Water Systems Knowledge

Question 1

biomagnification

Answer 1

the buildup of a toxic substance as it moves through the levels of a food chain

Question 2

bloom

Answer 2

a rapid increase in the algal population in an aquatic ecosystem

Question 3

condensation

Answer 3

the process of a substance changing from a gas to a liquid

Question 4

conservation

Answer 4

methods employed to reduce demands for a resource and therefore increase supplies

Question 5

dissolved oxygen

Answer 5

gaseous oxygen that is found dissolved in water

Question 6

evaporation

Answer 6

the process of a substance changing from a liquid to a gas, slowly and over a wide range of temperatures. Boiling water on the stove evaporates faster than water sitting in a lake on a plus 15 day.

Question 7

groundwater

Answer 7

water that lies beneath the surface of the earth (in the soil and between the rocks).

Question 8

pollution

Answer 8

substances that contaminate natural environments

Question 9

potable

Answer 9

water that is suitable for human consumption

Question 10

precipitation

Answer 10

water that falls to the earth in a solid or liquid form (hail, snow, rain, sleet)

Question 11

transpiration

Answer 11

the evaporation of water from the surface of a plant

Question 12

water cycle

Answer 12

the movement of water through different locations and physical forms

Question 13

wetland

Answer 13

an area of land that is partially covered by water for some part of the year

Question 14

nutrients

Answer 14

a substance that provides nourishment that is essential for growth and the maintenance of life

Question 15

aquifer

Answer 15

a body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater

Question 16

permeable

Answer 16

allowing liquids or gases to pass through

Question 17

polar ice

Answer 17

sea ice that is more than a year old; the thickest form of sea ice

Question 18

salinity

Answer 18

a measure of salt concentration in water (for example, when looking at how much salt is in a glass of water, you could say the salinity is….)

Question 19

water table

Answer 19

upper surface of groundwater below which soil is saturated with water

Question 20

infiltration

Answer 20

when precipitation occurs, not all the water returns to the ocean as surface runoff. Some goes into the ground and as the water travels through the ground impurities are filtered out (the water gets cleaner).

Question 21

surface runoff

Answer 21

as water returns to the earth through precipitation it moves over the land (with gravity, flowing downhill) and eventually joins up with streams, rivers, ponds, etc.

Question 22

transpiration

Answer 22

plants absorb water from the soil, the water moves up the plant to the leaves, and the water in the leaves evaporates back into the atmosphere.

Question 23

condensation

Answer 23

the opposite process of evaporation. Water leaves the vapour state (as a gas in the atmosphere) and returns to the liquid states. Like when you have droplets of water on the outside of your drink glass on a warm day. When water droplets that change from a vapour to liquid in the atmosphere, if they get heavy enough they will fall to the ground a precipitation.

Question 24

continental divide

Answer 24

The location of the highest land on the continent determines the direction that a watershed drains.
This high land is called the Continental Divide.
In North America it is in the Rocky Mountains.