Hydrosphere Flashcards
Properties of water
High specific heat
Neutral pH
Good conductor
Exists in liquid form
Universal solvent
Has surface tension
About hydrosphere
About 1% accessible for human consumption
71% is on Earth’s surface
Natural waters
Surface waters: fresh and marine
Ground waters
Area Filled with moisture in the ground
Zone of saturation
What happens when weather is dry and discharge is greater than recharge?
Water table falls
What happens when weather is wet or the recharge is greater than the discharge?
Water table rises
What is a watertight layer of rock or clay that keep water from escaping deep into the Earth? Why?
Aquiclude; low hydraulic conductivity
Different types of recharge
Natural: percolated water from precipitation
Lateral: from streams or rivers
Underground caverns of porous layers of sand, bedrock or gravel where groundwater flows
Aquifers
Aquifer with no seal above
Unconfined aquifer
Aquifer with seal (aquicludes)
Confined aquifer
From what point to what point does groundwater flow
High elevation and pressure to low elevation and pressure
How are surface waters and groundwaters interrelated?
Surface waters recharge groundwaters through rivers and lakes
Groundwaters recharge surface waters when water table or aquifer intersects with lakes or rivers
Will withdrawal of surface waters affect ground waters vise versa?
Yes
An area of land that drains all streams and rainfall into a common outlet; drainage or catchment
Watershed
Amount of time a water molecule stays within a particular stage in the hydrologic cycle
Residence time
Examples of residence time
Biospheric water: 1 week
Ground water: 2 weeks to 10,000 years
Ice caps and glaciers: 1000 to 10,000 years
It is measured by 3 critiques, name it and what the 3 critiques are
Water pollution; biological, chemical, and physical
Discharge pollutants at specific locations, easy to identify. Name examples
Point sources; factories, sewage treatment plants, oil tankers, and underground mines
Cannot be traced by a single point of discharge, very little progress because it is hard to control and identify. Name examples
Non point sources; cropland, livestock, urban streets, logged forests
Where is dilution of pollutants less effective and why?
Less effective in lakes and reservoirs than streams because it has little flow and vertical mixing
Lakes are vulnerable to runoff of sediments, toxic substances, and nutrients
What water body is also heavily affected by pollutants and why
Coastal areas; 40% of population lives there
Industries, cities, red tides, oxygen depleted zones, urban sprawl, and toxic sediments
What can recover from moderate wastes? How and why? What is the twist?
Rivers and streams; with the use of biodegradation, dilution, bacteria that break down wastes
Will not recover if it is overloaded with pollutants and if there are slowly degradable and non-degradable pollutants.
Source of surface water pollution:
Dead plant and animal matter
High BOD (?)
__% come from agriculture and urban sewage
Oxygen-demanding wastes
High in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
33%
Source of surface water pollution:
Plastic, metals, glass, and batteries
Non-biodegradable wastes
Source of surface water pollution:
Biological pollutants; difficult to monitor directly
They use human fecal coliform as a measurement for biological and microbial pollution
Pathogenic organisms and human waste
Source of surface water pollution:
Phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizers, detergents, and sewage from agriculture and urban areas
Cause of ____:
Prevent light from entering sea or river bed, decomposition depletes oxygen; positive feedback
Nutrients; Eutrophication - algal bloom
Source of surface water pollution:
Caused by oil tankers
Affect marine life; immune, reproductive, and respiratory system
Oil discharge
Source of surface water pollution:
Heavy metals, synthetic organic chemicals that are toxic to organisms
Toxic substances
Source of surface water pollution:
Deviation from normal temperatures
Caused by industrial processes like ___
Shifting of organisms to more suitable areas; overpopulation
Thermal pollution
Dumping of coolants
Source of surface water pollution:
Dislodge plants, invertebrates and insects in stream bed
Burry fish eggs or aquatic plants
Can also carry toxic substances
Sedimentation/siltation from erosion
Source of groundwater pollution:
Cant degrade as fast as surface water
Moves___ per day
Little flow makes it____
Groundwater has less oxygen that helps decompose contaminants
Ground water is___ , slowing chemical processes
Fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, organic solvents
0.3m/day
Not diluted or dispersed effectively
Colder
Remediation of ground water pollution:
Pumping of contaminated water by filtration, oxidation, air stripping, or biological processes
Extraction wells
Remediation of ground water pollution:
Vapor-extraction well then treatment
Vapor extraction
Remediation of ground water pollution:
Injecting of nutrients to promote organisms that can help break down contaminants
Bioremediation
Remediation of ground water pollution:
Use of contact treatment; water passes through treatment bed and neutralizes contaminant by chemical, physical, or biological processes
Permeable Treatment Bed
Measured to determine oxidizing or reducing potential of a substance
Units in mV
Ability of water to chemically break down pollutants
COD: amount of oxygen consumed by chemical oxidation of matter in water
Unit: mg/L (ppm)
Redox potential
Measure of hydrogen ions in solution
Degree of acidity or alkalinity
Affects most chemical and biological processes
Most important environmental limiting factor
pH
Concentration of dissolved mineral salts present in waters and soils on a unit volume or weight basis
Units: g/L or g/kg or ppt or ‰
Governs physical characteristics like density and heat capacity
Related to other physico-chemical parameters
Salinity
Measurement of ability of aqueous solution to transfer an electrical current
Units: µS/cm
Increased conductivity with concentration of ions (acid more conductive than alkaline)
TDS:
Amount of dissolved substances in a volume of water
Unit: mg/L (or ppm)
Conductivity
Measure of cloudiness caused by predominantly suspended material in water
Unit: NTU (nephelometric turbidity units)
Refers to light scattering properties of a sample
TSS:
Particles that cannot be dissolved i water and remain suspended in water column
Units: mg/L or ppm
Turbidity
Indicator of possible presence of fecal pollution and microorganisms that can cause disease
United States: MPN/100mL or colonies/100mL
Coliform bacteria generally originate in intestines of warm-blooded animals
Fecal Coliform
Clean water Act of 2004
Control pollution from land based sources, lay down water quality standards and regulations
Fresh water classification
3 lakes in class A: Lanao, Mainit, Holon
118 in Class C: Pasig River
Managing water resources:
Filtering mineral salts in sea and ocean
Desalination
Managing water resources:
Speed up natural process by which water is purified
Settling of solids, aeration, and chlorine disinfection
Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)
Managing water resources:
Reed beds; physical filtration through media layers and biological treatment associated with microorganisms that help break down pollutants
UV Treatment
Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems (BWWTS)
Managing water resources:
Anaerobic and aerobic techniques that help break down matter
Primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments; each stage progressively removing pollutants
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWWATS)
