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Which is not a reason that snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada range has diminished?
higher demand for water due to population growth
3 multiple choice options
The majority of Earth's freshwater is in
glaciers, icecaps, and snowfields
3 multiple choice options
What percentage of all water on Earth is fresh water?
2.4%
The length of time water stays in a particular compartment is known as its __________ time.
residence
Areas where surface waters filter into an aquifer are called ____________ _______.
recharge zone
Water-rich countries are generally found in the far north latitudes or in the equatorial regions.
true
1 multiple choice option
Globally, agriculture accounts for about ________ of water resources.
75%
_____________ is the gradual sinking of the ground surface due to the depletion of aquifers.
subsidence
According to the UN, how many people in the world lack access to safe drinking water?
1 Billion
3 multiple choice options
Climate change forecasts predicts
dry regions will become drier and wet regions will become wetter
3 multiple choice options
Environmental and social costs of river dam construction include
all of these are environmental and social costs associated with hydroelectric dams
3 multiple choice options
Point source pollutants include runoff from farm fields, feedlots, golf courses, lawns, construction sites, and roads.
false
1 multiple choice option
The main source of water-borne pathogens in untreated or improperly treated human waste.
true
1 multiple choice option
Measures of water quality include
all of these
3 multiple choice options
The largest source of water pollution in the United States is
silt and sediment caused by erosion
3 multiple choice options
The most widespread toxic metal contaminant in North America is ____________.
Mercury
The leading cause of water contamination in the U.S. leading to human illness is
pathogens
3 multiple choice options
Water quality is correlated with development. Which country would be expected to have the worst surface water quality?
Haiti
3 multiple choice options
Which water source poses the greatest challenge to clean up based on accessibility?
groundwater
3 multiple choice options
In an agricultural, crop-growing region which kind of water contaminants would you expect to be the most present?
fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides
3 multiple choice options
In the U.S., nitrates and phosphates in surface waters have increased from point sources in the past few decades but have decreased from non-point sources.
false
The U.S. Clean Water Act was initially passed in what year?
1972
____________ is the use of biological organisms to remove pollution or restore environmental quality.
bioremediation
Which organic wastewater contaminant was detected in greatest abundance during a 2002 USGS study?
steroids
3 multiple choice options
Natural wastewater treatment such as constructed or artificial wetlands are an effective alternative to conventional sewage treatment systems but require more energy to operate.
false
1 multiple choice option
secondary treatment
removal of pathogens and organic compounds
2 multiple choice options
tertiary treatment
removal of dissolved metals, nitrates, and phosphates
2 multiple choice options
primary treatment
physically separating large solids from the liquid portion
2 multiple choice options
What percentage of your body is water?
60%
What is water needed for?
agriculture, industry, transportation, and a host of other human used
What is clean fresh water?
one of our most vital natural resources
The Hydrologic Cycle
water evaporates from moist surfaces, fall as rain or snow, passes through living organisms, and returns to the ocean
What does solar energy drive?
the hydrologic cycle
water resource compartments
the distribution of water which is described in terms of interacting where water resides
What percentage of all fresh water is tied up in glaciers, ice caps, and snowfields?
90%
What is the largest compartment of liquid freshwater, and how does it originate?
Originating as precipitation that percolates into layers of soil and rock, groundwater makes up the largest compartment of liquid, fresh water.
zone of aeration
a shallow layer of soil containing both air and water
zone of saturation
lower soil layer with pores filled with water
water table
top of the zone of saturation that supplies most wells
What percentage of the water supply does the atmosphere contain?
0.001%
residence time
the length of time water stays in a particular compartment
water
a renewable resource, but renewal takes time
water withdrawal
the total amount of water taken from a water body
What percentage of total water withdrawal does agriculture claim?
75%
What is largest single industrial use of water
cooling water for power plants
What percentage industrial water use is used for cooling power plants?
50 to 75%
According to the United Nations, how does daily water consumption in developed countries compare to that in developing nations?
10 times more
In which regions do the biggest problems of water stress and scarcity occur, and what factors contribute to these issues?
Africa and Asia because rainfall is low and poor countries can't afford to adapt
When was. the worst drought in the United States?
in the 1930's when dry years and poor soil conservation resulted in the "dust bow"
What percentage of freshwater does groundwater provide to agriculture and domestic use in the United States?
40%
What does water withdrawal to allow to collapse?
aquifers
When aquifers collapse what follows?
subsidence or sinking of the ground surface follows
What is The 3 Gorges Dam
the largest water diversion project in the world now being built in China
What can big dams in seismically active areas trigger?
earthquakes
watershed
all the land drained by a stream or river
What is the greatest domestic water user?
toilets
pollution
any physical, biological, or chemical change in water quality that adversely affects living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses
point sources
discharge pollution from specific locations, such as drain pipes, ditches, or sewer outfalls such as factories, power plants, sewage treatment plants, underground coal mines, and oil wells
non-point sources
have no specific location where they discharge into a particular body of water, including runoff from farm fields and feedlots, golf courses, lawns and gardens, construction sites, logging areas, roads, streets, and parking lots
What are the most serious water pollutants in terms of human health worldwide?
pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms
What are the most important waterborne diseases?
typhoid, cholera, bacterial and amoebic dysentery, enteritis, polio, infectious hepatitis, and schistosomiasis
What is usually present in a water sample with a infectious pathogens?
coliform bacteria
dissolved oxygen (DO)
levels are often measured to compare water quality in different places
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms
chemical oxygen demand (COD)
a measure of all organic matter in water
oligotrophic
rivers and lakes that have clear water and low biological productivity
eutrophic
waters are rich in organisms and organic materials
cultural eutrophication
when human activities greatly accelerate eutrophication
sediment
a natural part of river systems. Sediment fertilizers floodplains and creates fertile deltas, but human activities, chiefly farming and urbanization, greatly increase sediment loads in rivers
thermal pollution
usually effluent from cooling systems of power plants or other industries, alters water temperature. Raising water temperatures from normal levels can adversely affect water quality and aquatic life
What challenges arise when deep underground aquifers become contaminated, and what is the process for addressing this issue?
it is possible, but expensive, to pump water out of aquifers, clean it, and then pump it back
How can industries reduce pollution?
by recycling or reclaiming materials that otherwise might be discarded in the waste stream
bioremediation
living organisms can clean contaminated water effectively and inexpensively
The 1972 Clean Water Act
established a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), which requires an easily revoked permit for any industry, municipality, or other entity dumping wastes in surface waters
What was the ambitious goal of the Clean Water Act?
to return all U.S. surface waters to "fishable and swimmable" conditions
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