Deck 11: Fresh Water: Streams, Lakes, Ground Water, and Wetlands

Question 1

A/an __________ __________ is a mound of sediment that accumulates on the inside of a meander.

Answer 1

point bar

Question 2

The top of a saturated zone created by an impermeable layer that lies above the main water table is called a/an __________ __________ __________.

Answer 2

perched water table

Question 3

__________ is a measure of the speed at which water can travel through porous soil or bedrock.

Answer 3

Permeability

Question 4

__________ __________ is the portion of a stream's load transported along its bottom.

Question 5

Downward stream erosion is called __________.

Question 6

The channels that split from the main stream on a delta or alluvial fan are called __________.

Question 7

Stream gradient, discharge, and __________ determine the velocity of a stream.

A) age
B) color
C) channel shape
D) salinity

Question 8

The __________ of a stream is a measure of the largest particle it can carry.

A) aspect
B) gradient
C) runoff
D) competence

Question 9

Water evaporates directly from plants as they breathe in a process called __________.

Question 10

A/an __________ is a gently sloping mound of sediment deposited where a stream enters a lake or ocean.

A) delta
B) point bar
C) meander
D) oxbow

Question 11

Low-gradient streams flow in a series of bends called __________.

Question 12

__________ is the steepness of a stream.

Question 13

Ions dissolved in water are called __________ __________.

Question 14

__________ percent of the Earth's surface water is freshwater (found in streams, lakes, wetlands, ground-water reservoirs, and ice).

A) 50
B) 25
C) 5
D) 2.5

Question 15

The __________ of a stream is the total amount of sediment it can carry past a point in a given amount of time.

Question 16

The constant circulation of water among sea, land, and the atmosphere is called the __________ __________.

Question 17

If a stream cuts through the narrow neck of land separating two meanders, the abandoned meander loops may become isolated to form a/an __________ __________.

Question 18

The region ultimately drained by a single river is a __________.

A) flood plain
B) channel
C) drainage basin
D) drainage divide

Question 19

A/an __________ forms when the roof of a limestone cavern collapses.

Question 20

Stream energy directed toward the stream's banks causes __________ erosion.

Question 21

A/an __________ lake formed when melting glaciers left huge blocks of ice in glacial sediment.

A) oxbow
B) fault
C) kettle
D) bowl

Question 22

What proportion of the Earth's surface water is freshwater found in streams, lakes, wetlands, and ground-water reservoirs?

A) 50 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 5 percent
D) less than 1 percent

Question 23

Most of the surface freshwater (in liquid or frozen form) is contained in:

A) ice sheets and glaciers.
B) groundwater.
C) lakes.
D) rivers.

Question 24

The region of the crust in which all pore spaces are filled with water is called the __________.

A) asthenosphere
B) zone of ablation
C) zone of saturation
D) zone of aeration

Question 25

Turnovers in lakes situated in temperate climates typically occur in __________.

A) spring only
B) summer only
C) spring and fall
D) summer and winter

Question 26

A nutrient-poor lake is called a/an __________ lake.

A) oligotrophic
B) minitrophic
C) catastrophic
D) eutrophic

Question 27

Ions are transported in a stream as:

A) suspended load.
B) bed load.
C) dissolved load.
D) capacity.

Question 28

The water on the outside of a stream curve moves:

A) slower than the water on the inside.
B) faster than the water on the inside.
C) the same speed as the water on the inside.
D) mostly vertically in a process called upwelling.

Question 29

A stream's discharge is:

A) greatest during a time of flood.
B) greatest before a flood.
C) minimal during a flood.
D) constant regardless of water level.

Question 30

Caverns usually form in __________.

A) granite
B) limestone
C) fractured schist
D) conglomerate

Question 31

Flood plains, marshes, and swamps are all __________.

A) springs
B) geysers
C) wetlands
D) aquifers
Multiple Choice

Question 32

Water dripping from a limestone cave spatters on the cave floor and releases carbon dioxide and precipitates calcite to build __________ from the floor upward.

A) stalactites
B) stalagmites
C) geysers
D) sinkholes

Question 33

Boulders, cobbles, and sand are carried by a stream as:

A) abrasion load.
B) suspended load.
C) bed load.
D) dissolved load.

Question 34

A stream's capacity is:

A) greatest during a time of low water.
B) constant regardless of water level.
C) minimal during a flood.
D) greatest during a flood.

Question 35

During a flood, a stream overflows its banks, and water covers the adjacent __________.

A) point bar
B) alluvial fan
C) delta
D) flood plain

Question 36

When a stream has a greater supply of sediment than it can carry, it:

A) stops overflowing its banks.
B) cuts a single channel.
C) forms a braided stream.
D) stops flowing.

Question 37

__________ is the proportional volume of rock or soil that consists of open spaces.

A) Permeability
B) Porosity
C) Recharge
D) Turnover

Question 38

A stream's erosional strength is:

A) greatest in a slow flowing stream.
B) greatest in a fast flowing stream.
C) minimal during a flood.
D) constant regardless of velocity.

Question 39

Clay has __________ porosity and __________ permeability.

A) high, low
B) high, high
C) low, low
D) low, high

Question 40

The top of a waterfall is an example of:

A) ultimate base level.
B) temporary or local base level.
C) the low-water benchmark.
D) a natural levee.

Question 41

A graded stream has a smooth, concave profile.

Question 42

A steep mountain stream usually cuts an S-shaped valley.

Question 43

Deltas are permanent unchanging geologic features.

Question 44

Niagara Falls is an example for temporary base level.

Question 45

Artesian aquifers develop:

A) where the water table in the lower part of the aquifer is under pressure.
B) in the unsaturated zone.
C) in granite rock.
D) only in deserts.
True/False

Question 46

An oligtrophic lake is likely to support abundant vegetation and may be covered by a mat of rooted and floating plants.

Question 47

The velocity of a stream increases when discharge decreases.

Question 48

If you dig into the unsaturated zone, the hole will fill with water.

Question 49

The water table does not fluctuate with the seasons.

Question 50

Sedimentary rocks are:

A) generally less porous than igneous rocks.
B) generally more porous than igneous rocks.
C) equally porous as igneous rocks.
D) less likely to contain ground water than igneous rocks.

Question 51

A eutrophic lake:

A) has a high nutrient supply.
B) is generally shallow enough so sunlight reaches the bottom.
C) forms when sewage and phosphate detergents flow into a lake.
D) all of these

Question 52

Steep V-shaped streams are common in both deserts and glacial environments.

Question 53

The portion of a valley covered by water during a flood is the:

A) natural levee.
B) delta.
C) meander.
D) flood plain.

Question 54

Wetlands mitigate floods by absorbing excess water that might otherwise overrun towns and farms.

Question 55

Most streams carry the largest part of their load as bed load.

Question 56

Levees can create conditions that cause much larger floods in the long term.

Question 57

A stream erodes its bank most rapidly on the outside of a curve.

Question 58

High-gradient streams are likely to form:

A) V-shaped valleys.
B) U-shaped valleys.
C) numerous oxbow lakes.
D) valleys with meanders in their flood plains.

Question 59

Friction between flowing water and the stream channel slows current velocity.

Question 60

Alluvial fans are common in arid and semiarid mountainous regions.