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Limnology > Water Chemistry > Flashcards

Water Chemistry Flashcards

1
Q

What are six things that influence water chemistry?

A
  1. Human influence; 2. Rain; 3. Parent material; 4. Biological interactions; 5. Chemical processes; 6. Evaporation
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2
Q

Does freshwater chemistry vary greatly?

A

Yes

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3
Q

These control primary production of aquatic ecosystems

A

Nutrients

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4
Q

What are four things that water chemistry controls?

A
  1. Physiology; 2. Biogeochemistry; 3. Pollutant behavior; 4. Aquatic organism health
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5
Q

The highest abundance of organisms is found in this range of the environmental gradient

A

Optimal range

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6
Q

Organisms are rare in this zone of the environmental gradient

A

Zone of stress

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7
Q

Organisms are absent in this zone of the environmental gradient

A

Zone of intolerance

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8
Q

What are six types of materials transported in freshwater?

A
  1. Gases; 2. Dissolved nutrients; 3. Dissolved inorganic matter; 4. Suspended/dissolved organic matter; 5. Suspended/dissolved trace metals; 6. Suspended inorganic matter
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9
Q

What are three gases that can be transported by freshwater?

A

N2, CO2, O2

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10
Q

What are three dissolved nutrients that can be transported by freshwater?

A

Nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon

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11
Q

What are seven types of dissolved organic matter that can be transported by freshwater?

A

Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, K+, HCO3- (bicarbonate), SO4-2 (sulfate), Cl-

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12
Q

What are four types of suspended/dissolved organic matter that can be transported by freshwater?

A

Leaves, soil, plants, organisms

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13
Q

What are five examples of suspended inorganic matter that can be transported by freshwater?

A

Aluminum, iron, silicon, calcium, potassium

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14
Q

These are tiny solid particles of dissolved substances found inside liquid water

A

Particulates

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15
Q

Particulates can usually be removed from water using this

A

Mesh filter of a certain size

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16
Q

What are three categories of particulates?

A

Dissolved, colloidal, gravitoidal

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17
Q

This category of particulates never settles and causes turbidity

A

Colloidal

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18
Q

Colloidal particulates bind with these

A

Dissolved substances

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19
Q

This category of particulates eventually settles

A

Gravitoidal

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20
Q

What are the three components of water quality?

A

Physical, chemical and biological

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21
Q

This is a measure of natural hot/cold fluctuations

A

Temperature

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22
Q

This is also known as the “abiotic master factor”

A

Temperature

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23
Q

What are four sources of temperature changes?

A
  1. Sun; 2. Water inputs; 3. Heat exchanges; 4. Thermal pollution
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24
Q

What are five factors that can change the temperature of water?

A

Color, depth, shade, location, time of year

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25
Q

How does increasing the temperature affect chemical reactions?

A

Increases rate of reactions

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26
Q

How does increasing the temperature affect chemical toxicity?

A

Increases toxicity

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27
Q

How does increasing the temperature affect dissolved oxygen?

A

Decreases dissolved oxygen

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28
Q

What are six ways temperature affects aquatic organisms?

A
  1. Specific ranges; 2. Primary production; 3. Metabolic rates; 4. Spawning; 5. Temperature shock; 6. Immunoresponse
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29
Q

This is a measure of particulate matter and dissolved color

A

Turbidity

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30
Q

What are six sources of turbidity?

A
  1. Erosion; 2. Increased nutrients; 3. Phytoplankton/algae; 4. Resuspended sediments from the bottom; 5. Waste discharge; 6. Urban runoff
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31
Q

What units are used to measure turbidity?

A

Nephelometric turbidity units (NTUs)

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32
Q

What are three devices used to measure turbidity?

A

Colorimter, Secchi disk, Secchi tube

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33
Q

What is the most accurate device used to measure turbidity?

A

Colorimeter

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34
Q

What device is used to measure turbidity in lakes or deep water?

A

Secchi disk

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35
Q

What device is used to measure turbidity in streams or shallow water?

A

Secchi tube

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36
Q

What is the acceptable turbidity level for cool water in Oklahoma?

A

10 NTUs

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37
Q

What is the acceptable turbidity level for lakes in Oklahoma?

A

25 NTUs

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38
Q

What is the acceptable turbidity level for surface water other than lakes in Oklahoma?

