Module 2: Water Resources And Management

Question 1

How does water the chemical properties of water align to sustainability?

Answer 1

• an understanding of matter is a fundamental science concept - it explains lots of common, everyday phenomena
• it is essential to understand the chemical priorities of water to understand how it behaves in the environment

Question 2

What are the types of pollutants?

Answer 2

Salt - many fertilisers are salts. For example ammonium nitrate and ammonium phosphate

Water - solvable chemicals e.g pesticides and herbicides
Soil
Insoluble

Question 3

Why doesn’t oil dissolve in water?

Answer 3

A molecule will easily dissolve in another if they share similar characteristics. Water is a polar molecule, as it has a positive and negative pole, and is attracted to charged particles. Oil on the other hand, is non-polar and can be described as hydrophobic substance. This means, there are no ions for the water molecules to be attracted to and surround, so they won’t dissolve.

Question 4

Why doesn’t plastic dissolve in water?

Answer 4

Plastics are insoluble and consist of very large molecules, and water is unable to separate them (most are non-polar)

Question 5

Plastics

Text book resource

Answer 5

Over 100 million tonnes of plastic is in the oceans. In the central pacific, plastic outweighs plankton 6 to 1
80% of plastic comes from land sources

Question 6

Do all pollutants behave like plastic and oil?

Answer 6

No, many pollutants are soluble - meaning they dissolve in water.
For example, salt is the cause of a serious sustainability issue

Salinity:
- can be infused by irrigation
- kills aquatic life
Salome water is not fit for consumption

Question 7

How/ why does salt dissolve in water?

Answer 7

Water can break up the salt because the salt is ironically bonded; iconic substances can dissolve in water. The water molecules surround the ions in the solids and break them up as they are attracted to each other.

Question 8

What is a solar still?

Answer 8

A simple device for distilling water to remove impurities and make it safe to consume. The processes that occur within a solar still are the same processes that occur during the water cycle

Question 9

Is water safe enough to drink?

Answer 9

It has been established that the water in water ways can be contaminated by insoluble and soluble pollutants. The water we drink goes through a complex system of primary, secondary and tertiary treatment