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Environmental Science > Hydrosphere > Flashcards

Hydrosphere Flashcards

1
Q

Properties of water

A

High specific heat
Neutral pH
Good conductor
Exists in liquid form
Universal solvent
Has surface tension

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2
Q

About hydrosphere

A

About 1% accessible for human consumption
71% is on Earth’s surface

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3
Q

Natural waters

A

Surface waters: fresh and marine
Ground waters

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4
Q

Area Filled with moisture in the ground

A

Zone of saturation

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5
Q

What happens when weather is dry and discharge is greater than recharge?

A

Water table falls

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6
Q

What happens when weather is wet or the recharge is greater than the discharge?

A

Water table rises

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7
Q

What is a watertight layer of rock or clay that keep water from escaping deep into the Earth? Why?

A

Aquiclude; low hydraulic conductivity

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8
Q

Different types of recharge

A

Natural: percolated water from precipitation
Lateral: from streams or rivers

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9
Q

Underground caverns of porous layers of sand, bedrock or gravel where groundwater flows

A

Aquifers

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10
Q

Aquifer with no seal above

A

Unconfined aquifer

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11
Q

Aquifer with seal (aquicludes)

A

Confined aquifer

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12
Q

From what point to what point does groundwater flow

A

High elevation and pressure to low elevation and pressure

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13
Q

How are surface waters and groundwaters interrelated?

A

Surface waters recharge groundwaters through rivers and lakes

Groundwaters recharge surface waters when water table or aquifer intersects with lakes or rivers

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14
Q

Will withdrawal of surface waters affect ground waters vise versa?

A

Yes

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15
Q

An area of land that drains all streams and rainfall into a common outlet; drainage or catchment

A

Watershed

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16
Q

Amount of time a water molecule stays within a particular stage in the hydrologic cycle

A

Residence time

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17
Q

Examples of residence time

A

Biospheric water: 1 week
Ground water: 2 weeks to 10,000 years
Ice caps and glaciers: 1000 to 10,000 years

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18
Q

It is measured by 3 critiques, name it and what the 3 critiques are

A

Water pollution; biological, chemical, and physical

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19
Q

Discharge pollutants at specific locations, easy to identify. Name examples

A

Point sources; factories, sewage treatment plants, oil tankers, and underground mines

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20
Q

Cannot be traced by a single point of discharge, very little progress because it is hard to control and identify. Name examples

A

Non point sources; cropland, livestock, urban streets, logged forests

21
Q

Where is dilution of pollutants less effective and why?

A

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

22
Q

What water body is also heavily affected by pollutants and why

A

Coastal areas; 40% of population lives there

Industries, cities, red tides, oxygen depleted zones, urban sprawl, and toxic sediments

23
Q

What can recover from moderate wastes? How and why? What is the twist?

A

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.

24
Q

Source of surface water pollution:
Dead plant and animal matter
High BOD (?)
__% come from agriculture and urban sewage

A

Oxygen-demanding wastes
High in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
33%

25
Q

Source of surface water pollution:
Plastic, metals, glass, and batteries

A

Non-biodegradable wastes

26
Q

Source of surface water pollution:
Biological pollutants; difficult to monitor directly

They use human fecal coliform as a measurement for biological and microbial pollution

A

Pathogenic organisms and human waste

27
Q

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

A

Nutrients; Eutrophication - algal bloom

28
Q

Source of surface water pollution:
Caused by oil tankers
Affect marine life; immune, reproductive, and respiratory system

A

Oil discharge

29
Q

Source of surface water pollution:
Heavy metals, synthetic organic chemicals that are toxic to organisms

A

Toxic substances

30
Q

Source of surface water pollution:
Deviation from normal temperatures
Caused by industrial processes like ___
Shifting of organisms to more suitable areas; overpopulation

A

Thermal pollution

Dumping of coolants

31
Q

Source of surface water pollution:
Dislodge plants, invertebrates and insects in stream bed
Burry fish eggs or aquatic plants
Can also carry toxic substances

A

Sedimentation/siltation from erosion

32
Q

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

A

Fertilizers, pesticides, gasoline, organic solvents
0.3m/day
Not diluted or dispersed effectively
Colder

33
Q

Remediation of ground water pollution:
Pumping of contaminated water by filtration, oxidation, air stripping, or biological processes

A

Extraction wells

34
Q

Remediation of ground water pollution:
Vapor-extraction well then treatment

A

Vapor extraction

35
Q

Remediation of ground water pollution:
Injecting of nutrients to promote organisms that can help break down contaminants

A

Bioremediation

36
Q

Remediation of ground water pollution:
Use of contact treatment; water passes through treatment bed and neutralizes contaminant by chemical, physical, or biological processes

A

Permeable Treatment Bed

37
Q

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)

A

Redox potential

38
Q

Measure of hydrogen ions in solution
Degree of acidity or alkalinity
Affects most chemical and biological processes
Most important environmental limiting factor

A

pH

39
Q

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

A

Salinity

40
Q

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)

A

Conductivity

41
Q

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

A

Turbidity

42
Q

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

A

Fecal Coliform

43
Q

Clean water Act of 2004

A

Control pollution from land based sources, lay down water quality standards and regulations

44
Q

Fresh water classification

A

3 lakes in class A: Lanao, Mainit, Holon

118 in Class C: Pasig River

45
Q

Managing water resources:
Filtering mineral salts in sea and ocean

A

Desalination

46
Q

Managing water resources:
Speed up natural process by which water is purified
Settling of solids, aeration, and chlorine disinfection

A

Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)

47
Q

Managing water resources:
Reed beds; physical filtration through media layers and biological treatment associated with microorganisms that help break down pollutants
UV Treatment

A

Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems (BWWTS)

48
Q

Managing water resources:
Anaerobic and aerobic techniques that help break down matter
Primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments; each stage progressively removing pollutants

A

Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWWATS)

Environmental Science (15 decks)

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