Chapter 10-Water: Hydrologic Cycle and Human Use Flashcards
The degree to which water is pure enough to fulfill the requirements of various uses
Water quality
The amount of water available to meet demands
Water quantity
Water having a salt concentration below 0.1%; as a result of purification by evaporation, all forms of precipitation are freshwater, as are lakes, rivers, groundwater, and other bodies of water that have a throughflow of water from precipitation
Freshwater
Water that contains at least 3% salt (30 parts salt per 1,000 parts water), typical of oceans and seas
Saltwater
A mixture of freshwater and saltwater, typically found where rivers enter the ocean
Brackish water
Water that contains minerals, especially calcium or magnesium, that cause soap to precipitate, producing a scum, curd, or scale in boilers
Hard water
Water that is relatively free of minerals
Soft water
Water that contains one or more impurities, making it unsuitable for a desired use
Polluted water
Water that has pollutants removed or is rendered harmless
Purified water
Water from precipitation that runs off of land surfaces in surges
Storm water
Water in vapor form originating from water bodies, the soil, and organisms-the source of water for precipitation. Water vapor
Green water
Precipitation, renewable surface water runoff and groundwater recharge-the focus of management and the main source of water for human withdrawals and natural ecosystems. Liquid water
Blue water
Also called the hydrologic cycle; the movement of water from points of evaporation, through the atmosphere, through precipitation, and through or over the ground, returning to points of evaporation
Water cycle
Water rising to the atmosphere
Evaporation
The loss of water vapor as it moves from the soil through green plants and exits through leaf pores, or stomata
Transpiration
Formation of liquid water from a gas state
Condensation
Release of water from clouds in form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail
Precipitation
The amount of water vapor in the air
Humidity
The amount of water vapor as a percentage of what the air can hold at a particular temperature. Humidity is usually measures using this
Relative humidity
Droplets that form in the atmosphere
Fog and clouds
Droplets that form on the cool surfaces of vegetation
Dew
Microscopic liquid or solids particles originating from land and water surfaces
Aerosols
Occurs when warm air rises, expands and cools (lower pressure)
Adiabatic cooling
Occurs when the air descends and is compressed by the higher air pressure in the lower atmosphere
Adiabatic warming
The dry region downwind of a mountain range (formation of the severest deserts in the world)
Rain shadow
Side of the range, the air is deflected upward, causing cooling and high
precipitation
Windward
Sides of mountain range, formation of deserts
Leward
Occurs when water is separated from the solutes and particles it contains
Purification
A system of vertical and horizontal air circulation predominating in tropical and subtropical regions and creating major weather patterns
Hadley cell
The process in which water soaks into soil as opposed to running off the surface of the soil
Infiltration
The ratio of the amount of water soaking into the soil to that running off the surface; the ratio is obtained by dividing the first amount by the second
Infiltration-runoff ratio
The total land area that drains directly or indirectly into a particular stream or river; generally named from the stream or river into which it drains
Watershed
All bodies of water, lakes, rivers, ponds, and so on that are on Earth’s surface. Contrast with groundwater, which lies below the surface
Surface waters
Water that clings in small pores, cracks, and spaces against the pull of gravity (e.g., water held in a sponge)
Capillary waters
The combination of evaporation and transpiration that restores water to the atmosphere
Evapotranspiration
The process of water seeping downward through cracks and pores in soil or rock
Percolation
Water that has accumulated in the ground, completely filling and saturating all pores and spaces in rock or soil. Free to move more or less readily, it is the reservoir for springs and wells and is replenished by infiltration of surface water
Groundwater
The upper surface of groundwater, rising and falling with the amount of groundwater
Watertable
Layers of porous material through which ground water moves (layers of porous rock)
Aquifers
The area where water enters an aquifer
Recharge area
An area where groundwater seeps from the ground. Contrast with a spring, which is a single point from which groundwater exits
Seep
Natural exits of groundwater to the surface
Springs; wells
Probably the largest aquifer in the world; supplies irrigation water to one-fifth of the irrigated land in the nation (U.S.A)
Ogallala aquifer
Bays in which fresh water from a river mixes with seawater; most productive ecosystems on Earth
Estuaries
The applied water does not return to the water resource (gone from human control) ex: irrigation
Consumptive use
Remains available to humans (human control) ex: homes and industries (washing and flushing away unwanted materials)
Non consumptive use
The largest dam in the world; generates as much electricity equal to burning 50 million tons of coal a year; controls flooding of the Yangtze River
Three Gorges Dam (China)
Flooding, sediment deposition, and loss of functional flood plain
Above the dam
Loss of normal river flow patterns, loss of river biota, loss of functional floodplain
Below the dam
A gradual settling of the land; the condition may result from the removal of groundwater or oil, which is frequently instrumental in supporting the overlying rock and soil
Land subsidence
Results when an underground cavern, drained of its supporting groundwater, suddenly collapses
Sinkhole
The phenomenon of seawater moving back into aquifers or estuaries. Such intrusion occurs when the normal outflow of freshwater is diverted or removed for use; occurs where the aquifers open up into the ocean
Saltwater intrusion/Saltwater encroachment
A proposed radical change in managing water supplies intended to make more water available for human use
Blue revolution
A process that purifies seawater into high-quality drinking water via distillation or microfiltration
Desalination
Uses computers to control the periodic release of water instead of a continuous flood method (cuts water use in half)
Surge flow
A network of plastic pipes with pinholes that literally drip water at the base of Each plant (reduces water use by 30 to 70%
while increasing crop yields)
Drip irrigation
Work like a step exercise machine which enables farmers to irrigate their rice paddies and vegetable fields at a cost of less than $35 a system
Treadle pumps
Landscaping with desert species that require no additional watering (Phoenix)
Xeriscaping
The slightly dirtied water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, and laundry tubs, is collected in a holding tank and used for such things as flushing toilets, watering lawns, and washing cars
Gray water
Another option for reducing water loss in water-stressed regions by importing food or goods that require a great deal of water; this will allow many arid countries to avoid using their own water supplies by importing farm products from regions that have excess freshwater
Virtual water
