Water Systems

Flashcards about Water Systems

Why is water crucial to life on Earth?

All living things need water to survive; humans cannot breathe, digest food, or grow without it.

Why can't people drink ocean water?

It is too salty.

What is potable water?

Fresh water that is safe and suitable for drinking, free of harmful microorganisms and without an unpleasant taste, smell, or appearance.

Which two countries have a large percentage of the world's population but a small percentage of the freshwater supply?

China and India.

How much of the world's freshwater supply do The Great Lakes hold?

20%

What percentage of the world's population uses The Great Lakes as a source of drinking water?

Less than 1%

What are the three states in which water exists on Earth?

Liquid, solid, and gas.

What percentage of the planet is covered with water?

About 70%

What is a watershed?

An area of land in which all water present eventually drains into one large main water body.

How does water influence the temperature of coastal areas?

Oceans and large lakes have a moderating effect, keeping these areas warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than inland areas.

What is salinity?

How much salt is dissolved in a liquid.

What percentage of Earth's total water supply is freshwater?

Only 3%

Define groundwater zone.

The area where water fills all the air spaces in the soil and in the tiny cracks in the rock.

What is the water table?

The upper surface of the groundwater zone.

Define aquifer.

An underground freshwater reservoir.

How much more salt water is there on Earth than fresh water?

97% salt water and 3% fresh water

At what temperature does ocean water freeze?

-1.8°C

Define glacier.

A mass of ice and overlying snow that moves slowly down a mountain slope under the influence of gravity.

Define ice sheet.

A particularly large glacier that covers the land.

What are the two ice sheets on Earth?

One in Greenland and one in Antarctica.

Define ice shelf.

Floating ice when an ice sheet reaches the ocean.

Define iceberg.

Large sections of an ice shelf that break off.

What is transpiration?

The process of water evaporation from plant leaves.

What is the water cycle?

The changes of state of water as it moves from Earth's surface into the atmosphere and back to Earth again.

The Rocky Mountains act as a _.

Continental Divide