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In geology, degradation refers to the lowering of a fluvial surface, such as a stream bed or floodplain, through erosional processes. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Degradation is the opposite of aggradation . Degradation is characteristic of channel networks in which either bedrock erosion is taking place, or in systems that are sediment -starved and are ...
sewage- water and raw effluent disposed through toilets, kitchens and bathrooms. Includes water-borne wastes from domestic uses of water from households, or similar uses in trade or industry. sewer - a pipe conveying sewage. sewerage - a system of pipes and mechanical appliances for the collection and transportation of domestic and industrial ...
An environmental science program – a student from Iowa State University sampling water. Water fit for human consumption is called drinking water or potable water. Water that is not potable may be made potable by filtration or distillation, or by a range of other methods. More than 660 million people do not have access to safe drinking water.
The definition of a nonpoint source is addressed under the U.S. Clean Water Act as interpreted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The law does not provide for direct federal regulation of nonpoint sources, but state and local governments may do so pursuant to state laws.
Also called Indianite. A mineral from the lime-rich end of the plagioclase group of minerals. Anorthites are usually silicates of calcium and aluminium occurring in some basic igneous rocks, typically those produced by the contact metamorphism of impure calcareous sediments. anticline An arched fold in which the layers usually dip away from the fold axis. Contrast syncline. aphanic Having the ...
One can differentiate abiotic decomposition from biotic decomposition (biodegradation); the former means "the degradation of a substance by chemical or physical processes", e.g., hydrolysis; the latter means "the metabolic breakdown of materials into simpler components by living organisms", typically by microorganisms.
With this in mind, agriculture in most areas already needs irrigation, which depletes fresh water supplies both by the physical use of the water and the degradation agriculture causes to the water. Irrigation increases salt and nutrient content in areas that would not normally be affected, and damages streams and rivers from damming and removal ...
According to another definition, it is "a change from a baseline state beyond the point where an ecosystem has lost key defining features and functions, and is characterised by declining spatial extent, increased environmental degradation, decreases in, or loss of, key species, disruption of biotic processes, and ultimately loss of ecosystem ...