hydrosphere study guide

cohesion

water molecules stick to water molecules

adhesion

water molecules stick to surfaces

surface tension

water surfaces’ thin layer

capillary action

water moves between tiny spaces bc of cohesion & adhesion

evaporation

liquid to water vapor (gas)

transpiration

plants release water vapor

condensation

water vapor cools and forms clouds

precipitation

water falls as rain/snow/sleet/hail

runoff

water flows over land

ilfiltration

water soaks into the ground

percolation

water flows deeper into the ground (thru soil & rock)

groundwater flow

water moves underground

watershed

an area of land where water drains into the same body of water

watershed divide

high land seperating neighboring watersheds

tributary

a smaller stream or river that flows into a larger one

floodplain

flat land beside a river that can flood

weathering

rock breaks down

erosion

sediment moves from one place to another

deposition

sediment is dropped in a new location

wetlands

areas where soil is covered or saturated with water for at least part of the year

riparian vegetation

plants that grow along streams & rivers

turbidity

how cloudy or clear water is

dissolved oxygen

oxygen dissolved in water that aquatic organisms need

nitrates

contains nitrogen. enter water through fertilizers & animal waste

phosphates

contains phosphorus. nutrients that can enter water through fertilizers, detergents, & manure

pH

measures how acidic or basic water is

eutrophication

excess nutrients cause algae growth and oxygen loss

stream velocity

how fast water moves; distance divided by time

canopy cover

how much of a stream is shaded by trees & plants

embeddedness

how much of the rocks on a stream bottom are surrounded by fine sediment

bank stability

how well stream banks resist erosion

groundwater

water stored beneath earth’s surface

aquifer

a layer of rock that stores water

water table

the boundary between unsaturated zone & saturated zone

saturated zone

spaces in soil & rock that are filled with water

recharge

water entering an aquifer

unsaturated zone

area underground where spaces in soil and sock have water & air

porosity

the amount of open space in soil & rock

permeability

how easily water moves thru soil/rock

confined aquifer

an aquifer trapped between less-permeable layers

artesian well

a well where underground pressure causes water to rise

permeable surface

allows water to soak into the ground

impermeable surface

prevents/limits water from soaking into the ground

water conservation

using water carefully & avoiding waste

direct water footprint

water you use yourself (ex showering)

indirect water footprint

water used to make products you use (ex coffee has 37 gallons)

desalination

removing salt from seawater

distillation

heating water to make vapor, cooling it to condense, then collecting the freshwater

biotic effect

an efffect on living things

abiotic effect

an effect on nonliving parts of the environment

percentage of Earth's water thats saltwater

97%

percentage of freshwater

3%

percentage of freshwater thats in ice caps and glaciers

77%

percentage of freshwater that is deep groundwater in the lab

20%

the lab's estimate of accessible freshwater for human consumption

Less than 0.05% of global freshwater

dissolved oxygen level that can stress aquatic life

Below 5 mg/L

typical pH range for streams

6.5-8.0

amount of dots are on the densiometer

96

What you multiply the average covered dots by to estimate canopy cover

1.04

the lab's 1,000 mL saltwater amount

970 mL

the lab's 1,000 mL freshwater amount

30 mL

physical/mechanical weathering

rock breaks into smaller pieces without changing what it is made of (ex: Water freezes in a crack, expands, and breaks the rock apart)

biological weathering

Living things break down rocks (ex: Tree roots grow into cracks in rocks and push them apart)