Chapter 11: Water Flashcards
How much of the Earth’s water is freshwater?
2.5% (most is in glaciers, ice caps)
How much of the earth’s freshwater is on the surface? ground water? ice caps and glaciers?
surface- 1%
groundwater- 20%
frozen- 80%
What is a tributary?
A smaller river flowing into a larger one
What is a watershed?
A watershed is an area of land drained by a river
What kind of flow would a river which flows slow and parallel be called?
Laminar flow
What is a turbulent flow?
A turbulent flow is when a river’s streamlines are intertwined, mixed. Much erosion takes place
Is most stream flow laminar or turbulent?
Turbulent
What features determine a stream’s velocity?
Gradient \, roughness& size, discharge
What is a hydrograph used for?
A hydrograph records the fluctuations in stream height over time (discharge)
What is the discharge of a stream? How is it mathematically measured?
Discharge is the volume of water in a stream moving past a point in a time interval
Q[discharge] = V[velocity]*A[cross sectional area]
[length^3 per unit time]
What is a suspended load?
A suspended load regards the transport of solid material through streams that is kept suspended by fluid turbulence, clay and silt
What is the bed load?
Solid material near bottom of river flow, sand and graval
What is the saltation load?
Switched from bed to suspended, bouncing/skipping
What does the competence of a stream refer to?
The competence of a stream is the maximum sized of particles that a stream can carry(higher velocity, greater competence)
What is the capacity of a stream?
The capacity refers to the TOTAL load a stream can carry (dependent on discharge)
Define oxbow and oxbow lake
An oxbow is an extreme bend in a river, an oxbow lake is when part of the river is bent to the extent that the region becomes cut off and remains as an isolatated, U-shapes body of water
What is a floodplain?
a floodplain is the shallow area neared to a rivers course that are periodically flooded
What is a riparian zone?
A riparian zone is a riverside area that is productive and species-rich
What do we call ecosystems that combine elements of both freshwater and dry lands?
Wetlands
What is a swamp?
A shallow area of water that occurs in forested areas
What is a bog?
A bog is a pond covered in /thick/ floating mats of vegetation
What is a freshwater marsh?
A freshwater marsh is an area of shallow water that allows plants to grow above surface water
Why are wetlands valuable?
wetlands slow runoff which in turn reduces flooding, recharged aquifers, and filters pollutants
[LAKE/PONDS] Littoral zone
The region that rings the edge of a water body
What are the three types of wetlands?
Swamp, bogs, and freshwater marshes
[LAKES/PONDS]Benthic zone
Region extending along the entire BOTTOM of water body [benthic B–.bottom]
[LAKES/PONDS] Limnetic zone
The open portions of a water body where sunlight penetrates the shallow waters
[LAKES/PONDS] Profundal zone
Portion of a water body where sunlight does NOT reach
What zone of a water body supports the fewest animals?
Profundal zone, no sunlight
What kind of lakes have LOW nutrient and HIGH oxygen conditions?
Oligotrophic
What kind of conditions would you expect from a Eutrophic Lake?
HIGH nutrient and LOW oxygen
What are inlands seas?
LARGE lakes (great lakes)
What is an aquifer?
An aquifer is a formation of rock/sand/gravel that holds groundwater
What is a zone of aeration?
A space in groundwater that is PARTIALLY filled with water
What is a zone of saturation?
A space in groundwater that is COMPLETELY filled with water
What is a watertable?
A water table occurs when ground water reaches the surface, creating a thin layer of water
What is the average age of ground water?
1400 yrs
Aquitard
zone within the earth that restricts the flow of groundwater from one aquifer to another
What is consumptive use of water and what are some examples?”
When water is removed from an aquifer/water body and is not returned. {agricultural irrigation, residential use{
What is an example of non consumptive use of water?
Electricity generated by hydroelectric dams
What are dikes/leevees?
Long , raised mounds of earth that control flooding
How many times has the winnipeg floodway saved the city?
18 times
What is water mining?
withdrawing water faster than it can be replenished
What does it mean to distill water?
To hasten evaporation and condese vapor
What is reverse osmosis with regards to water desalinization?
this forces water through membranes to filter out salt
What is xeriscaping
Landscaping using plants adapted to DRY environment
Eutrophication
excess of nutrients, can lead to nutrient pollution
What are biological indicators of water quality?
fecal bacteria, disease causing organisms
chemical indicators of water quality?
pH, odor, nutrient and chemical concentration
physical indicators of water quality?
turbidity, color, temperature
what was the 2000 walkerton tragedy?
Ecoli outbreak in drinking water, 7 dead, 2000 ill
What is hard water?
Water containing greater than 80 to 100 ppm of calcium and magnesium
What is the primary and secondary treatment of wastewater?
primary- physical removal of contaminants
secondary - water is stirred and aerated so aerobic bacteria can degrade pollutants(water treated with chlorine)
