Mid-term Flashcards
(75 cards)
Where is most of the water on Earth found?
Oceans
In what parts of the water cycle is water added to the atmosphere?
Evaporation,transpiration,sublimation
Name 3 ways water can refill a reservoir like Lake Konomoc.
Precipitation, groundwater flow,Surface runoff
If more wells were added, what would happen to the water level of the river?
It would decrease
If someone added pesticides to some crops, how could it make its way into the drinking water taken from the well?
Infiltration and groundwater flow
What does permeable mean? What is more permeable, sand or clay?
Sand. Water can pass through it.
How much water does an average American use directly every day? How much water does an average American use every day when you include both direct use and indirect use?
92 gallons. About 1000 gallons of water
What activity uses more fresh water than anything else worldwide?
Agriculture
What industry occurs in Texas that causes them to be one of the states with the highest demand for fresh water?
Ranching
Does the eastern or western U.S. use more water for irrigation?
Western
What process causes water to come out of plants and go into the atmosphere?
transpiration
What process causes water vapor to form a cloud?
Condensation, deposition
Why do icebergs float? If they are formed from ocean water does the ice in the iceberg contain salt?
No, icebergs do not contain salt. Icebergs are less dense than water.
People often use wells as a source of water. Where is the water stored in this aquifer?
In the spaces between the particles in the soil.
What could cause a water table to rise? What could cause a water table to fall?
The amount of precipitation. Excessive well use or draught.
What could cause a groundwater well to go dry?
Excessive water drawn from a well. Prolonged drought.
Catalina Island in California uses a desalination plant as a source for water. This way of getting water is much more expensive than traditional methods like using wells or reservoirs. Why do you think they get their drinking water from sea water?
Lack of freshwater available in lakes and underground.
What percent of the Earth is covered by ocean water? Which hemisphere of the Earth contains more ocean and less land?
70% Southern hemisphere
What causes ocean gyres to move in a clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere and a counterclockwise direction in the southern hemisphere?
Coriolis effect
Why are surface temperatures warmer in the tropics?
More direct sunlight
What is the driving force behind ocean currents like the Gulf Stream?
Prevailing winds
Briefly describe how continents, ocean topography, and gravity can impact ocean currents.
They change the direction of the currents
How does temperature impact water density? How does salinity impact water density?
The warmer the water is, the less dense the water. The colder the water, the more dense the water.The more salt that is in water, the more dense the water is, the less salt in water, the less dense
In years that El Nino is not occurring off the coast of Peru, water is being pushed away from the continent of South America. What impact does this have on the vertical movement of water off the coast of Peru?
More upwelling
