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C

C-CELSIUS—Centigrade Temperature Scale

C-HORIZON—a layer of unconsolidated material, relatively little affected by the influence of organisms and presumed to be similar in chemical, physical, and mineralogical composition to the material from which at least a portion of the overlying Solum has developed.

CAA—Clean Air Act (EPA)

CABOTAGE—Trade or transport in coastal waters or airspace or between two points within a country.

CAISSON—(1) A watertight structure within which construction work is carried on under water. (2) A large box open at the top and one side, designed to fit against the side of a ship and used to repair damaged hulls under water. (3) A floating structure used to close off the entrance to a dock or canal lock. Also referred to as a Camel.

CALCAREOUS—Formed of calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate by biological deposition or inorganic precipitation in sufficient quantities to effervesce carbon dioxide visibly when treated with cold 0.1 normal hydrochloric acid. Calcareous sands are usually formed of a mixture of fragments of mollusk shell, echinoderm spines and skeletal material, coral, foraminifera, and algal platelets.

CALCAREOUS FENS—Peatlands formed in areas of groundwater discharge, where cold, anoxic, mineral-rich water provides a specialized habitat for disproportionately large numbers of rare and endangered plants. Many of the plants found in calcareous fens are species which would be typical of more northern habitats. The health of such fens is inextricably linked to the presence of the upwelling groundwater. Also see Peat (Peatlands).

CALCINE—Heated to temperature of dissociation; for example, heat gypsum to the temperature where the water of crystallization is driven off.

CALCITE—(Geology) Calcium carbonate (CaCO3), with hexagonal crystallization, a mineral found in the form of limestone, chalk, and marble.

CALCIUM—(Ca++) The most abundant cation found in Wisconsin lakes. Its abundance is related to the presence of calcium-bearing minerals in the lake watershed. Reported as milligrams per liter (mg/l) as calcium carbonate (CaCO3), or milligrams per liter as calcium ion(Ca++).

CALCIUM CARBONATE—(CaCO3) The principal hardness and scale-causing compound in water. A white precipitate that forms in water lines, water heaters, and boilers in hard water areas; also known as scale. Also the principal chemical composition of Tufa, a calcareous and siliceous rock deposit of springs, lakes, or ground water.

CALCIUM CARBONATE TREATMENT—The adding of limestone (calcium carbonate) to an acid lake to raise the pH.

CALCIUM CHLORIDE—A white deliquescent compound, CaCl2, used chiefly as a drying agent, refrigerant, and preservative and for controlling dust and ice on roads.

CALCIUM HYDROXIDE—A white crystalline strong alkali Ca(OH)2 that is used especially to make mortar and plaster and to soften water.

CALCIUM NITRATE TREATMENT—A method of adding nitrate to lake sediments.

CALF—A large floating chunk of ice split off from a glacier, an iceberg, or a floe.

CALGON—Trademark product used for a water softener.

CALICHE—(1) A soil layer near the surface, more or less cemented by secondary carbonates of calcium or magnesium precipitated from the soil solution. It may occur as a soft, thin soil horizon, as a hard, thick bed just beneath the Solum, or as a surface layer exposed by erosion. (2) Alluvium cemented with sodium nitrate, chloride, and/or other soluble salts in the nitrate deposits of Chile and Peru. Also referred to as Hardpan.

CALIFORNIA DOCTRINE—A system of allocating water, first announced in California, which combines Riparian Rights and Appropriative Rights. A number of states have applied this doctrine at one time or another. However, most states have essentially abandoned the doctrine in favor of the Appropriation Doctrine, and it is primarily of historical significance. Also see Alpine Decree [California and Nevada].

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)—The California equivalent of the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

CALIFORNIA STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD (SWRCB)—See State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) [California].

CALIFORNIA WATER COMMISSION—See Department of Water Resources (DWR) [California].

CALM—A period or condition of freedom from storms, high winds, or rough activity of water.

CALORIE—(Abbreviation cal) (1) Basically, A unit of heat energy equal to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius (C). More precisely, any of several approximately equal units of heat, each measured as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1C from a standard initial temperature, especially from 3.98C (corresponding to the maximum density of water), 14.5C, or 19.5C, at 1 atmosphere pressure. Also referred to as the Gram Calorie and the Small Calorie. (2) The unit of heat equal to 1/100 the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water from 0C (its freezing point) to 100C (its boiling point) at 1 atmosphere pressure. Also referred to as the Mean Calorie. (3) The unit of heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1C at 1 atmosphere pressure. Also referred to as the Kilocalorie, Kilogram Calorie, and Large Calorie. (4) A unit of energy-producing potential equal to this amount of heat that is contained in food and released upon oxidation by the body. Also referred to as the Nutritionist's Calorie. The calorie is used when temperature is measured in degrees Celsius (C) on the Centigrade Scale. The British Thermal Unit (BTU) is used when the measurement is in degrees Fahrenheit (F) on the Fahrenheit Scale.

CALVE—To break at an edge, sot that a portion separates. Used of a glacier or an iceberg.

CAMEL—A device used to raise sunken objects, consisting of a hollow structure that is submerged, attached tightly to the object, and pumped free of water. Also referred to as a Caisson.

CAMP SCAR—Camp sites on wilderness and primitive lakes are easily recognized from the water surface and air by their lighter tone and barren character. Landing beaches are cleared, ground cover is destroyed and large trees are dead or dying from soil compaction. Damage to the aesthetic image is frequently accentuated by blazes, temporary structures and bark stripping.

CANAL—A constructed open channel for transporting water.

CANAL, BOAT—A dredged canal between separate lakes or lakes and streams to provide convenient boat passage.

CANAL AUTOMATION—The implementation of a control system that upgrades the conventional method of canal system operation.

CANAL CHECK GATE STRUCTURE—A structure designed to control the water surface level and flow in a canal, maintaining a specified water depth or head on outlets or turnout structures. Most canal check structures have movable gates.

CANAL FREEBOARD—The amount of canal lining available above maximum design water depth.

CANAL POOL—Canal section between check structures

CANAL PRISM—The cross-sectional shape of a typical canal.

CANAL RE