Deck 15: Freshwater Systems and Resources

Question 1

Which of the following best describes a floodplain?

A)a region of land that has been deliberately,permanently flooded due to human disturbance,such as in dam building
B)a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows
C)an area that is incidentally flooded when farming or mining operations change the course of rivers
D)an area where flood irrigation of crops is used,such as a rice paddy
E)an area that is periodically flooded because humans have altered the landscape

Answer 1

a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows

Question 2

Most of the precipitation that falls onto Earth's surface _________________

A)falls in the form of ice or snow
B)is already unusable because of acid rain
C)evaporates back into the atmosphere
D)either runs off to form rivers or filters down into underground aquifers
E)is taken up by plants or other organisms

Answer 2

either runs off to form rivers or filters down into underground aquifers

Question 3

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding the future risks of decadal (11 -year)and multidecadal (35 -year)droughts in the southwestern U.S.and Great Plains?

A)Although the future risks of decadal droughts are low for both regions,multidecadal droughts are expected to occur in both areas during the latter half of the 21st century.
B)Fewer multi -decadal droughts are likely,but more decadal droughts are expected to occur during the latter half of the 21st century.
C)Models indicate that both regions are more likely to experience decadal and multi -decadal droughts in the latter half of the 21st century than during the latter half of the 20th century.
D)Models indicate that the southwestern U.S.,including California,is more likely to experience these long -term droughts in the latter half of the 21st century,and much of the agricultural loss in that region will have to be offset in the Great Plains,where models indicate a very low probability of long -term drought.
E)Although El Niño patterns have caused short -term droughts in California and the Great Plains,neither region is expected to experience long -term droughts during the latter half of the 21st century.

Answer 3

Models indicate that both regions are more likely to experience decadal and multi -decadal droughts in the latter half of the 21st century than during the latter half of the 20th century.

Question 4

In a municipal wastewater treatment plant,the primary treatment step includes _________________

A)chlorinating the sewage
B)stirring the sewage to increase oxidation
C)letting sewage sit in large settling tanks so suspended solids can settle out
D)adding bacteria to the sewage
E)micro -filtering the sewage

Question 5

The fish in the lake at the local park are dying,and a professor from the local college comes to investigate.First she measures the levels of dissolved oxygen because she wants to check for _________________

A)aquatic biodiversity
B)the influence of acid precipitation
C)the presence of heavy metals
D)the presence of bacteria
E)hypoxia

Question 6

Levees are used _________________

A)to prevent flooding and facilitate shipping
B)to pump water from an aquifer
C)to block water flow and hold water in a reservoir
D)to transport water from a river to an urban center
E)along scenic byways so drivers can get a better view of a river

Question 7

An artesian aquifer occurs where _________________

A)a well is dug through layers of sand and gravel into the water table
B)several aquifers have merged
C)a water -bearing layer is trapped between two layers that are less permeable
D)granite is overlain by a sandy substrate,allowing percolation into the aquifer
E)a water -bearing porous layer of rock,sand,or gravel has accumulated groundwater over a long period of time

Question 8

Sinkholes can result from _________________

A)flood damage and chemical erosion
B)poorly drilled wells in soft soils
C)overconsumption of water from aquifers
D)building on floodplains
E)substrates that become weak following rain

Question 9

Only about 2.5% of all the water on our planet is fresh water,and _________________.

A)most of this is far from where humans live
B)over half of this is in wetlands near coastlines and is becoming contaminated with saltwater
C)over half of this is extremely hard water and is nearly unusable for drinking or agriculture
D)most of this is in underground aquifers
E)most of this is in large,freshwater lakes

Question 10

Which of the following will contribute to water conservation?

A)watering lawns at night,using low -flow faucets,and landscaping with native plants
B)using aerial sprays for crop irrigation
C)watering lawns during peak sunlight hours,when plants need water most
D)washing dishes by hand
E)planting non -native wetland plants for landscaping

Question 11

A watershed is _________________

A)the water held in the atmosphere prior to returning to Earth in the form of rainfall
B)the area of land that drains into a river or lake
C)a term used to describe water stored underground
D)a river that drains into the sea
E)an inland basin that connects to another inland basin

Question 12

Which of the following is one of the major pollutants of groundwater?

A)pathogenic microbes
B)treated sewage from cities
C)radon
D)agricultural chemicals
E)acid rain

Question 13

A key characteristic of aquatic dead zones is _________________

A)a high concentration of urban development
B)a lack of water
C)low concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus
D)a low concentration of keystone species
E)a low concentration of oxygen

Question 14

One month after statewide water restrictions were put in place in May 2015,Californians _________________.

A)ignored the restrictions and continued to use water at the same rate
B)reduced their residential water use by almost 30%
C)actually increased their residential water use by 5% compared to data from the previous year
D)complained to their state legislators and were able to overturn the draconian water restriction policies
E)reduced their residential water use by almost 10%

Question 15

Why was the irrigation of Soviet cotton farming operations a problem?

A)Irrigation water came from rivers feeding into one of the largest lakes on Earth and resulted in major contamination of that source.
B)It drained the Aral Sea and increased the salt content of soils.
C)It was,for the most part,not a problem.
D)It angered local resort communities,which did not want farming in the region.
E)There was governmental opposition that limited water access,killing crops.

Question 16

Why is grain production in the Great Plains considered largely unsustainable?

