Chapter 9 - Water Resources

Question 1

Aquifer

Answer 1

A permeable layer of rock and sediment that contains groundwater.

Question 2

Watershed

Answer 2

All land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland

Question 3

Unconfined Aquifer

Answer 3

An aquifer made of porous rock covered by soil out of which water can easily flow.

Question 4

Confined Aquifer

Answer 4

An aquifer surrounded by a layer of impermeable rock or clay that impedes water flow.

Question 5

Artesian Well

Answer 5

A well created by drilling a hole into a confined aquifer.

Question 6

Water Table

Answer 6

The uppermost level at which the water in a given area fully saturates rock or soil.

Question 7

Recharge Zone

Answer 7

Any area of land allowing water to percolate down through it and into an aquifer

Question 8

Cone of Depression

Answer 8

An area lacking groundwater due to rapid withdrawal by a well.

Question 9

Salt Water Intrusion

Answer 9

the movement of saltwater into a freshwater aquifer located near the coast; caused by groundwater depletion

Question 10

Subsidence

Answer 10

A depression or fissure of the land surface as a result of groundwater/oil being pumped; virtually an irreversible process.

Question 11

Floodplain

Answer 11

The land adjacent to a river.

Question 12

Oligotrophic Lake

Answer 12

Lake with a low productivity and supply of plant nutrients.

Question 13

Mesotrophic Lake

Answer 13

Lake with a moderate productivity and supply of plant nutrients.

Question 14

Eutrophic Lake

Answer 14

Lake with a large or excessive supply of plant nutrients, mostly nitrates and phosphates, high level of productivity.

Question 15

Impermeable Sufaces

Answer 15

pavement of buildings that do not allow water penetration

Question 16

Levee

Answer 16

An enlarged bank built up on each side of a river.

Question 17

Dike

Answer 17

A structure built to prevent ocean waters from flooding adjacent land.

Question 18

Dam

Answer 18

A barrier that runs across a river or stream to control the flow of water.

Question 19

Reservoir

Answer 19

The water body created by a damming a river or stream.

Question 20

Fish Ladder

Answer 20

a structure specifically built to assist migratory fish to reach spawning grounds in upper streams; installed to allow these fish to pass around dams

Question 21

Aqueduct

Answer 21

A canal or ditch used to carry water from one location to another.

Question 22

Desalination

Answer 22

the removal of salt from ocean water

Question 23

Distillation

Answer 23

A process of desalinization in which water is boiled and the resulting steam is captured and condensed to yield pure water.

Question 24

Reverse Osmosis

Answer 24

A process of desalination in which water is forced through a thin semipermeable membrane at high pressure.

Question 25

Furrow Irrigation

Answer 25

The oldest irrigation technique, which is easy and expensive; involves the digging of trenches (furrows) along crop rows and filling them with water, which seeps into the ground and provides moisture to plant roots; about 65% efficient

Question 26

Flood Irrigation

Answer 26

Involves flooding an entire field with water and letting the water soak in evenly; generally more disruptive to plant growth than furrow irrigation; about 70% to 80% efficient.

Question 27

Spray Irrigation

Answer 27

More expensive and uses more energy; water is pumped from a well into an apparatus that contains a series of spray nozzles that spray water across the field; 75% to 95% efficient.

Question 28

Drip Irrigation

Answer 28

Uses a slowly dripping hose that is either laid on the ground or buried beneath the soil; has the added benefit of reducing weed growth because the surface remains dry, discouraging weed germination; over 95% efficient.

Question 29

Hydroponics

Answer 29

The cultivation of crop plants under greenhouse conditions with their roots immersed in a nutrient-rich solution, but no soil;

Question 30

Gray Water

Answer 30

Wastewater from baths, showers, bathrooms, and washing machines.

Question 31

Tiered Water Pricing System

Answer 31

First tier would charge very little or nothing for a life-line quantity of water to ensure that poor households have enough water to meet basic needs. ( Rates would be higher in the summer as the demand is higher. )

Question 32

Xeriscaping

Answer 32

A concept of 7 water conserving and landscaping principles that may be applied to a variety of landscape styles (Planning and Design, Wise choice of plants, Appropriate use of turf, Soil preparation, Use of mulch, Efficient irrigation, Proper maintenance)

Question 33

Aral Sea (disaster)

Answer 33

A lake lying in between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan that is one of the biggest seas in the world. (massive decrease in marine biodiversity and increase saltiness)

Question 34

Three Gorges Dam (disaster)

Answer 34

A hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping that has the highest capacity out of any dam

Question 35

Ogallala Aquifer (disaster)

Answer 35

A shallow water table aquifer located beneath the Great Plains in the United States that is one of the largest in the world

Question 36

James Bay Project (disaster)

Answer 36

Completion of a major hydroelectric project cancelled because it would displace indigenous populations, decomposing organic matter caused lots of methyl-mercury build-up, disrupted salmon spawning, destroyed wildlife habitat.

Question 37

CA Water Project (disaster)

Answer 37

One of the largest water development projects in US and it is the key means for the State to re-route water among critical regions in times of severe shortages

Question 38

Colorado River (disaster)

Answer 38

Diversion of water from the Colorado River has led to water rights disputes between Arizona, CA, and Mexico Dams on the Colorado River trap large quantities of silt and reduce nutrient levels in farmlands below the dam. (results in more fertilizer)

Question 39

Aswan Dam (disaster)

Answer 39

The silt that made the Nile region fertile fills the reservoir. Lack of irrigation controls causes waterlogging and salinization.