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GEOG 322 > 8. Water quality > Flashcards

8. Water quality Flashcards

(47 cards)

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1
Q

Water quality (def)

A

Basic chemical and physical characteristics of water that determine its suitability for life or for human use

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2
Q

Water quality parameters (3)

A
  • physical water quality parameters
  • biological water quality parameters
  • chemical water quality parameters
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3
Q

Physical water quality parameters (8)

A
  • water temperature
  • electrical conductivity (EC)
  • total dissolved salts
  • salinity
  • dissolved oxygen
  • pH
  • alkalinity
  • turbidity / total suspended solids
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4
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: temperature

A

temperature determines the suitability of water for various forms of aquatic life

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5
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: temperature, what is it dependent on (4)

A
  • generally follows daily mean air temperature, but does not vary as much as air temperature
  • moderated by ground water (cooler in summer, warmer in winter)
  • increased by removal of riparian vegetation
  • increased by lake surface inflows
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6
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: electrical conductivity (EC)

A
  • electrical conductivity measures the ability of water to conduct an electrical current
  • it is a good way to determine the ionic strength of water
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7
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: electrical conductivity (EC)
→ fresh water vs ground water vs surface water (high or low)

A
  • freshwater generally has low conductivity
  • groundwater typically has higher levels of conductivity than surface water
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8
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: total dissolved solids (TDS)

A
  • TDS is the measure of the dissolved matter or residue that remains behind after water has evaporated
  • it is related to EC
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9
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Salinity

A
  • Salinity is the amount of salts dissolved in water
  • it is often reported as the ratio of electrical conductivity to a standard
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10
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Salinity
→ what can it be used for

A

It can be used to classify waters as freshwater (potable), brackish (non-potable, but less saline than sea water), or as seawater

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11
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Dissolved oxygen (DO)
→ what does it depend on

A
  • DO is often a function of water temperature
    → as water temperature increases, DO decreases
  • DO is also due to excess respiration in he water`
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12
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: pH

A

pH is the measure of the acidic or basic characteristics of water

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13
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: pH
→ what is the suitable pH for life?

A

5 to 9

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14
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Alkalinity

A
  • Alkalinity is the ability of water to resist acidification
    → low alkalinity = vulnerable to acidification
  • It is generally attributable to the amount of carbonate (CO3-2) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions in the water
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15
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Alkalinity
→ what can influence alkalinity (4)

A
  • soils
  • salts
  • plant activities
  • industrial waste water discharges
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16
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Turbidity / Total suspended solids

A
  • turbidity is a water quality parameter that refers to how clear that water is
  • it is the amount of total suspended solids (TSS) in the water
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17
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Turbidity / Total suspended solids
→ causes (6)

A
  • erosion of agricultural lands
  • forest soils exposed to logging
  • degraded stream banks
  • overgrazed rangeland
  • strip mines
  • construction
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18
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Turbidity / Total suspended solids
→ problems with high turbidity (4)

A
  • limits light penetration → less photosynthesis
  • covers aquatic animals an plants → affects biodiversity
  • brings insoluble toxins into waterways
  • threat to human infrastructure
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19
Q

Biological water quality parameters (2)

Study These Flashcards
A
  • disease causing agents
  • biological oxygen demand
20
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: disease causing agents, 2 types

Study These Flashcards
A
  • infectious organisms that cause diseases
    → originates in the wastes of infected individuals
  • common bacterial or viral diseases
    → typhoid, cholera, bacterial dysentry, polip
21
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: biological oxygen demand (BOD)

Study These Flashcards
A

BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms while degrading organic matter

22
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: biological oxygen demand (BOD)
→ what does high BOD mean

Study These Flashcards
A

the higher the BOD, the greater the likelihood that dissolved oxygen will be depleted in the water

23
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: biological oxygen demand (BOD)
→ what is oxygen sag?

Study These Flashcards
A

Oxygen sag describes how oxygen levels decline downstream of a pollution source, as decomposers metabolize waste materials

24
Q

Chemical water quality parameters (2)

Study These Flashcards
A
  • heavy metals
  • nutrients
25
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: heavy metals
heavy metals can bioaccumulate in food chains
26
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: heavy metals examples (4)
- mercury - lead - cadmium - nickel
27
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: heavy metals causes (2)
- mine drainage - leaching
28
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: nutrients (2)
- phosphorus - nitrogen
29
CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: nutrients origins (4)
- human and animal waste - plant residue - atmospheric deposition - fertilizer runoff
30
Water pollution
Any biological, chemical, or physical change in water quality that has a harmful effect on living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses
31
Environmental consequences (4)
- health hazards - loss of biodiversity - loss of aesthetic beauty - impact on leisure and other outdoor sporting activities
32
Two types of water pollution sources
- point sources - non point sources
33
point sources
- water pollution can be traced to a specific origin - easy to regulate
34
point sources examples (8)
- industrial discharges - sewage treatment plants - landfills - factories - power plants - drain pipes - underground storage tanks - mines
35
non-point sources
- pollutants enter bodies of water over large areas rather than being concentrated at a single point of entry - scattered or diffused, but its cumulative effect is very large - difficult to trace and regulate
36
non-point sources examples (5)
- runoff from agricultural fields - runoff from parking lots - runoff from gardens/lawns/golf courses - runoff from feedlots - atmospheric deposition (of contaminants, carried by air currents and precipitated into watersheds)
37
Sewage treatment of point sources 3
- primary treatment - secondary treatment - tertiary treatment
38
Primary treatment
physical separation of large solids from the waste stream
39
Secondary treatment
biological degradation of dissolved organic compounds (effluent of the primary treatment is treated)
40
Tertiary treatment
removal of plant nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) from secondary effluent
41
Eutrophication
the process of increasing biological productivity in a water body via the addition of nutrients
42
Consequences of eutrophication (3)
- depletion of dissolved oxygen in water - significant changes in ecological dynamics - human health consequences
43
oligotrophic body of water
a body of water that have clear water and low biological productivity (as opposed to eutrophic)
44
watershed export
- Watershed export is the amount of a substance exported from a watershed. - It is usually expressed as kg / ha (watershed) / yr
45
water body load (or loading)
- waterbody load is the amount of substance delivered to a water body - usually expressed as mg / m^2 (water body surface area) / yr
46
Water uses (for which we will regulate water quality) (4)
- food supply - water supply (drinking or agricultural (irrigation)) - recreation (swimming / boating) - ecosystem health (aquatic life support, wildlife support)
47
Classification of water quality
- good: water quality is sufficient to meet all designated uses - impaired: water quality is insufficient to meet at least one designated water use

GEOG 322 (10 decks)

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