Deck 10: Water Resources

Question 1

A manufacturer finds that his wastewater has twice the regulated concentration of mercury allowed to discharge into the nearby river. The manufacturer finds that simply mixing his wastewater with an equal volume of clean water from the river will enable him attain the regulated concentration of mercury and is far less expensive than removing mercury from the waste stream. This is an example of

A) a felony.
B) a violation of the regulation governing the release of mercury to surface water.
C) the belief that the solution to pollution is dilution.
D) behavior consistent with being a good corporate citizen.
E) responsible environmental policy.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is not an example of how surface water functions to serve humans?

A) Coastal waters serve as breeding areas for many species of plants and animals critical to humans.
B) Oceans support a great diversity of plant and animal species.
C) Pollution can disrupt the natural balance of aquatic ecosystems.
D) Water is continually cycled and renewed.
E) Coral reefs are especially sensitive to changes in their immediate environment.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The adult human body is approximately _______% water.

A) 5
B) 25
C) 40
D) 60
E) 85

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Amphibians are particularly sensitive to water pollution because

A) all species of amphibians are endangered.
B) a large portion of the life cycle of most amphibians is spent in the water.
C) they have live births, making the juveniles susceptible to pollution.
D) all adult amphibians breathe with gills, taking dissolved oxygen directly from water.

Question 5

Among the uses of water listed below, select the one that represents the least amount of water consumed on a daily basis.

A) Mining operations
B) Water for crops
C) Cooling water for power generation
D) Public supply
E) Industrial usage

Question 6

The greatest quantity of fresh water is held in

A) rivers.
B) lakes.
C) ground water.
D) oceans.
E) glaciers and ice caps.

Question 7

The greatest quantity of accessible drinking water is held in

A) rivers.
B) lakes.
C) ground water.
D) oceans.
E) glaciers and ice caps.

Question 8

What fraction of people in the world has access to safe drinking water?

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%
E) 95%

Question 9

Which of the following statements about the water cycle is true?

A) It is the cycle from the water molecule to elemental hydrogen and oxygen and back to the molecule.
B) The water cycle is limited to the water we can see on the surface of the Earth.
C) The water cycle helps keep water clean.
D) The majority of water in the water cycle is available for drinking.
E) Once underground, water stops moving and the cycle is broken.

Question 10

Which of the following is not one of the ways that humans alter the water cycle?

A) Harnessing the power of water to produce energy
B) Removing salt from saline water
C) Moving water from unwanted areas
D) Trapping water where water is scarce
E) All of the above are ways that human alter the water cycle.

Question 11

The largest dam or diversion structure in the world is located in

A) Thailand.
B) United States.
C) Ukraine.
D) China.
E) Egypt.

Question 12

The Kissimmee River project is an example of

A) successful redistribution of water.
B) unintended consequences of humans attempting to engineer nature.
C) positive responses of wildlife to flood control.
D) desertification.
E) the benefits of subsurface drainage for agriculture.

Question 13

A _______ is a chemical that is toxic to some or all forms of life but it is not of biological origin.

A) toxicant
B) pollutant
C) contaminant
D) polluter
E) toxin

Question 14

Ricin is a protein that comes from the castor oil plant. It is toxic to humans and other mammals at low doses. Ricin can be categorized as a

A) toxicant.
B) pollutant.
C) contaminant.
D) polluter.
E) toxin.

Question 15

Dumping waste cyanide from a manufacturing facility would be considered _______, whereas dumping waste salt (sodium chloride) into a lake would be _______.

A) toxification; pollution
B) illegal; immoral
C) pollution; contamination
D) contamination; pollution
E) pollution; toxification

Question 16

When contaminating/polluting substances are discharged directly into a body of water, it is called _______ pollution.

A) nonpoint source
B) intrusion
C) dilution
D) water treatment
E) point source

Question 17

When contaminating/polluting substances originate from many diffuse sources and enter a body of water indirectly, it is called _______ pollution.

A) nonpoint source
B) intrusion
C) dilution
D) water treatment
E) point source

Question 18

An emerging pollution problem is from personal care products (antibiotics, medicines, birth control pills, etc.) that are flushed down the toilet or disposed as municipal soil waste. This kind of water pollution would be best called

A) heat pollution.
B) low level radioactive waste.
C) point source pollution.
D) nonpoint source pollution.
E) acid precipitation.

Question 19

Which of the following is an inorganic pollutant?

A) Petroleum
B) Manure
C) Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)
D) DDT
E) Copper

Question 20

Inorganic pollutants would not include

A) phosphate.
B) nitrate.
C) sulfide.
D) DDT.
E) lead.

Question 21

Which of the following would not be an effect of eutrophication?

A) Enhanced biodiversity
B) Increased water turbity
C) Decreased oxygen content
D) An increase in toxic and inedible phytoplankton
E) Higher incidence of dead fish

Question 22

Which of the following statements about biomagnification is true?

A) Most metals are biomagnified in the food chain.
B) Chemicals that biomagnify tend to be very water soluble.
C) Mercury is different than most heavy metals because it tends to biomagnify.
D) Biomagnification means that the chemical in question has a higher concentration in the lower levels of the food chain.
E) A chemical is considered to be biomagnified if the chemical's concentration is higher in the tissues of an organism than the concentration in water.

Question 23

The amassing of any given substance in a living organism is called

A) biomagnification.
B) consumption.
C) exclusion.
D) biaccumulation.
E) None of the above

Question 24

Some organic chemicals tend to biomagnifiy because they

A) taste good to members of the food chain.
B) are soluble in fats or lipids.
C) move readily in the blood stream.
D) accumulate in muscle tissue.
E) None of the above; organic chemicals do not biomagnify.

Question 25

Why does mercury tend to biomagnify in fish?

A) Mercury has a strong chemical affinity for sulfur, a component of protein.
B) Fish prefer the taste of mercury-containing algae and protists.
C) The processing of fish uses mercury, which then taints the fish.
D) Mercury is a metal and all metals biomagnify.
E) Because it is water soluble, mercury accumulates in the gills of fish.

Question 26

In response to water shortages, some restaurants do not serve glasses of water with meals. Discuss the efficacy of this policy in terms of water conservation.

Question 27

Many projections suggest that global warming in the future could greatly increase existing water inequities. Explain what this means and why it is a problem.

Question 28

Explain the sequence of events after the Army Corps of Engineers transformed the Kissimmee River from 1962-1971. What is its current status?

Question 29

Storm runoff from a city that discharges into a nearby river was found to contain high concentrations of petroleum organics, suspected of originating from automobile traffic. The hydrocarbons accumulate on the surface of the streets and are washed into storm drains during rainstorms. Is this point source pollution or nonpoint source pollution? Explain.

Question 30

Why is heat considered a pollutant?

Question 31

What is the difference between a direct effect of a pollutant on an organism and an indirect effect? Explain.

Question 32

A contaminant is released into a body of water that is toxic to a segment of the aquatic arthropod population. Explain how this could be both a direct biological effect and an indirect biological effect.

Question 33

The concentration of DDT in a species of phytoplankton is 12 mg DDT/kg phytoplankton. The concentration of DDT in a fish known to exclusively consume that species of phytoplankton is 150 µg DDT/kg fish. This results in a ratio of the DDT concentration in the fish to DDT concentration in the phytoplankton of 0.0125. Is this an example of biomagnification? Explain why or why not.

Question 34

In studying the bioaccumulation of contaminants in aquatic organisms, toxicologists find that it is critical to understand the chemical behavior of contaminants. Why?