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What percentage of Earth's water is ocean water?
97% of Earth's water is ocean water.
What percentage of Earth's water is fresh water?
3% of Earth's water is fresh water.
How much of the fresh water is available for use?
1% of fresh water is available for use.
What is the main source of surface water in the U.S.?
Fresh water lakes.
What percentage of drinking water in the U.S. comes from surface water?
50% of all drinking water is surface water.
What does groundwater account for in terms of usable fresh water?
Groundwater accounts for 99% of usable fresh water.
What is the result of a country using all available water resources from a shared river?
This leads to conflicts over water ownership.
Which river does the U.S. and Mexico both share?
The Rio Grande.
What is the primary driver of the hydrologic cycle?
The sun's heat causes evaporation.
What occurs during transpiration?
Infiltrated water absorbed by plants is released back to the atmosphere.
What are the two types of flow in streams?
Laminar flow and turbulent flow.
What determines laminar flow in streams?
Laminar flow occurs when velocity is very slow and the channel has smooth sides.
What type of flow is most common in streams?
Turbulent flow.
What does stream capacity refer to?
The maximum quantity of sediment a stream can carry.
What does stream competence refer to?
The maximum particle size a stream can transport.
What causes erosion of solid rock by streams?
Sand and pebbles carried by streams sand blast the rock.
What kind of load do dissolved molecules in water make up?
Dissolved load.
What is the main sediment type that constitutes the bed load?
Sediment too large to suspend rolls, slides, and bounces along the river bottom.
How much is the suspended load of the Mississippi River?
67% suspended load.
What is evapotranpiration?
The sum of evaporation and transpiration.
What is runoff?
Rainwater that does not infiltrate but collects in streams and lakes.
What happens to rainfall during infiltration?
Water soaks into the ground and becomes groundwater.
What is the effect of increasing stream velocity on sediment?
It increases both the stream's capacity and competency.
What can be formed by pebbles swirling in a stream?
Potholes.
What is the significance of the Colorado River?
It traditionally supplied water to northern Mexico but now runs dry before reaching it.
What might trigger future water wars?
Disputes over shared water sources and pollution.
What does the term 'fresh water lakes' refer to?
Lakes that contain less than 1% of Earth's usable fresh water.
What river flows through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq?
The Euphrates River.
What is sediment capacity?
The maximum amount of sediment a stream can carry.
What are tributaries?
Smaller streams that flow into a main stream.
What natural event is often driven by overland flow?
Runoff.
What type of flow is characterized by an erratic path with swirling motion?
Turbulent flow.
In what context did Boutros Boutros-Ghali speak about water?
He stated that future wars in the Middle East would be fought over water, not politics.
What are saline lakes?
Lakes that contain higher concentrations of salts compared to freshwater lakes.
What does atmospheric moisture refer to?
Water vapor present in the atmosphere, which contributes to the hydrological cycle.
