Hydrosphere Flashcards
(170 cards)
1
Q
Infiltration
A
Vertical movement of water on land
2
Q
Aquifer
A
Zone of saturated soil
3
Q
Top of aquifer/saturated zone
A
Water table
4
Q
Recharge area
A
Area from which an aquifer receives its water
5
Q
Groundwater discharge
A
Points at which groundwater resurfaces (springs)
6
Q
Runoff
A
Water moves horizontally along land
7
Q
Gravity moves runoff towards the nearest
A
Surface water
8
Q
Drainage basin/watershed
A
Area from which surface waters derive surface runoff and groundwater flows
9
Q
Continental divide divides country into two
A
Drainage basins
10
Q
Main source of freshwater for humans
A
Surface runoff
11
Q
Reservoirs
A
Water that backs up behind dams
12
Q
Confined aquifer
A
Groundwater that accumulates between two impermeable layers
13
Q
Artesian well
A
Groundwater comes to surface naturally through confined aquifer pressure
14
Q
Unconfined aquifers
A
Water is between an impermeable layer and a permeable layer
15
Q
Cone of depression
A
Water table drops around a well because groundwater recharge moves slowly
16
Q
Water diversion
A
Movement if water from surface water or groundwater over some distance to its point of use
17
Q
Desalinization
A
Produces freshwater by removing salt from saltwater and brackish waters
18
Q
Thermal desalting
A
Seawater is boiled or evaporated and steam is drawn off as pure water
19
Q
Membrane separation
A
Physically separates salt from water by pushing saltwater through thin filters that do not let minerals pass
20
Q
Waterworks
A
Human systems for supplying water
21
Q
Off stream uses
A
Water that is withdrawn from surface water or groundwater
22
Q
Withdrawals
A
Water is removed from its source
23
Q
Discharge
A
Water returned after use at or near its source
24
Q
Consumption
A
Difference between quantity of water withdrawn and quantity discharged
25
Largest use of water worldwide
Agriculture
26
Largest single use of water in US
Thermal electric power
27
Instream uses
Water is not diverted or withdrawn from surface waters or groundwater
28
Hydroelectric energy
Produced by force of falling water
29
Water pollution
Purposeful or accidental addition of materials that contaminate water
30
Absolute water scarcity
Ratio of annual water availability to population
31
Aral Sea
Due to irrigation, volume has decreased 75%
32
Colorado river
Excessively dammed, increased demand for water due to population is lowering water levels
33
Overdraft
Rate of pumping of an aquifer exceeds rate of recharge
34
Ogallala aquifer
Subject of overdraft
35
Subsidence
Surface drops due to desaturated soil particles
36
Saltwater intrusion
Overdrafts allow saltwater to flow into aquifer pore spaces previously occupied by freshwater
37
Sewage
Waste and wastewater produced by residential and commercial users that is discharged into sewers
38
Pathogens
Microorganisms that cause disease
39
Fecal coliform count
Measures the number of coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters
40
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
Measures the amount of oxygen required for aerobic organisms to decompose organic material in wastewater
41
Heavy metals
Cause cancer, nervous system damage, and birth defects
42
Minamata disease
Mercury poisoning
43
Non point pollutants
Nutrients, organic wastes, agricultural chemicals
44
Sorption
Soil organic carbon can soak up agricultural chemicals
45
Riparian water rights
Allow a landowner to use a share of the water that flows naturally past his or her property
46
Prior appropriation doctrine
No one owns water in a stream
47
Reasonable use doctrine
Allows landowners to pump water for any beneficial use
48
Rule of absolute ownership
Allows landowners to pump as much water as they want
49
Privatization
Selling a state owned business to private investors
50
Drip irrigation
Slow, localized application of water just above the soil surface
Prevents evaporation
Diminishes use of fertilizer
Improves quality of returned water
51
Clean water act
Improve water quality
| Achieve no discharge of pollutants
52
Primary waste treatment
Removes large solids physically
| Screens, settling tanks, filters
53
Secondary wastewater treatment
Reduces number of pathogens and accelerates decomposition of organic wastes by enhancing the actions of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria
54
Tertiary wastewater treatment
Separates undecomposed organic from wastewater
55
Oxygen demanding agents
Organic waste, manure
