Deck 11: Water Resources and Water Pollution

Question 1

Global reduction of grain-fed beef consumption would help to reduce water shortages.​

Answer 1

True

Question 2

We are using freshwater unsustainably through waste and pollution,and do not charge enough for its use.​

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Withdrawing freshwater from deep aquifers amounts to mining a nonrenewable resource.​

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A large amount of the world's drinking water comes from desalination.​

Question 5

The use of dams,reservoirs,and water transfer projects has increased threats from flooding in some cases.​

Question 6

A source of groundwater contamination in coastal areas is saltwater intrusion.​

Question 7

Drinking is the biggest use of water worldwide.​

Question 8

Salt from the region of the Aral Sea is being blown onto the alpine glaciers of the Himalayas,and is causing them to melt at faster than normal rates.​

Question 9

Eutrophication is a condition of natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake,estuary,or slow-moving stream.​

Question 10

Agricultural activities are the leading cause of water pollution with organic chemicals and oxygen demanding wastes as the major pollutants.​

Question 11

Protecting wetlands will actually promote flooding.​

Question 12

Drip irrigation systems have an efficiency of 90 to 95%.​

Question 13

Federal subsidies are provided to U.S.farmers who reduce water use in irrigation.​

Question 14

Most aquifers are rapidly recharged through precipitation that percolates downward through soil and rock.​

Question 15

The shrinkage of the Aral Sea has altered the local climate of the surrounding area.​

Question 16

The creation of dams and reservoirs has decreased the annual reliable runoff available for human use.​

Question 17

An oligotrophic lake tends to have relatively low levels of nutrients.​

Question 18

Heat is a major water pollutant that makes some species vulnerable to disease.​

Question 19

Cruise ships are a significant source of pollution that dump toxic chemicals,garbage,sewage,and waste oil into the oceans.​

Question 20

The porous layers of sand,gravel,or rock in most aquifers are like large,elongated sponges through which groundwater seeps,which typically moves only a meter or so (about 3 feet)per year and rarely more than 0.3 meter (1 foot)per day.​

Question 21

Land erosion can cause a major source water pollution through sediments that disrupt biotic activity.​

Question 22

What is the main problem with the Ogallala,the world's largest aquifer that is located in the U.S.?​

A) ​government subsidies
B) ​it is essentially a one-time deposit of liquid natural capital with a very slow rate of recharge
C) ​land subsidence
D) ​pollution
E) over-irrigation​

Question 23

What phenomenon can alter the hydrologic cycle on a global scale?​

A) ​gravity
B) ​climate change
C) ​electricity
D) geothermal energy​
E) ​wind

Question 24

​What is the primary problem with drawing groundwater from near ocean coastlines?

A) ​pollution travels faster through sandy soils
B) ​sand clogs up the wells
C) ​sinkholes
D) ​land subsidence
E) saltwater can be pulled into freshwater aquifers​

Question 25

Tap water in Palm Springs,California,most likely comes from a river that originated in northwestern Colorado.​

Question 26

Water covers approximately ____% of Earth's surface.​

A) ​51
B) ​61
C) ​71
D) ​81
E) 91​

Question 27

Approximately 70% of the water withdrawn worldwide each year is used for ____.​

A) ​industrial processes
B) ​cooling towers of power plants
C) ​irrigation of croplands and raising livestock
D) ​domestic use
E) water theme parks in tourist areas​

Question 28

What is the portion of surface runoff that we can generally count on as a stable source of freshwater?​

A) ​surface water
B) ​drainage basin
C) ​reliable runoff
D) ​watershed
E) precipitation​

Question 29

Most freshwater in the eastern U.S.is used for manufacturing and cooling power plants.​

Question 30

What is a water resource that can be considered nonrenewable?​

A) ​water vapor in the atmosphere
B) ​precipitation
C) ​surface water in lakes and streams
D) ​deep aquifers
E) snowpack​

Question 31

What has increased the annual reliable runoff available for our use by nearly 33%?​

A) ​sustainable water use practices
B) ​dams
C) ​aquifers
D) ​drip irrigation
E) water conservation subsidies​

Question 32

Freshwater that is used indirectly is called ____,which is the freshwater that is not directly consumed but is used to produce food and other products.​

A) ​industrial water
B) ​irrigation water
C) ​virtual water
D) ​gray water
E) ground water​

Question 33

What is formed when extreme sudden subsidence occurs within a depleted aquifer?​

A) ​sinkholes
B) ​freshwater scarcity stress
C) ​virtual water
D) ​lowered water table
E) an impermeable layer that prevents recharge​

Question 34

Why would an aquifer be considered nonrenewable?​

A) ​lack of rainfall
B) ​contamination and overpumping
C) ​located in arid regions
D) ​desertification
E) excessive irrigation​

Question 35

We can say that the United States has ____ freshwater scarcity stress.​

A) ​no
B) ​very little or minimal
C) ​average
D) ​spotty
E) widespread​

Question 36

Preventing contamination is the least expensive and most effective way to protect groundwater resources.​