A

50 NTUs

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39
Q

What is the acceptable turbidity level for drinking water?

A

< 1 NTUs

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40
Q

Turbidity is important to these three aspects of freshwater

A

Aesthetic quality, water chemistry, aquatic life

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41
Q

What are two negative effects of turbidity on the aesthetic quality of water?

A

Reduced recreation and cost of treatment

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42
Q

What are two negative effects of turbidity on water chemistry?

A

Increased temperature and decreased oxygen

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43
Q

What are five fish habits/characteristics that are negatively affected by increased turbidity?

A

Spawning, gills, mate selection, migration, prey capture

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44
Q

What plant process is negatively affected by increased turbidity?

A

Photosynthesis

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45
Q

Is turbidity more of a concern in a lake or a stream?

A

Lake

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46
Q

What are five things that are negatively affected lack of light penetration caused by turbidity in lakes?

A
  1. Photosynthetic organisms; 2. Dissolved oxygen; 3. Visual predators; 4. Angler success; 5. Aesthetics
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47
Q

In streams, this is the volume of water discharged or moving through a stream at any given time

A

Flow

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48
Q

What is the formula for stream discharge?

A

Area x velocity = discharge

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49
Q

What are two examples of units used to describe stream discharge by total volume?

A

Acre-ft and millions of gallons

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50
Q

What is an example of a unit used to describe the rate of stream discharge?

A

Cubic feet per second

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51
Q

What are four things that cause variation in stream discharge?

A
  1. Precipitation amount; 2. Temporal changes; 3. Water withdrawals; 4. Watershed changes
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52
Q

What are three watershed changes that can impact stream flow?

A

Land management, physical changes (i.e. erosion), and dams

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53
Q

What is the first step in measuring stream flow?

A

Stretch a measuring tape across the “start” line

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54
Q

At what intervals should the depth of the water be measured to determine stream flow?

A

One-foot intervals

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55
Q

If a stream is wider than 20 feet, at what intervals should it be measured to determine stream flow?

A

Two-foot intervals

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56
Q

At what three points should the velocity and water depth at each interval be measured when determining stream flow?

A

“Start” line, midpoint, and “finish” line

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57
Q

An alternative way to measure stream flow is to measure the width of the stream and divide the cross section into these equal-width shapes

A

Rectangles

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58
Q

Another way to measure stream discharge is by measuring the elevation of the stream surface, also known as this

A

Stage

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59
Q

What are three objects that can be used as ‘visual floats’ to measure stream discharge?

A

Orange, rubber duck, half-filled water bottle

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60
Q

This is a measure of how well water can hold an electrical current

A

Specific conductance

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61
Q

Where do ions in the water come from?

A

Surrounding geology/groundwater

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62
Q

What are four reasons why conductivity is important in freshwater systems?

A
  1. Indicates high/low nutrients; 2. Indicates salt-water pollution; 3. Brackish water is not suitable for many species; 4. Sampling gear (i.e. electrofishing) may be influenced
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63
Q

What are three sources of salt pollution?

A

Agriculture, desalination, road salt

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64
Q

These are inorganic salts and small organic matter in water

A

Total dissolved solids (TDS)

65
Q

What are three sources of TDS?

A

Sedimentary rock weathering; freezing/thawing; mechanical weathering

66
Q

What are three reasons why TDS are important in freshwater?

A
  1. TDS are related to runoff; 2. TDS determine whether water is hard or soft; 3. Mollusks and crustaceans need calcium
67
Q

What two minerals primarily determine whether water is hard or soft?

A

Calcium and magnesium

68
Q

What are three reasons why water hardness is important?

A
  1. Hardness indicates the ability of water to precipitate soap; 2. Hardness influences domestic water supply; 3. Deionized water is used in laboratories
69
Q

What are four effects of hard water on domestic water supplies?

A
  1. Scaling/soap interference; 2. Decreases water heater efficiency; 3. Vegetables lose flavor; 4. People buy water softeners to improve water taste
70
Q

This type of water is used in laboratories and has no ions

A

Deionized water

71
Q

When multiple water molecules exist, water can transfer these in the form of hydrogens

A

Protons

72
Q

If a water molecule gains a proton (H+), it becomes this

A

Hydronium ion (H3O+)

73
Q

If a water molecule loses a proton (H+), it becomes this

A

Hydroxide ion (OH-)

74
Q

In pure water, the concentrations of these two ions are equal

A

Hydronium (H3O+) and hydroxide (OH-)

75
Q

Which ion in water is acidic, hydronium or hydroxide?

