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GEOG 322 > 8. Water quality > Flashcards

8. Water quality Flashcards

1
Q

Water quality (def)

A

Basic chemical and physical characteristics of water that determine its suitability for life or for human use

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2
Q

Water quality parameters (3)

A
  • physical water quality parameters
  • biological water quality parameters
  • chemical water quality parameters
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3
Q

Physical water quality parameters (8)

A
  • water temperature
  • electrical conductivity (EC)
  • total dissolved salts
  • salinity
  • dissolved oxygen
  • pH
  • alkalinity
  • turbidity / total suspended solids
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4
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: temperature

A

temperature determines the suitability of water for various forms of aquatic life

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5
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: temperature, what is it dependent on (4)

A
  • generally follows daily mean air temperature, but does not vary as much as air temperature
  • moderated by ground water (cooler in summer, warmer in winter)
  • increased by removal of riparian vegetation
  • increased by lake surface inflows
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6
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: electrical conductivity (EC)

A
  • electrical conductivity measures the ability of water to conduct an electrical current
  • it is a good way to determine the ionic strength of water
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7
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: electrical conductivity (EC)
→ fresh water vs ground water vs surface water (high or low)

A
  • freshwater generally has low conductivity
  • groundwater typically has higher levels of conductivity than surface water
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8
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: total dissolved solids (TDS)

A
  • TDS is the measure of the dissolved matter or residue that remains behind after water has evaporated
  • it is related to EC
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9
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Salinity

A
  • Salinity is the amount of salts dissolved in water
  • it is often reported as the ratio of electrical conductivity to a standard
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10
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Salinity
→ what can it be used for

A

It can be used to classify waters as freshwater (potable), brackish (non-potable, but less saline than sea water), or as seawater

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11
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Dissolved oxygen (DO)
→ what does it depend on

A
  • DO is often a function of water temperature
    → as water temperature increases, DO decreases
  • DO is also due to excess respiration in he water`
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12
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: pH

A

pH is the measure of the acidic or basic characteristics of water

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13
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: pH
→ what is the suitable pH for life?

A

5 to 9

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14
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Alkalinity

A
  • Alkalinity is the ability of water to resist acidification
    → low alkalinity = vulnerable to acidification
  • It is generally attributable to the amount of carbonate (CO3-2) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions in the water
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15
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Alkalinity
→ what can influence alkalinity (4)

A
  • soils
  • salts
  • plant activities
  • industrial waste water discharges
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16
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Turbidity / Total suspended solids

A
  • turbidity is a water quality parameter that refers to how clear that water is
  • it is the amount of total suspended solids (TSS) in the water
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17
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Turbidity / Total suspended solids
→ causes (6)

A
  • erosion of agricultural lands
  • forest soils exposed to logging
  • degraded stream banks
  • overgrazed rangeland
  • strip mines
  • construction
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18
Q

PHYSICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: Turbidity / Total suspended solids
→ problems with high turbidity (4)

A
  • limits light penetration → less photosynthesis
  • covers aquatic animals an plants → affects biodiversity
  • brings insoluble toxins into waterways
  • threat to human infrastructure
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19
Q

Biological water quality parameters (2)

A
  • disease causing agents
  • biological oxygen demand
20
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: disease causing agents, 2 types

A
  • infectious organisms that cause diseases
    → originates in the wastes of infected individuals
  • common bacterial or viral diseases
    → typhoid, cholera, bacterial dysentry, polip
21
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: biological oxygen demand (BOD)

A

BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms while degrading organic matter

22
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: biological oxygen demand (BOD)
→ what does high BOD mean

A

the higher the BOD, the greater the likelihood that dissolved oxygen will be depleted in the water

23
Q

BIOLOGICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: biological oxygen demand (BOD)
→ what is oxygen sag?

A

Oxygen sag describes how oxygen levels decline downstream of a pollution source, as decomposers metabolize waste materials

24
Q

Chemical water quality parameters (2)

A
  • heavy metals
  • nutrients
25
Q

CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: heavy metals

A

heavy metals can bioaccumulate in food chains

26
Q

CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: heavy metals examples (4)

A
  • mercury
  • lead
  • cadmium
  • nickel
27
Q

CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: heavy metals causes (2)

A
  • mine drainage
  • leaching
28
Q

CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: nutrients (2)

A
  • phosphorus
  • nitrogen
29
Q

CHEMICAL WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS: nutrients origins (4)

A
  • human and animal waste
  • plant residue
  • atmospheric deposition
  • fertilizer runoff
30
Q

Water pollution

A

Any biological, chemical, or physical change in water quality that has a harmful effect on living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses

31
Q

Environmental consequences (4)

A
  • health hazards
  • loss of biodiversity
  • loss of aesthetic beauty
  • impact on leisure and other outdoor sporting activities
32
Q

Two types of water pollution sources

A
  • point sources
  • non point sources
33
Q

point sources

A
  • water pollution can be traced to a specific origin
  • easy to regulate
34
Q

point sources examples (8)

A
  • industrial discharges
  • sewage treatment plants
  • landfills
  • factories
  • power plants
  • drain pipes
  • underground storage tanks
  • mines
35
Q

non-point sources

A
  • pollutants enter bodies of water over large areas rather than being concentrated at a single point of entry
  • scattered or diffused, but its cumulative effect is very large
  • difficult to trace and regulate
36
Q

non-point sources examples (5)

A
  • runoff from agricultural fields
  • runoff from parking lots
  • runoff from gardens/lawns/golf courses
  • runoff from feedlots
  • atmospheric deposition (of contaminants, carried by air currents and precipitated into watersheds)
37
Q

Sewage treatment of point sources 3

A
  • primary treatment
  • secondary treatment
  • tertiary treatment
38
Q

Primary treatment

A

physical separation of large solids from the waste stream

39
Q

Secondary treatment

A

biological degradation of dissolved organic compounds (effluent of the primary treatment is treated)

40
Q

Tertiary treatment

A

removal of plant nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) from secondary effluent

41
Q

Eutrophication

A

the process of increasing biological productivity in a water body via the addition of nutrients

42
Q

Consequences of eutrophication (3)

A
  • depletion of dissolved oxygen in water
  • significant changes in ecological dynamics
  • human health consequences
43
Q

oligotrophic body of water

A

a body of water that have clear water and low biological productivity (as opposed to eutrophic)

44
Q

watershed export

A
  • Watershed export is the amount of a substance exported from a watershed.
  • It is usually expressed as kg / ha (watershed) / yr
45
Q

water body load (or loading)

A
  • waterbody load is the amount of substance delivered to a water body
  • usually expressed as mg / m^2 (water body surface area) / yr
46
Q

Water uses (for which we will regulate water quality) (4)

A
  • food supply
  • water supply (drinking or agricultural (irrigation))
  • recreation (swimming / boating)
  • ecosystem health (aquatic life support, wildlife support)
47
Q

Classification of water quality

A
  • good: water quality is sufficient to meet all designated uses
  • impaired: water quality is insufficient to meet at least one designated water use

GEOG 322 (10 decks)

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