Question 37

Why did Saudi Arabia announce in 2008 that it would stop producing grain?​

A) ​Its major deep aquifer has been depleted by drawing water for irrigation.
B) ​Multiple years of severe droughts have depleted the water table.
C) ​Its very rich,oil-financed economy can easily import food rather than grow its own.
D) ​Desalinization of seawater around Saudi Arabia has contaminated local freshwater reserves.
E) Oil seepage from oil fields has contaminated local freshwater reserves.​

Question 38

​This system of dams and reservoirs on the ____ provides water and electricity from hydroelectric plants at the major dams for approximately one of every eight people in the U.S.and is used to produce about 15% of the nation's crops and livestock.

A) ​Ohio River
B) ​Mississippi River
C) ​Colorado River
D) ​Columbia River
E) Great Lakes​

Question 39

In addition to natural drought cycles,what could cause as much as 45% of Earth's land surface to experience extreme droughts?​

A) ​lack of rainfall
B) ​insufficient water for some urban areas
C) ​climate change
D) ​pollution of rivers,lakes,and groundwater
E) freshwater scarcity stress​

Question 40

Large dams and reservoirs ____.​

A) ​reduce danger of flooding upstream
B) ​disrupt migration and spawning of fish
C) ​cannot be used for outdoor recreation
D) ​allow extensive downstream transport of sediments
E) have created lakes over of otherwise unproductive land​

Question 41

What causes cultural eutrophication?​

A) ​natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake
B) ​blooms of algae
C) ​increase in aerobic bacteria
D) ​increase of plants such as duckweed
E) input of nutrients from human activities​

Question 42

What class of pollutant can cause excessive growth of algae?​

A) ​sediments from land erosion
B) ​oxygen-demanding wastes from sewage and animal feedlots
C) ​plant nutrients from industry,farms,and households
D) ​organic chemicals from industry,farms,and households
E) infectious agents from human and animal wastes​

Question 43

Wetlands that can increase sustainable agriculture and forestry can be found in ____.​

A) ​floodplains
B) ​swamps
C) coastal areas​
D) ​near lakes
E) in areas with high rain​

Question 44

According to water resource experts,what are the two main causes of water waste?​

A) ​lack of government subsidies for improving the efficiency of water use and ignorance about the amount of water being wasted
B) ​low cost of water to users and lack of government subsidies for improving the efficiency of water use
C) ​industrial agricultural practices and over irrigation
D) ​lack of information about efficient irrigation systems and lack of regulation of water use
E) unsustainable management and overpumping of aquifers​

Question 45

What causes a child to die every 18 seconds,on average,from diarrhea?​

A) ​disease-causing agents
B) ​poor hygiene
C) ​contaminated food sources
D) ​contaminated drinking water
E) malnutrition​

Question 46

What is an example of point source pollution?​

A) ​offshore oil wells
B) ​livestock feedlots
C) ​urban lands
D) ​croplands
E) parking lots​

Question 47

Eighty-five percent of what exists near major U.S.population centers and have some degree of cultural eutrophication?​

A) ​coastal waters
B) ​rivers
C) ​large lakes
D) ​ponds
E) streams​

Question 48

What is the most efficient form of irrigation?​

A) ​flood irrigation
B) ​center-pivot irrigation
C) ​low pressure irrigation
D) ​precision sprinkler irrigation
E) drip irrigation​

Question 49

What is the best approach to reducing flood damage?​

A) ​funding scientific research on flood prevention
B) ​education of the public
C) ​avoid living on floodplains
D) ​prevention through preserving natural environments
E) control through engineering solutions​

Question 50

What percentage of the water that people use throughout the world is lost through evaporation,leaks,and inefficient use?​ two-thirds

A) ​one-tenth
B) ​one-fourth
C) ​one-third
D) ​one-half
E) ​two-thirds

Question 51

What type of irrigation commonly used in developing nations loses 45% of the water applied?​

A) ​center pivot
B) ​drip
C) ​gravity
D) ​flood
E) sprinkler​

Question 52

What in Brazil has reduced household water bills by 40%?​

A) ​water taxes
B) ​water meters
C) ​national education campaign
D) ​subsidies
E) smart cards​

Question 53

What class of pollutant are acids,salts,and metals?​

A) ​oxygen-demanding wastes
B) ​organic plant nutrients
C) ​inorganic plant nutrients
D) ​inorganic chemicals
E) ​sediment

Question 54

What decreases photosynthesis in bodies of water?​

A) ​disease-causing organisms
B) ​inorganic plant nutrients
C) ​eroded sediment such as soil or silt
D) ​heat
E) organic chemicals​

Question 55

What is a major disadvantage of desalination?​

A) ​reverse osmosis and transpiration
B) ​it is expensive
C) ​not enough brackish water to make it worthwhile
D) ​water cannot be used for irrigation
E) polluted sea water​

