Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
What is the name of the largest estuary in the United States?
Chesapeake Bay
What factors and contaminates contribute to oxygen depletion in a body of water?
excessive algae and phytoplankton growth driven by high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen
. What are the effects of high turbidity on a body of water?
Turbidity is the loss of water transparency the effect is reduced photosynthetic ability of producers.
drip irrigation
95%+ efficiency; the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops
spray irrigation
expensive and energy-consuming; 75-95% efficient; water is pumped from a well into an apparatus that contains a series of spray nozzles that spray water across the field
flood irrigation
70-80% efficient; water is poured through canals and waterways so that it flows through fields
furrow irrigation
easy and inexpensive; 65% efficient; farmer digs trenches along the crop rows and fills them with water, which seeps into the ground and provides moisture to plant roots
Why are lakes more vulnerable to water pollution than streams or rivers
Lakes are stagnant and don't flow being there is no movement of pollution or natural filtering
What conditions would lead to an oxygen sag (a dip in oxygen levels at some point between upstream and downstream)?
Oxygen sag curves occur when the oxygen dissolved in the water is depleted. This is caused by the addition of anything which increases the biological oxygen demand such as biological waste and sewage. they are found mostly in slow flowing streams.
East Coast water rights
Riparian Doctrine (If you live close to the river or to that water body [or] lake, you have reasonable rights to use that water.)
West Coast water rights
Prior Appropriation Doctrine (Whoever uses the water first and/or was present first, get priority in usage. )
Explain the effects of cultural eutrophication.
human activities accelerate the input of plant nutrients to water sources (mostly nitrate-and phosphate-containing effluents)
Eutrophication
excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
List several ways to prevent nonpoint source water pollution
using vegetation to reduce soil erosion, reduce fertilizer use, using liners for waste ponds, using plant buffer zones around fields and animal feedlots, keeping feedlots away from slopes, surface water and flood zones, and integrating pest management
Clean Water Act
The clean water act set standards for pollutants and required polluters to get permits
Water Quality Act
The water quality act penalized for violating standards for solutions and stressed identification and regulation of toxic pollutants in sewage sludge
Understand the connection between saltwater intrusion and global warming.
Climate change is expected to further exacerbate saltwater intrusion due to sea-level rise coupled with higher temperatures, which would cause higher water demand, and reduced precipitation, which would reduce the surface water available for aquifer recharge
which of the following is a waterborne illness?
cholera
which development of eutrophication would occur last
fish kills
which development of eutrophication would occur first
decrease in oxygen
mining can contribute to the release of _______ which can pollute groundwater
mercury & arsenic
what percentage of water world wide is wasted
65-70%
the leading nonpoint source of water pollution is
agriculture
what is not a way to purify water
lime(crushed limestone)
what can be used to disinfect or purify water
chlorine, UV radiation, ozone
oxygen sag curves may occur
due to oxygen demanding wastes
which of the following is the most efficient form of irrigation
drip irrigation
the largest single use of freshwater is for
agriculture
a body of water can be depleted of oxygen by
bacteria consuming wastes
the portion of surface runoff that serves as a stable source of freshwater from year to year is
reliable runoff
In the Western United States (unlike the Eastern) the major water problems are
chronic drought and insufficient runoff
private drinking wells are checked by requirement on a regular basis (true/false)
false
to reduce flooding, an environmentalist would prefer
floodplain management
Hypoxic zones
large zones of oxygen depleted water they are created mostly by huge inputs of nitrates.
What parameters are monitored when studying water quality?
turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, bacteria, nitrates and phosphates
What are the 3 major water pollutant categories?
biological pollutants, chemical pollutants, and physical pollutants
What three factors can be used to detect & monitor water pollution? Why?
BOD (biological oxygen demand) because wastewater naturally undergoes decomposition by bacteria which requires oxygen, the amount of nutrients that are released from wastewater decomposition which makes the water more fertile for algal growth, and amounts of fecal coliform bacterial because finding it indicates the presence of human waste and pathogens in the water.
What are the 3 major waterborne diseases?
cholera, hepatitis, and shigellosis.
Why is groundwater harder to clean up than the pollution of rivers or streams?
Groundwater is hard to clean up because slow flow means there is little dilution and dispersion, the is low dissolved oxygen in ground water, there are fewer bacteria to decompose pollutants, and cooler temperatures slow chemical reactions that are needed to decompose waste.
Differentiate among the three categories of waste.
The three categories of waste are degradable waste (organic matter), slowly degradable waste (DDT, some pesticides), and non-degradable waste (lead, arsenic, fluoride).
What percentage of the Earth's water is available freshwater?
0.024%
What are the different sources from which an aquifer could be recharged?
surface infiltration and deep injection
surface runoff
water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, that flows over the land surface
surface water
water that collects on the surface of the ground
Reliable runoff
water that we can depend on year to year
How much runoff is dedicated to agriculture?
70%
groundwater overdraft
when too much water is withdraw from an aquifer such that it decreases the water level substantially.
What is most of the freshwater in the US used for?
irrigation
half of all water is used for ____________________ & can be reused
electric power plants
The largest percentage of water use in the home goes toward ___________.
Toilet flushing
5 methods to increase the water supply
withdrawing groundwater, building dams and reservoirs to store runoff, converting salt water to freshwater, and using water conservation
What are the drawbacks of desalinization?
expensive, the resulting salty brine must be disposed of without harming ecosystems, and chemicals are used to control algae and end up killing marine organisms
How have aqueducts improved in their efficiency, or rather what changes have been made?
Aqueducts transfer water from water rich areas to water poor areas, aqueducts/ canals are covered to reduce evaporation
What is the purpose of dikes and levees?
to manage the potential flooding of a river or areas that are below water lev
3 drawbacks of dams and reservoirs
they disrupt water flow, cause severe flooding, and disrupt migration patterns.
3 benefits of dams and reservoirs
they hold water for many reasons including consumption, irrigation, and recreation, also they are used to do work like turning water wheels and turbines for hydroelectricity, and reduces downstream flooding
Describe the effects of the water transfer project in the Aral Sea.
The water level has dropped significantly , increased salinity, killed off many fish populations, and reduced the amount of available water
