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<br />Secchi Disc A device measuring the depth of light penetration In water, typically a 9-Inch, <br />white circular plate attached to a rope. Used to measure water transparency. <br />Sedge Any of a number of grasslike plants of the family Cyperaceae. <br />Sedimentation The process by which matter (usually soil particles) settles on a substrate <br />following transport by water, wind, or ice. <br />Seepage The slow, diffuse oozing of groundwater onto the earth's surface. <br />Shallow Lake Lakes with mean depth of less than 10 feet <br />Shrub layer A vegetation layer, usually less that 6 feet high, of shrubs and tree seedlings. <br />Shrub swamp A wetland community dominated by a nearly continuous to continuous canopy <br />(70 to 100% cover) of shrubs, such as willows and alders. <br />Subcanopy A vegetation layer, composed of patches of individuals of appro.ximately equal <br />height, that Is lower than the canopy layer; often refers to a layer of saplings, tall shrubs, or <br />small trees between 6 and 35 feet high. <br />Submergent Describes an aquatic plant that grows entirely under water. <br />Substrate The surface layer of organic or mineral material-such as till, outwash, or bedrock- <br />from which the soil is formed. <br />Succession The change in vegetation over time. <br />Swale A broad, shallow depression in a till plain or broad river plain. <br />Swamp A wetland community with a fairly continuous to continuous canopy of shrubs or trees, <br />such as speckled alder, black ash, or tamarack. Swamps generally occur in shallow basins or <br />wet depressions. <br />4Talus Rocks and other coarse mineral debris that accumulate at the base of a cliff or steep <br />slope. <br />Terrace A sandy and gravelly alluvial plain bordering a river. Terraces represent former river <br />floodplains, left stranded when the river level dropped because of channel downcutting or <br />decreased flow. Terraces are ordinarily level or nearly level and are seldom flooded. <br />Till Unstratified and unsorted material deposited directly by a glacier. Till consists of clay, <br />sand, gravel, or boulders mixed in any proportion. <br />Till plain A broad and level or gently undulating landform composed of material that was <br />deposited underneath and at the margin of a glacier as the ice sheet melted; also referred to <br />as a ground moraine. <br />Total Phosphorus (TP) A measure of all of the different forms of phosphorus in water. <br />Includes phosphorus dissolved in the water, suspended or incorporated in algae or other <br />organisms. <br />Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Particulate material which fioats in or is carried along in water <br />(e.g., algae, soil particles). <br />Transitional habitat A habitat present between two adjacent natural communities (for <br />example, the edge of a forest along a wet meadow). Transitional habitats often have features <br />that set them apart form the habitats formed by either of the adjacent communities <br />Trophic State The level of growth or productivity of a lake as measured by phosphorus <br />content, algae abundance, or depth of light penetration. <br />Understory The vegetation occurring below the canopy in a plant community. <br />Vine A plant with along, weak stem that grows along the ground or climbs on other vegetation <br />for support. <br />Watershed: The area of land draining into a specific body of water. <br />Water Transparency A measure of the clarity of water. The depth at which an object can be <br />seen in water. <br />Wetland Habitats where the soil is saturated or covered with water for part of the year. <br /> <br />City of Elk River, MN - Natural Resouce Inventory <br />Bonestroo Natural Resources, September 2004 <br /> <br />8-6 <br />