Question 56

What can take decades to thousands of years to cleanse itself of slowly degradable wastes?​

A) ​lakes
B) ​soil
C) groundwater​
D) oil contaminated surface waters​
E) urban waterways​

Question 57

What action could help decrease the single largest use of domestic water in the United States?​

A) Use a drip system in your garden.​
B) ​Install a low-flow shower head.
C) ​Use native plants in your landscaping.
D) ​Install a water-saving toilet tank.
E) Use gray water to water your houseplants.​

Question 58

What has resulted along floodplains from channelization and loss of vegetation?​

A) ​increased droughts
B) ​reclamation of wetlands
C) ​lower rates of pollution
D) ​increased flooding
E) decreased biodiversity​

Question 59

What is by far the leading cause of water pollution?​

A) ​unlined landfills
B) ​organic wastes
C) ​untreated sewage waste
D) ​agricultural activities
E) oil and natural gas production and development​

Question 60

What is an example of nonpoint source pollution?​

A) ​drain pipes
B) ​oil wells
C) ​golf courses
D) ​underground mines
E) sewage treatment plants​

Question 61

How do composting toilet systems help improve sewage treatment?​

A) ​Sewage flows into a passive solar greenhouse.
B) ​Waste is converted to a soil-like humus that can be used as a fertilizer.
C) ​Water passes through an artificial marsh made of sand and gravel filtering out organic waste.
D) ​Household sewage and wastewater is pumped into a settling tank.
E) Aerobic bacteria remove as much as dissolved and biodegradable,oxygen- demanding organic wastes.​

Question 62

____________________ is the process where bodies of water are enriched with natural nutrients.

Question 63

____________________ are deep underground sources of freshwater found between the porous geological layers of sand,gravel,or bedrock.​

Question 64

What is the only effective way to protect groundwater?​

A) ​pollution prevention
B) ​community-based local clean up
C) ​bioremediation
D) ​sewage treatment
E) ​stream restoration

Question 65

​Human activities can greatly accelerate the rate at which nutrients and organic substances enter aquatic ecosystems from their surrounding watersheds in a process called _________________________.

Question 66

What aquatic ecosystem receives the vast majority of the global inputs of pollution?​

A) ​benthic zone of abyssal plain
B) ​swiftly flowing stream
C) ​deep-water ocean
D) ​coastal parts of the ocean
E) slow-moving river​

Question 67

In the United States,____________________ supply nearly all of the drinking water in rural areas.​

Question 68

Spaces in rock and soil called the zone of ____________________ are completely filled with water.​

Question 69

What does the EPA discharge trading policy use to reduce pollution?​

A) ​stocks and bonds
B) ​tax credits
C) ​public policy statements
D) ​fair trade laws
E) market forces​

Question 70

When a lot of water is pumped from an aquifer,or when there is a drought,the ____________________ may become lowered.​

Question 71

The process called ____________________ involves removing dissolved salts from ocean water to increase supplies of freshwater.​

Question 72

One of the most serious overdrafts of groundwater is in the United States in the lower half of the ________________aquifer.​

Question 73

Government ____________________ keep the price of water so low that users do not worry about wasting water.​

Question 74

What is one characteristic of ecological sewage systems as opposed to most current sewage systems?​

A) ​Less centralized systems of underground sewage pipes
B) ​Higher water and chlorination bills
C) ​More difficult to clean up leaks and pollution
D) More energy needed to pump and purify water​
E) Less political and community action involved for implementation​

Question 75

How is an oxygen sag curve created?​

A) ​unlined landfills,household chemicals,mining refuse,and industrial discharges
B) ​breakdown of biodegradable wastes by bacteria depletes dissolved oxygen
C) ​bacteria from livestock and food-processing wastes,and excess salts from soils of irrigated cropland
D) ​major erosion of sediments and runoff of toxic chemicals
E) animal feedlots,food-processing facilities,paper mills​

Question 76

What are the main sources of lead,mercury and arsenic water pollutants?​

A) ​electric power plants
B) ​unlined landfills,household chemicals,mining refuse and industrial discharges
C) ​sewage and inorganic fertilizers
D) ​runoff from streets and parking lots
E) land erosion from farms that have used chemical insecticides​

Question 77

What aquatic ecosystem is most capable of diluting,dispersing,and degrading large amounts of sewage,sludge,and oil?​

A) ​estuary
B) ​swiftly flowing stream
C) ​deep-water ocean
D) ​coastal parts of the ocean
E) slow-moving river​

Question 78

Withdrawing massive amounts of groundwater can cause land elevation to become lower,which is also called ____________________.​

Question 79

The majority of the oil pollution of the ocean comes from ____.​

A) ​blowouts (rupture of a borehole of an oil rig in the ocean)
B) ​tanker accidents
C) ​environmental terrorism
D) ​runoff from land
E) normal operation of offshore wells​

Question 80

The area of land adjacent to a stream called a(n)____________________.​