Midterm 1

Question 1

Why study hydrology?

Answer 1

Water needed for life, not everyone has access to clean water, water regulates temperature and heat exchange because it has a large latent heat, makes life habitable and life possible

Question 2

What are the ‘3 water problems’ hydrologists deal with?

Answer 2

Too much water, too little water, dirty water

Question 3

Example of too much water?

Answer 3

Flooding in southwest US

Question 4

Example of too little water

Answer 4

Drought in southwest

Question 5

Definition of hydrology

Answer 5

The study of the occurrence and movement of water on Earth

Question 6

Definition of hydrogeology

Answer 6

The study of the occurrence and movement of water in the subsurface, including interaction with surface waters

Question 7

Reservoirs (7)

Answer 7

Atmosphere, land surface (ice, snow), vadose zone (soil moisture), saturated zone (groundwater), surface waters (lakes, ponds, streams, rivers), ocean, lithosphere (magmatic water)

Question 8

What drives the hydrologic cycle?

Answer 8

The Sun: 1367 W/m^2, energy imbalance of the angle Sun hits Earth,

Question 9

How does the amount of energy per unit area change at the poles vs. equator?

Answer 9

Less energy at the poles

Question 10

3 coupled cycles

Answer 10

Energy, water, rock

Question 11

energy cycle

Answer 11

incoming radiation, reflected radiation

Question 12

water cycle

Answer 12

evapotranspiration, precipitation

Question 13

rock cycle

Answer 13

uplift/sedimentation, erosion/dissolution

Question 14

Classifications of Water (5)

Answer 14

Freshwater (0-1000 mg/L TDS), Drinking water (0-500), Brackish water (2,000 to 20,000), Seawater (35,000), Brine (up to 350,000, 30% salt)

Question 15

Classifications of water by origin (4)

Answer 15

Meteoric, Juvenile, fossil or connate, cometary

Question 16

Meteoric water

Answer 16

from precipitation

Question 17

Juvenile water

Answer 17

from magmatism, volcanism, metamorphism

Question 18

Fossil or connate water

Answer 18

“old” deep waters effectively isolated from the hydrologic cycle

Question 19

Cometary water

Answer 19

water introduced to earth from space

Question 20

Why is groundwater more desirable that surface water? (5)

Answer 20

More of it, better quality, constant temperature (industrial applications), less turbid, less likely to have pathogens

Question 21

Why is groundwater less desirable than surface water?

Answer 21

Costs more per gallon of use, less tangible, causes subsidence