The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Turbidity is a characteristic of water that describes the amount of suspended solids in the water. Suspended solids can be phytoplankton, sediment, or detritus. Anthropogenic causes of turbidity include dredging activities, runoff from agricultural and urban areas, and shoreline erosion. Highly turbid water can prevent light from reaching plants on the bottom or phytoplankton in the water column, and can therefore reduce the amount of primary productivity in an aquatic system. High concentrations of suspended solids can settle onto submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and can smother shellfish beds and fish spawning grounds. Turbidity is measured as total suspended solids as milligrams of solids per liter, or with an instrument called a nephelometer, which measures the amount and angle of light scattering that is caused by particles suspended in the water.