Fresh and Saltwater Systems 1-2 Flashcards
(34 cards)
what is potable water?
water you can drink
how much of the water on earth is available for us to drink?
Only about
0.003% of the
Earth’s water is
accessible for
humans to drink
what is water quality and how can we measure it?
Describes how pure water is
Can be determined through
measuring amount of substances
besides water in a sample
what is the most common substance dissolved in water?
Most common substances dissolved
in water are salts
Sodium chloride is the most common
what is salinity?
Salinity: total amount of salt
dissolved in water
what is seawater’s salinity?
about 3.5%
what is hard water?
water with high concentrations of
minerals calcium and magnesium
does water contain living organisms?
yes
what are some items drinking water might be tested for?
Taste and odour
Turbidity (cloudiness) and colour
Toxic substances and pollutants
Bacteria
Hardness and mineral content
pH (acidic or basic)
Dissolved oxygen
Solid, including floating materials
Dissolved solids
what are waves?
Changes in patterns that move along
the water’s surface
what mostly causes waves?
the wind (stronger the wind, bigger the waves)
what’s the difference between how waves move and how water moves?
Waves move along the surface,
water itself moves in small circles
how can shorelines change?
Waves crashing on the shore can
change its shape
Shore can be eroded or sand and
other materials can be deposited
what are tides?
Change in coastal water level
regularly everyday
what causes tides?
Caused by the gravitational force of
the moon
Water feels the largest pull on the side
where the moon is, it bulges (also a
bulge on the opposite side)
As the Moon moves in it’s orbit, so does
the bulge.
what questions are asked to develop a profile on a stream?
How fast does it flow?
How steep is the channel?
How is it eroding its banks?
what is erosion?
wearing away and
transporting of rock fragments
and soil
what are sediments?
the rock fragments and soil
what is deposition?
The laying down or
depositing of sediments
what are watersheds?
All the area of land that drains into
one main lake or river
Can contain many smaller rivers and
lakes, which eventually drain into a
larger one
Most finally drain into the ocean
what is the continental drift?
Continental Divide: Location of the
highest ground, determines the
direction a watershed drains
The Rocky Mountains in North America
what is the lithosphere?
the outer part of the earth
Made of rocks that are broken into
huge plates
Plates move slowly over Earth’s
surface
Movement shapes the geological
features of ocean floors and the
continents
what affects continental drainage systems?
Affected by the changing lithosphere
The Rocky Mountains were formed
by two plates moving towards each
other
Mountain ranges have shaped
continental drainage systems
what are glaciers?
large moving bodies of ice
