Glossary

(R through Z)

Respiration	In animal physiology, it is the transport of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction.
Rotating Basin	A program to assess and document water quality of all waters in a state, designed so that all waters are monitored every five years.
Runoff	The water flow which occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, snowmelt and other sources flows over the land. Runoff is atributed to both point source and nonpoint source pollution.
Seagrass Bed	Submerged aquatic flowering plants that provide essential habitats to moluscs and nursery grounds for many species of fish and invertebrates.
Sediment Profile Imaging	A technique for photographing the interface between the seabed and overlying water, used to estimate biological, chemical and physical processes occurring in the first few centimeters of sediment.
Sprawl	Better known as urban sprawl, is the spreading of suburban development over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. Lowering population density, but increasing the emission of greenhouse gasses due to increased driving.
Stakeholder	A person, group, organization or system that affects the decisions made by an organization or a project.
Stormwater	Water that originates during precipitation events. Stormwater that does not soak into the ground becomes surface runoff containing pollutants and is channeled into waterways and storm sewers.
Stratification	The layering of water due to differences in temperature, salinity, and light penetration.
Sub-basin	Refers to the individual rivers and streams within watersheds.
Tidal Inundation	The intrusion of tidal waters into the mouth of a river.
Trawl Survey	A method of collecting biological specimens (such as fish) by towing a net as a defined depth in a water body.
Un-ionized Ammonia	The neutral form of ammonia-nitrogen in water, usually occuring as NH4OH. It is the principal form of amonia that is toxic to aquatic life. Proportions are controlled by water temperature and pH.
Water Quality Standards	State-adopted, and US EPA approved ambient standards for certain chemical, biological and phyisical parameters in a water body.
Waterfowl	Freshwater aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and swans.
Watershed	The geographic area in which water drains into a specific water body.
Wetland	Ecosystems characterized by having a water table that stands at or near the land surfaces for a long enough season each year to support aquatic plants.
Zooplankton	Organisms, or creatures, ranging from copepods to jellyfish, that drift in the water column, but differ from phytoplankton in that they do not photosynthesize.