56
Organic chemicals
Oil
Pesticides
Detergents
57
Cholera
Travels through untreated human wastewater
Spread by sharing contaminated water
Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea
58
1854 cholera outbreak
Spread from India to London by ships transporting contaminated drinking water
59
Guinea worm disease
3 foot worms in foot
60
Combustion of coal incinerators
Mercury poisoning
61
As bacteria and algae die, they are decomposed by
Aerobic bacteria
62
Bio accumulation
Organic molecules get trapped in fat cells and accumulate
63
Bio magnification
Chemicals that can be magnified as they pass through the food chain
64
What is the number one source of water pollution
Sediment pollution
65
Thermal pollution
Water is withdrawn, used for cooling, and returned to its original source
66
Septic systems
Wastewater flows into tanks
Particulate organically settle and are digested by bacteria
Water, organic material, and dissolved nutrients flow into a leaching field and percolate into the soil
Soil bacteria decompose the matter
67
Consolidated
Compacted sediment
| Eg sandstone
68
Unconsolidated
Loose sediment
| Eg sand
69
Porosity
Proportion of material that is made up of spaces
70
Well sorted means
Higher porosity
71
Poorly sorted means
Low porosity
72
Permeability
Capacity of water to flow through earth materials
73
Water table follows
Topography
74
Wetlands form when
Several small springs distribute water over a region underlain by a low permeability material such as clay or shale
75
High plains aquifer
Produces more water than any other groundwater source in the nation
Sand and gravel with some underlying sandstone
Open aquifer
Partially recharged by rain and snowmelt
76
Bangladesh
Widespread groundwater contamination by arsenic
77
Ubar
Water resources depleted, limestone shelf cracked, city caved in
78
Largest use of water worldwide
Irrigation
79
Estuaries
Provide ecosystems in bays and rivers, where fresh river water mixes with seawater
80
Sinkhole
Underground cavern is drained of its supporting groundwater and suddenly collapsed
81
Saltwater intrusion
Lowering water table lowers pressure allowing saltwater to flow into aquifer and wells
82
Surge flow
Uses computers to control release of water
83
Xeriscaping
Planting plants that don't require watering
84
Gray water
Slightly dirty water from sinks
85
riparian zones
areas of transition between aquatic and upland ecosystems
| streams, rivers, bogs, lakes
86
bank stabilisation
roots of vegetation hold soil in place, improving stream bank stability
tree roots are most effective
forested riparian zones have wider streams, grassy ones have narrow and deep ones
87
course particulate organic matter
food source for bugs
88
wider and shallower streams have more surface area to support
benthic organisms
89
best width of buffers
50 ft
90
woburn case
children diagnosed with lukemia after their mothers drank water from two polluted wells while they were pregnant
91
dendritic drainage patterns
characteristic of areas where geology is relatively uniform
92
gradient
slope of a stream
93
stream discharge
volume of water flowing past a specific point in a given period of time
94
carrying capacity
maximum sediment the stream can carry
95
as discharge goes up,
carrying capacity goes up
96
as discharge drops,
carrying capacity drops
97
erosion produces
stream load (combination of bed load, suspended load, dissolved load
98
a stream channel migrates across a flood plain in
the direction of erosion
99
meanders
broad curves in a stream
100
levees
raised embankments along a stream channel constructed to protect neighboring lands from rising floodwaters
101
ramsar convention
treaty intended to preserve and protect more than 321 acres of wetlands around the world
102
wetland classification
must be saturated with water, have poorly drained soils, and aquatic plants
103
how do wetlands get their water
precipitation
surface water inflow
ground water inflow
104
OBL vegetation
plants that occur almost always
bull rush
tera thumb
rice cut grass
105
FACW vegetation
plants that occur usually
| canary grass
106
FAC vegetation
plants that occur sometimes
| honey locust
107
primary wetlands indicators
```
inundated
watermarks
drift lines
sediment deposits
drainage patterns
```
108
secondary wetlands indicators
oxidized root channels
water stained leaves
local soil survey data
FAC neutral test
109
wetlands soil THING TO REMEMBER THE HORIZONS
Oh An Early Bird Crushed Ralph
110