A

Hydronium

76
Q

Which ion in water is basic, hydronium or hydroxide?

A

Hydroxide

77
Q

By how much hydrogen ion concentration does each step in the pH scale increase?

A

10x

78
Q

What is the pH scale calculated as?

A

-log10[H+]

79
Q

What is a typical pH range for surface freshwater?

A

6 - 9

80
Q

Swamps can have a pH as low as this

A

4.3

81
Q

What is a typical pH range for saltwater?

A

7.7 - 8.1

82
Q

What pH range do most organisms prefer?

A

5.5 - 9.5

83
Q

What are five things that can change pH in water?

A
  1. Rocks/minerals; 2. Chemical interactions; 3. Rain; 4. Carbon dioxide; 5. Photosynthesis
84
Q

Does an increase in carbon dioxide raise or lower pH in the water?

A

Lower

85
Q

Does an increase in photosynthesis raise or lower pH in the water?

A

Raise

86
Q

What are four reasons why pH is important in water?

A
  1. Acids release heavy metals; 2. The toxicity of some heavy metals increases; 3. Extreme pH increases solubility of some chemicals; 4. Wildlife have specific pH ranges
87
Q

At what time of day is water pH lowest?

A

In the morning (~7 am)

88
Q

At what time of day is water pH the highest?

A

Late afternoon/early evening (~5 pm)

89
Q

What are three ways to measure pH?

A

pH meter, Sonde, testing kits

90
Q

What are two common types of pH testing kits?

A

Litmus paper and titration

91
Q

This lake in Tanzania is an example of an environment with extreme pH (as high as 10.5)

A

Lake Natron

92
Q

This is the capacity of water to react with strong acids or bases

A

Alkalinity

93
Q

Alkalinity is the measure of water’s ability to do this

A

Neutralize acids

94
Q

What are two ions that lower the pH of water?

A

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and c9arbonic acid (H2CO3)

95
Q

What are three ions that raise the pH of water?

A

Hydroxide ions (OH-), carbonates (CO3-), and bicarbonates (HCO3-)

96
Q

This is a solution that contains both an acid and a base and is able to mitigate changes in pH

A

Buffer

97
Q

What kind of acid do buffers contain?

A

Weak acid (HA)

98
Q

Whether you add acid or base to a buffer, you end up with either of these two compounds

A

HA or BA

99
Q

What are two substances commonly found in acid rain?

A

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) or nitrogen oxide (NO)

100
Q

What are two sources of chemicals that cause acid rain?

A

Industrial processes and fossil fuels

101
Q

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide combine with water to form these two acids that make up acid rain

A

Sulfuric acid and nitric acid

102
Q

During mining, this compound can be exposed to oxygen

A

Pyrite (FeS2)

103
Q

Oxygen + pyrite + water = ?

A

Sulfuric acid

104
Q

Sulfuric acid from mines dissolves away rocks and leaches metals, leading to this process

A

Acid mine drainage

105
Q

When acidic water drains out of mines and into streams, the metals in it react with this to turn the water a bright color

A

Oxygen

106
Q

This is considered to be the second most important abiotic factor in aquatics

A

Dissolved oxygen

107
Q

What are three sources of dissolved oxygen?

A

Photosynthesis, diffusion from air, aeration/wind

108
Q

Dissolved oxygen impacts this process, usually at the bottom of a body of water

A

Decomposition

109
Q

Can dissolved oxygen exceed 100% saturation?

A

Yes

110
Q

These form when there is a lack of oxygen in a particular area of the water

A

Hypoxic zones

111
Q

What are three characteristics of hypoxic zones?

A

Warm temperatures, excess nutrients, and low oxygen

112
Q

What are three ways that fish can be affected by lack of dissolved oxygen

A

Metabolism, behavior, body size

113
Q

What are two ways to measure dissolved oxygen?

A

Sonde and titration

114
Q

This is the amount of oxygen needed to break down organic matter

A

Biological oxygen demand (BOD)

115
Q

Over what time period does BOD measure oxygen consumed?

A

5 years

116
Q

What does BOD stand for?

