exam 4 water resources Flashcards
What percentage (nearest whole %) of earth’s water is salt water? freash water?
97% salt water
3% freash water
What percent of earth’s water is easily accessible freshwater?
just under 1%
What is the water table?
the upper limit of the saturation zone
What is an aquifer?
highly permeable layer of rock that stores water.
What makes an aquifer confined or unconfined?
if the layer of rock between the aquifer and surface is permiable or non-permiable
What is the largest aquifer in the US?
The Ogallala Aquifer
What aquifer does Martin access?
Mississippi embayment aquifer.
What are the main uses of freshwater?
Which type of water use is heavily utilized in Tennessee?
-irrigation and electricity
-industry
What are the main benefits of dams? (4)
-Water storage
-Flood control
-Hydroelectricity
-Recreation
What are some of the drawbacks of dams (2)
change the natural flow of water and sediment in rivers.
Riparian ecosystems become damaged and species may become endangered.
What is groundwater mining?
When more groundwater is withdrawn more than is recharged in a year
What are some of the effects of overdrawing too much water?
-Land subsidence
-Surface water loss
-Salt Water Intrusion
What are some natural contaminants that can be found in water?
What can be the health risks of these?
(4)
CO2 in rainwater - causes faster weathering of rock
SO2 from volcanoes - air pollution and acid rain
Arsenic in groundwater - cause skin lesions and cancer
Parasites -pose serious threats to human health
What are the 3 pollutants recognized by the EPA? (3)
-Microbes - E. coil - gastrointestinal diseases, and death
-Inorganic contaminants - Arsenic - skin lesions and cancer
-Manmade chemicals - Pesticides and herbicides - linked to cancer.
What is a point source pollutant? Examples?
-Pollutants are released from a specific source
-Wastewater discharge pipes, leaky storage tanks, feed lots, abandoned mines
