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Anthropogenic – of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human activities.
Aquatic invasive species – non-native plants, animals or micro-organisms that have been intentionally or unintentionally introduced by humans into an area outside of their natural range.
Benthic – refers to the bottom of a body of water or organisms that live at the bottom of a water body.
Biological productivity – the productivity of organisms and ecosystems, including growth and associated processes and activities of plants, animals and bacteria.
Biomass – the amount of living matter by area or volume.
Chlorophyll a – green photosynthetic pigments found in all plants, algae and cyanobacteria that are responsible for converting light into energy for plant growth.
Concentration – the quantity of a component or substance in a given area or volume.
Continental climate – relating to the interior of a landmass, typically characterized by large temperature ranges and relatively low precipitation.
Cyanobacteria – a major group of algae that are typically characteristic of nutrient-enriched lakes and may form large blooms in the summer. Several species may form floating scums across the surface of a water body, and some produce algae toxins. Cyanobacteria are also known as blue-green algae.
Diatom – a major group of algae that are encased in a cell wall made up of silica.
Discharge – stream flow or volumetric rate of water flow.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) – bacteria found in all warm-blooded animals including humans, livestock, wildlife and birds.
Eutrophic – used to describe a productive water body enriched with nutrients that support a dense growth of algae and other organisms, the decay of which depletes the shallow waters of oxygen in summer.
Fecal indicator bacteria – bacteria used to measure the sanitary quality of water, as they are associated with fecal contamination and the possible presence of waterborne pathogens.
Forage fish – small fish that are preyed on by larger predators for food.
Hypereutrophic – a term used to describe a water body that is the most biologically productive, highly enriched with nutrients, and has low water clarity. Hypereutrophic lakes experience frequent and intense algal blooms and support large amounts of aquatic life.
Internal nutrient load – reintroduction of nutrients into the water column through mechanisms including re-suspension from the lake bed or dissolution into the overlying water.
Isotope – a chemical element with a distinct signature used to track the source, movement and distribution of an element in a water body. For example, isotopes are often used to identify the major nutrient sources of water bodies.
Macroinvertebrate – an animal lacking a spinal column that is often found at the bottom of a water body and is large enough to be seen without the use of a microscope. Examples include aquatic snails and worms.
Microcystin-LR – a liver toxin produced by some species of cyanobacteria.
Nitrogen – a chemical that constitutes approximately 78% of the atmosphere, is one of the major nutrients required for plant growth, and is found in all living tissues. In excess, nitrogen contributes to eutrophication.
Nitrogen fixation – the process by which certain species of cyanobacteria are able to harness or “fix” nitrogen from the atmosphere during periods of nitrogen deficiency and convert it to forms of nitrogen required for growth.
Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria – cyanobacteria with differentiated cells called heterocysts that allow for nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere when nitrogen is not otherwise available for growth. Examples of cyanobacteria that are capable of atmospheric nitrogen fixation include Aphanizomenon sp. and Anabeana sp.
Non-nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria – cyanobacteria that do not have specialized cells (heterocysts) and therefore cannot fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Cyanobacteria that do not fix atmospheric nitrogen rely on other sources of nitrogen for growth (e.g., nitrogen from rivers and runoff).
Nutrient enrichment or eutrophication – a condition that results when a water body receives more nutrients than the organisms within it need for normal life, growth and reproduction.
Performance indicator – a measure or criterion by which performance, efficiency, achievement, etc. can be assessed, typically measured against a target.
Phosphorus – a chemical that originates from both natural and anthropogenic sources, occurs in solid and dissolved forms, and is essential to plant growth.
Phytoplankton – plants and plant-like organisms in the water column.
Remediation – to remedy or reverse environmental damage.
Residence time – average length of time that water or a substance spends in a water body.
Re-suspension – mechanism, typically associated with sediments, by which particles or substances are reintroduced into the water.
Secchi depth – the depth at which a Secchi disk is no longer visible from the surface of water, also a proxy for the depth to which light penetrates the water column.
Sequester – retain particles or substances, such as sediments and nutrients, often occurring via deposition and sedimentation in lakes and reservoirs.
Storm surge – a rise in water level above normal due to the action of wind on a water body.
Thermal stratification (Thermally stratified) – the separation of warmer surface water from cooler bottom water.
Thermocline – region of water where the temperature gradient between the two layers is greater than 1ºC m-1, separating warmer surface water from cooler deep water.
Trophic position – level of an organism in the food chain.
Watershed – the region from which water drains to a water body.
Wind-setup – see “Storm surge.”
Zooplankton – animals and organisms found in the water column, including macroinvertebrates.
m – metres
masl – meters above sea level
mg/L – milligrams per litre
µg/L – micrograms per litre
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