clay
smallest particle size
water drains slowly
soil stays wet for long periods of time
111
silt
intermediate size particles
well drained, holds nutrients
ideal for plant growth
112
sand
largest size particles
water drains quickly
poor storehouse for nutrients
feels gritty
113
atomospheric deposition of chemicals is considered
a no point source of pollution
114
what type of water system is most susceptible to damage
standing water system
115
turbidity is increased due to
sediment pollution
116
dark water may impair
photosynthetic activity
117
hardness
levels of magnesium and calcium ions in the water
118
BOD will rise in presence of
decomposing organic matter
119
what temperature of water retains the most DO
cold water
120
is more light or less light better for higher DO levels
more light because more photosynthesis
121
does turbulence increase or decrease DO levels
increase because of mixing atmospheric oxygen into the water
122
mayfly, dobsonfly, and caddisfly larvae are indicative of
excellent water quality
123
blood worms, leeches, and pouch snails are indicative of
poor water quality
124
fecal coliform counts
indicates contamination with human or animal wastes that may contain pathogenic organisms
125
e coli inhabits
human intestine
126
oxygen sag curve
illustrates changes that occur in a flowing system where oxygen demanding wastes are added
127
when BOD increases,
DO decreases
128
greatest pollutant by volume in aquatic systems
sediment pollution
129
causes of erosion
mining, deforestation, overgrazing, and agriculture
130
sediment increases
turbidity
| impairs photosynthesis
131
waterborne diseases include
typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A, polio,schistosomaisis
132
a body of water low in nutrients is called
oligotrophic
133
body of water high in nutrients is called
eutrophic
134
eutrophication
process of a body of water proceeding from nutrient poor state to eutrophic state
135
cultural eutrophication
humans exacerbate the rate at which the water becomes eutrophic
caused by excess nutrients from fertilizer runoff or sewage
136
algal blooms increase
BOD and decrease DO
137
red tide
proliferation of certain species of dinoflagellates
| toxin is an irritant to human eyes and respiratory systems
138
inorganic pollutants include
metals, acids, bases, salts
139
heavy metals include
mercury, lead, tin, cadmium
140
heavy metals tend to
bioaccumulate and biomagnify
141
heavy metals come from
mining, mine waste, smelting
142
mercury is added to atmosphere by
coal combustion
143
nonmetallic salts are dangerous because
they are solluable in water
144
synthetic organic chemicals include
DDT, dioxins, PCBs
145
what kind of rocks can buffer acids in ecosystems
limestone and other carbonate rocks
146
hotter water decreases
DO
147
what happens when humans remove existing vegetation from around a body of water
water warms
148
half of US drinking water is derived from
groundwater
149
effect of nitrates on humans
impairs blood's ability to carry oxygen
150
superfund act
cleanup of hazardous waste sites
151
activated sludge process
mixes effluent from primary treatment with bacteria and oxygen to promote decomposition of wastes
152
tertairy treatement
running water through a wetland to remove nutrients
153
which two wastewater treatment stages are biological
II and III
154
nitrates are
inorganic pollutants
155
oxygen demanding agents are
organic waste
156
inorganic plant nutrients
nitrogen and phosphorus
157
water soluable inorganic chemicals
acids, toxic metals
158
organic chemicals
oil, pesticides, detergents
159
waterborne bacteria
e coli
| explosive emissons
160
waterborne protozoans
giardia
| explosive emmisions
161
waterborne human viruses
hep A
hep E
rotavirus
norwalk virus
162
sources of organic matter
bogs, swamps, leaf fall, vegetation,
pulp mills, meat packing plants, wastewater treatment plants,
agricultural and urban runoff
163
many metals are
released from rocks when weathered
164
lead poisoning
causes miscairrages, learning disabilities
165
nonmetalic salts
selenium and arsenic
| soluable salts in desert soils
166
limestone areas are buffered from acidity because
it is basic in nature
167
as bacteria and algae die, they are decomposed by
aerobic bacteria
168
septic systems
wastewater flows into tanks , where particulate organics settle and are digested by bacteria
169
sorption
contaminants bind to soil particles
170
wetland soils have low
hydraulic conductivity
