Aqua Sci Unit 9 Flashcards
A confined aquifer is ____.
an aquifer in which an impervious surface keeps water from infiltrating, forcing the water to enter at a point farther away
In an unconfined aquifer ____.
- have more surface area to recharge
- have more exposure to pollution
- water enters faster
What is true in relation to lake stratification?
- The rapid change in water temperature forms a barrier between the warm surface water and the cold water below, (thermocline), keeping them from mixing together.
- The deep water does not experience the sun’s warming rays and remains cold.
- During the summer months, the surface waters heat up from the longer daylight hours and the tilt of the earth.
What are subterranean streams?
streams whose path spend all or part of their time under the surface of the earth
How can you tell if a river is young or old?
by how wide it is and by how big the bends are
Lakes that are formed from ____________ are called graben lakes.
tectonic plates
What is a riparian zone?
the vegetated area immediately surrounding a lake or river
What does the term recharge mean?
process of water accumulating in an aquifer through precipitation and infiltration
What does the term aquifer mean?
an underground rock formation that is able to hold groundwater
Starting closest to the shore, the plants typical of all ___ are emergent plants, reeds and sedges, shrubs, and trees.
riparian zones
Another word for watershed is ____.
drainage basins
What is a watershed?
a region of land where all the water is drained into the same water body
_____ is a measure of how well water can move through the pores, or holes, in a substance.
Permeability
Carnivorous plants eat insects and other animals that can be found in ____.
bogs
What are bogs? Where do they occur most often?
- A type of freshwater wetland and occurs where water does not drain very well.
- In them, decomposition rates are very slow mainly because they are cold and the organic matter within them is very acidic.
- They occur in the boreal forest or taiga and tundra regions.
What is evapotranspiration?
a plant process that releases water into the atmosphere
Which of the following freshwater wetlands are characterized by having open waters and large trees and shrubs, rather than grasses?
swamps
How does irrigation affect watersheds?
If it is diverted from streams for irrigation it lowers the levels of the streams. Too much lowering can cause fish and other organisms to die.
Most lake organisms are found in the __________ layer.
the epilimnion
The shape and contours of watersheds are determined by ____.
topography
What is a tributary?
a stream that flows into a larger stream or other water body
What is a reservoir?
a natural or artificial place that stores water
The middle layer in stratification is _____.
- the thermocline
- the layer in which a rapid temperature and oxygen level drop occurs
- keeping the other layers from mixing
What is a creek?
a stream that contains a small volume of water flowing through it
What is(are) an advantage(s) of an unconfined aquifer?
- more surface area to recharge
- water enters faster
Why is groundwater so important?
Most of the world’s drinking water comes from groundwater located in aquifers.
The _____ of forests can cause erosion, which may result in soil sediments entering the waterways.
logging
What does the term saturated zone mean?
the area of an aquifer in which water completely fills the spaces in between the rocks
Water bodies in which water flows or moves, such as streams or rivers are ____.
lotic
Why is too much concrete a bad thing?
It increases runoff.
What is porosity?
Porosity is a measure of how many holes are in a substance.
How do fertilizers affect watersheds?
They get washed into runoff when it rains and enter streams, lakes, and oceans and causes algae blooms to grow because of the excess nutrients.
What is a river?
refers to a stream that contains a large volume of water flowing through it
The craters of volcanoes can form __________ lakes.
exploding
What is an oligotrophic lake?
Oligotrophic lakes that lack the nutrients needed for plant growth, but are full of oxygen.
Top down and bottom up are ___________ processes.
manmade and natural
Some studies have shown that up to ______% of all wildlife is dependent upon riparian zones to some degree.
80
What is an eutrophic lake?
- Eutrophic lakes are usually surrounded by fertile lands and are filled with many organisms.
- Eutrophic lakes that tend to be high in nutrients and low in oxygen.
- Eutrophic lakes also tend to contain high levels of algae and plants, which in turn create low levels of oxygen.
What are marshes?
freshwater wetlands where the water is less than one meter deep
Which is NOT true about fens?
They contain acidic water.
The layer closest to the bottom in stratification is _____.
- the hypolimnion
- the cold, deep water layer of a lake that is low in oxygen and does not experience any mixing or upwelling
What is turnover?
the seasonal mixing of top oxygen-rich lake layers and bottom nutrient-rich lake layers
The layer closest to the surface in stratification is _____.
- the epilimnion
- the upper layer of a lake that receives sunlight, contains moderate-to-high oxygen levels, and experiences upwelling
Large riverbends eventually cut off by sedimentation are known as ________ lakes.
oxbow
What does the term salt intrusion mean?
when the freshwater lens is broken and saltwater intrudes into the freshwater supply
What is a biomagnification?
the process of toxins and other materials accumulating inside organisms as they are transferred through a food chain
How does water sewage systems work?
- Water is pumped back into the lake, river, or underground aquifer, where it will once again be piped to homes and businesses.
- Water is taken from lakes, rivers, or underground aquifers, and run through an extensive series of pipes to people’s homes and businesses.
- Sewage and waste water from homes and businesses are then carried to a sewage treatment plant, where the water is filtered.
- Chlorine is added to kill the rest of the bacteria and other microorganisms.
Lakes contain less than ______% of the earth’s surface water,
however, they hold ______% of the earth’s fresh liquid
0.01
98
What is a watershed moment?
generally refers to a critical point in history; these points in history have a broad effect, flowing down from that moment in time to the present and future society as a whole
What does the term unsaturated zone mean?
the area of an aquifer that contains both air and water between the spaces of the rocks