A

Biological oxygen demand

117
Q

At what time of day is dissolved oxygen in the water highest?

A

Dusk

118
Q

What are the three main processes involved in photosynthesis?

A

Splitting water, capturing light, fixing carbon

119
Q

Are only oxygen and carbon dioxide required for photosynthesis?

A

No

120
Q

What are the two most limiting elements for photosynthesis in aquatics?

A

Nitrogen and phosphorous

121
Q

This element is one of the largest requirements for aquatic photosynthesis and is found in DNA

A

Nitrogen

122
Q

This element is the second largest requirement for aquatic photosynthesis and is found in ATP

A

Phosphorous

123
Q

What are the six forms of nitrogen important to aquatics?

A
  1. Nitrogen gas (N2); 2. Ammonia (NH3); 3. Ammonium (NH4+); 4. Nitrite (NO2-); 5. Nitrate (NO3-); 6. Organic nitrogen
124
Q

What is the preferred form of nitrogen for plants?

A

Nitrate (NO3-)

125
Q

What are three important processes in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification

126
Q

What are four sources of nitrogen in aquatics?

A

Soil, organism waste, decaying organic matter, fertilizers

127
Q

What are the two forms of phosphorous found in aquatics?

A

Inorganic and organic phosphorous

128
Q

This form of phosphorous can be dissolved or particulate and usually makes up less than 5% of the total phosphorous in a lake

A

Inorganic phosphorous (PO4 3-)

129
Q

What is a normal range of total phosphorous?

A

< 10 ug/L - > 200 ug/L

130
Q

What is the main source of aquatic phosphorous?

A

Rocks/minerals

131
Q

After being weathered by water from rocks/minerals, phosphorous binds to these in the water

A

Organic compounds

132
Q

This is when molecules adhere to the surface of a material

A

Adsorption

133
Q

This is when molecules are drawn into a material

A

Absorption

134
Q

Limnologists are often interested in this aspect of a body of water

A

Primary productivity

135
Q

This is the rate at which primary producers create organic material

A

Primary productivity

136
Q

Primary productivity relies on these

A

Nutrients

137
Q

Whichever nutrient prevents growth is known as this

A

Limiting nutrient

138
Q

What is the Redfield Ratio for stream algae to do photosynthesis?

A

160:16:1 for C:N:P

139
Q

A system’s photosynthesis is considered nitrogen-limited if its nitrogen is at what number in the ratio?

A

<15

140
Q

A system’s photosynthesis is considered phosphorous-limited if its phosphorous is at what number in the ratio?

A

> 30

141
Q

An excess of nutrients leads immediately to this

A

Increase in primary producer population (algae bloom)

142
Q

If there are not enough consumers to limit primary productivity in a system with excess nutrients, this process will occur

A

Eutrophication

143
Q

This type of system has low levels of organic matter

A

Oligotrophic

144
Q

This type of system has moderate levels of organic matter

A

Mesotrophic

145
Q

This type of system has high levels of organic matter

A

Eutrophic

146
Q

What is the limiting nutrient in oligotrophic systems?

A

Phosphorous

147
Q

Are oligotrophic systems usually deep and clear or shallow and murky?

A

Deep and clear

148
Q

Which nutrient classification can fill in and become shallower?

A

Eutrophic

149
Q

Which nutrient classification can have an abundance of plants?

A

Eutrophic

150
Q

Which nutrient classification has excessive nutrient ratios?

A

Eutrophic

151
Q

What does HAB stand for?

A

Harmful algae bloom

152
Q

Are HABs more common in lakes or streams?

A

Lakes

153
Q

Why are HABs less common in streams?

A

Moving water does not allow nutrients to build up as much as in lakes

154
Q

What are four ways nutrients can be measured in aquatics?

A

Sonde/probe, testing kit, colorimeter, nutrient analyzers

155
Q

What are six common pharmaceuticals found in water?

A

Pain medications, antibiotics, antidepressants, hormones, caffeine, recreational drugs

156
Q

How many drugs can be removed from wastewater treatment?

A

9 out of 118

157
Q

What are three suspected sources of hormones that have caused male fish to have impaired sperm and produce egg cells?

A

Birth control pills, Bisphenol A, Atrazine

158
Q

This substance has been found in freshwater eels, making them hyperactive and increasing cortisol

A

Cocaine

Limnology (12 decks)

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