Being put in the presence of a material or influence.

Fecal

Relating to the waste matter eliminated from the bowels; excrement.

Fertilization

The act of applying chemicals which will enhance plant growth.

Gastroenteritis

A disease in which the membranes of the intestine and stomach are inflamed.

Indicator organisms

Non-pathogenic microorganisms which point to the presence of pathogens.

Inorganic

Involving neither organic life nor the products of organic life.

Intestinal

Portion of the body, beyond the stomach, dealing with food digestion.

Leaching

Removing soluble constituents by exposure to water or other liquids.

Methylmercury

Any of various toxic forms of mercury containing the methyl (CH₃) group.

Metric ton

1,000 kilograms = 1,000,000 grams

Microbiological

Relating to that branch of biology dealing with microorganisms.

Microbes

Minute life forms; also microorganisms.

Microorganisms

An organism or microscopic or submicroscopic size.

Municipal

Relating to a political unit, such as a city, town or village.

Mutation

A change in genetic structure leading to a new trait.

Organic

Derived from living organisms.

Organism

An individual form of life.

Pathogen

A disease-causing organism.

Persistent

Existing for an indefinitely long time.

Photosynthesis

Production of carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source; oxygen is typically a by-product.

Phytoplankton

Free-floating, microscopic plants.

Precipitation (chemistry)

Process in which a solid is separated from a liquid.

Precipitation (hydrology)

Moisture deposited on the Earth as dew, rain or snow.

Protozoa

Types of single-celled microorganisms with a nucleus.

Reservoirs (chemistry)

Reserves or supplies of a chemical in the environment.

Residual

Remaining; left over.

Respiration

Release of energy from organic matter with the consumption of oxygen and production of carbon dioxide.

Secchi Disk

A weighted white or black and white disk, lowered into the water until it is no longer seen; provides a measure of transparency.

Smelting

Melting ores to separate metallic constituents.

Stimulating

Increasing activity.

Surface waters

Lakes and ponds, streams and rivers.

Symptom

A sign or indication of something else; especially of a disease.

Synthetic

Produced artificially; not of natural origin.

Toxic

Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means. A toxin, or toxicant, is a poison or poisonous agent.

Transmit

To send or carry from one person to another.

Transparency

Ability to transmit light; clarity.

Turbid

Rich in particles; cloudy, muddy.

Vaccine

A weakened version of a pathogen which gives protection against that pathogen.

Viruses

Simple submicroscopic parasites of plants, animals, and bacteria that often cause disease.

Waterborne

Transmitted or carried in water.

Watershed

The region draining into a river or other body of water.

Zooplankton

Free-floating, (largely) microscopic animals.

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