Non-Point Source Pollution

Question 1

What is Non-Point Source Pollution? Give 4 examples.

Answer 1

Pollution Discharged from many sources rather than a single specific site. Road salt, agriculture runoff, animal waste, precipitation

Question 2

What is Point Source Pollution? Give 4 examples.

Answer 2

Pollution Discharged from a single source/point. Sewage, Industrial waste, oil, mining

Question 3

What is Reservoir?

Answer 3

A location where water is stored.

Question 4

What are the 2 Major water reservoirs?

Answer 4

• Oceans (96.5%)
• freshwater (2.5%)

Question 5

What are the 4 freshwater sources?

Answer 5

• Groundwater
• glaciers
• surface waters
• atmosphere.

Question 6

Processes that transport water TO the atmosphere?

Answer 6

• Evaporation: Sun heats up water, changing it from liquid to gas.
• Sublimation: Ice and snow directly turn into water vapor.
• Evapotranspiration: Water evaporates from plants and soils.

Question 7

Processes that transport water FROM the atmosphere?

Answer 7

• Condensation: Water vapor cools and condenses into clouds.
• Precipitation: Cloud particles fall as precipitation (snow, rain, hail).
• Deposition: Water vapor directly turns into solid water (ice/snow).

Question 8

Processes that transport water ALONG the Earth’s surface?

Answer 8

• Surface runoff: Precipitation flows over the ground into rivers/streams.
• Infiltration: Precipitation leaks into groundwater and eventually reaches lakes/oceans.

Question 9

Six conventional water pollutants?

Answer 9

1. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
2. Nutrients
3. Suspended soils
4. pH
5. Oil and grease
6. Pathogenic microorganisms

Question 10

What are the two Nutrients that are naturally occurring but excessive inputs intlo water systems result from human activities.

Answer 10

nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)

Question 11

4 Primary sources of nutrient pollution?

Answer 11

• Runoff of fertilizers from agricultural fields.
• Animal manure.
• Sewage and wastewater.
• Laundry detergents and soap.

Question 12

What does excess N and P lead to?

Answer 12

cultural eutrophication: nutrient enrichment and ecosystem degradation.

Question 13

What is Bioaccumulation?

Answer 13

Increase in concentration of a pollutant in a single organism over its lifetime.

Question 14

What is Biomagnification?

Answer 14

Increase in concentration of a pollutant up the food chain.

Question 15

What are 5 examples of NONconventional and NONtoxic pollutants?

Answer 15

• Road salt
• iron
• aluminum
• color (dyes)
• heat

Question 16

What are the 3 major types of water pollutants?

Answer 16

• Conventional water pollutants
• Priority (toxic) pollutants
• Nonconventional and nontoxic pollutants

Question 17

What are the 4 things done with all plastic waste?

Answer 17

• Recycled: 8-9%
• Incinerated (Waste-to-Energy): 12%
• Put in a landfill: 79%
• Mismanaged (litter)

Question 18

What are the 9 steps to Water Treatment?

Answer 18

1. Collection
2. screening
3. chlorine
4. Settling Basin
5. Filtration
6. Storage
7. Ammonia
8. Quality test
9. Distribution