A)The energetics of crop production in the Great Plains are such that more energy is needed to grow the crops than can be gotten from the crops.
B)Competition with cattle ranching is resulting in a decline in crop production.
C)More and more people are becoming gluten intolerant,so there will be less and less demand for wheat,barley,and rye.
D)The Ogallala aquifer is being depleted for irrigation water.
E)So many pesticides are needed for grain production that streams in the Great Plains are becoming dead zones.

Question 17

A septic system is _________________

A)an early version of a wastewater treatment plant
B)the use of natural wetlands to cleanse wastewater
C)a second level mechanism to remove bacteria at a wastewater treatment plant
D)a toxic or badly polluted waterway
E)a rural method of processing wastewater

Question 18

Dam removal in the U.S._________________

A)will probably increase rapidly as we move to a more fossil -fuel -dependent society
B)provides many new jobs and opportunities and so is economically beneficial
C)is controversial because dams provide such good habitats for native species
D)will assist with our transition to more natural forms of renewable energy
E)will probably continue because the environmental impacts of dams are reviewed periodically

Question 19

Gray water can _________________

A)often be used for irrigation and watering lawns
B)not be used for washing cars
C)usually be used with little or no treatment for drinking water
D)be used in place of tap water for drinking
E)be used for fish ponds and park lakes

Question 20

One -fifth of Earth's total freshwater supply is in _________________ .

A)the ocean
B)the tundra
C)estuaries
D)ponds
E)groundwater

Question 21

Define water pollution,point source,and non -point source pollution.Which of the two (point source or
non -point source)is easier to identify? Which is easier to legislate? Which currently poses the greater threat to fresh water?

Question 22

Describe the benefits obtained by the creation of artificial wetlands.

Question 23

Xeriscaping can save water by _________________

A)replacing lawns with artificial turf and gravel parking areas
B)collecting rain water and storing it in cisterns or tanks
C)planting native or drought -resistant landscaping plants
D)replacing landscaping plants with rocks,sand,and sculpture
E)creating wetlands instead of landscaping

Question 24

Artificial wetlands _________________.

A)are a source of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh
B)purify water for use as bottled drinking water
C)are the major program for replacing lost natural wetlands
D)can help purify water and also provide wildlife habitat
E)are created using xeriscaping methods

Question 25

Use the Three Gorges Dam on China's Yangtze River to illustrate the benefits and costs associated with building dams.

Question 26

It is estimated that by 2035,half of the people in the world will live under severe water shortages.Discuss three specific strategies for conserving water.

Question 27

What is the main argument against removing O'Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemite National Park?

A)The dam is the main source of electricity for Napa Valley.
B)There are endangered species such as puffins and auklets that need the reservoir for habitat.
C)The dam is a registered historic national landmark,so its removal would be unlawful.
D)Most visitors to Yosemite use the reservoir for parasailing and waterskiing.
E)The reservoir is the main source of drinking water for the city of San Francisco.

Question 28

How can agricultural irrigation practices be altered to decrease loss of fresh water?

Question 29

A 2009 study found that one -third of the world's 925 major rivers experienced reduced flow from 1948 to 2004,with the majority of the reduction attributed to _________________.

A)overuse for agriculture
B)the effects of climate change
C)dredging operations that make the rivers navigable
D)municipalities diverting treated wastewater into artificial wetlands rather than the rivers themselves
E)overuse by cities for drinking water

Question 30

Methods for desalinating sea water to produce fresh water include _________________.

A)treating sea water with salt -consuming marine bacteria
B)reverse osmosis and distillation
C)treating with activated charcoal and clay
D)making sea water acid to transform salts to solids
E)filtration and sedimentation

Question 31

The resource allocation of the Colorado River's water is being complicated by _________________

A)large numbers of people moving out of Nevada
B)rapid growth of vegetable farms in southern Arizona
C)the rapid growth of Las Vegas
D)sinkhole collapses in Arizona and southern California
E)saltwater intrusion into the Colorado estuary near San Diego

Question 32

Discuss the environmental,quality,and economic issues associated with the manufacture and consumption of bottled water.

Question 33

Recent research that analyzed the content of commercial bottled water indicates that _________________.

A)bottled water consumes less fossil fuels in reaching the consumer than does tap water
B)bottled water is generally much safer and purer than tap water
C)bottled water has no contamination from hormone mimic plasticizers
D)all surveyed brands had information about the source and how it was treated
E)bottled water is no safer or purer than most samples of tap water

Question 34

Emergent vegetation such as cattails and reeds grow in the _________________ zone of a lake.

A)aphotic
B)littoral
C)benthic
D)limnetic
E)profundal

Question 35

How can algal growth be a problem in a freshwater system?

Question 36

A recent study has revealed that chlorinated solvents,gasoline,and radioactive compounds have become significant pollutants in _________________ from _________________

A) estuaries; fishing boats
B) deep ocean currents; discharges from dams into coastal waters
C) coral reefs; discharge from nuclear power plants
D) groundwater; leaking storage tanks
E) mangrove swamps; oil tanker spills

Question 37

"Biosolids" produced at a wastewater treatment plant are often _________________

A)used as part of the "fill" to develop wetlands into agriculture or housing areas
B)placed in deep injection wells to keep it out of the water table
C)trucked to special biohazard landfills for disposal
D)loaded onto barges and sent to underdeveloped countries to use as fertilizer
E)used as crop fertilizer