Water Cycle

Question 1

Water molecule properties

Answer 1

• Covalently bonded oxygen and two hydrogens
• Bent molecule at 104.5 degrees
• polar with being more negative at the oxygen and more positive at the hydrogen

Question 2

The transition between water’s phases releases ___

Answer 2

latent heat (of melting and vaporization)

Question 3

Energy is absorbed by water when going to a ____ ordered phase.

Answer 3

more

Question 4

Water’s polarity makes it

Answer 4

have good surface tension and an excellent solvent

Question 5

Properties of ice

Answer 5

• a mineral (fixed composition, defined structure, inorganic, naturally occurring solid
• expands as it freezes (open crystal lattice with a density lower than water).

Question 6

Hydrological pathways

Answer 6

Condensation, precipitation, evaporation, surface runoff, infiltration, transpiration

Question 7

Infiltration

Answer 7

Water infiltrates into the ground, where it joins the groundwater reservoir and may eventually be locked up in the lithosphere in the form of hydrous minerals.

Question 8

Hydrological reservoirs

Answer 8

places in the water cycle where water is stored

Question 9

Examples of hydrological reservoirs

Answer 9

oceans, atmosphere, lakes, rivers, ground

Question 10

Fresh surface water bodies, such as lakes, rivers, and wetlands, comprise less than ___ of the total water on earth.

Answer 10

0.01%

Question 11

Residence time

Answer 11

The average amount of time that a water molecule stays in a particular reservoir

Question 12

Flux

Answer 12

The rate at which water moves between reservoirs

Question 13

Overland flow

Answer 13

Rainfall and meltwater on the landscape begin to flow across the surface once the soil is saturated. The initial sheet-like movement of water downhill with gravity is called overland flow.

Question 14

Streamflow

Answer 14

When the flow of water occurs in an established, as the overland flow becomes channelized due to erosion. channel

Question 15

Surface runoff is comprised of

Answer 15

streamflow and overland flow

Question 16

Streams are organized into

Answer 16

river systems

Question 17

Small streams called tributaries typically merge

Answer 17

downstream

Question 18

Drainage basin

Answer 18

an area drained by a major river and its tributaries

Question 19

Drainage basins are separated by

Answer 19

drainage divides

Question 20

Continental divides

Answer 20

topographical highs which typically separate water drainage basins that flow into different oceans

Question 21

River behaviour is controlled by

Answer 21

• average width and depth of channel (area)
• channel gradient
• average flow/velocity
• discharge (a measure of the amount of flow moving through a river)

Question 22

Width and depth ____ downstream

Answer 22

increases

Question 23

Gradient ____ downstream

Answer 23

decreases

Question 24

Velocity _____ downstream

Answer 24

increases

Question 25

Discharge ____ downstream

Answer 25

Increases

Question 26

How to determine discharge

Answer 26

Calculating the cross-sectional area of a river (width and depth) and then multiplying that area by the velocity of the river giving units of m^3/day

Question 27

River systems are transport routes for

Answer 27

dissolved ions in solution, suspended sediments, the bed load of a stream or river

Question 28

Major ions in rivers primarily come from:

Answer 28

dissolution of minerals

Question 29

Major cations in rivers

Answer 29

Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium

Question 30

Major anions in rivers

Answer 30

bicarbonate, sulfate, chloride

Question 31

Suspended load is comprised of

Answer 31

particulate matter such as clays that remain in suspension

Question 32

Smaller particles settle more _____ than larger ones and so are transported _____

Answer 32

slowly, farther

Question 33

Bedload

Answer 33

The bed load is comprisd of typically larger particles in a river system that are transported by moving along the bed.

Question 34

Ways that the bed load moves

Answer 34

• Rolling (rotating along the bed without leaving it)
• Slide (move along bed without leaving it)
• Salination (hopping along the bed)

Question 35

Hydrographs

Answer 35

a record of river discharge at one point in the river continuously over many years

Question 36

Suspended load is deposited where the flow

Answer 36

stops or slows

Question 37

Dissolved load is typically carried to

Answer 37

sea