Deck 9: Water Resources

Question 1

Atmospheric water that is carried from the ocean to the land

A)collects solely as ice on the high mountain peaks and then begins its journey to the rest of the land.
B)quickly enters deep groundwater to be stored for future.
C)flows back to the ocean through subsurface conduits.
D)is carried back to the ocean over time by atmospheric,surface water and subsurface flows.
E)results in a lowering of the ocean surface.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In the water budget,________ is the major receipt and ________ is the major expenditure.

A)insolation radiative cooling
B)outgassing dissociation
C)Precipitation Actual Evapotranspiration
D)Actual Evapotranspiration Precipitation
E)insolation latent heat of evaporation.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is true regarding the hydrologic cycle?

A)most precipitation occurs over land.
B)very little moisture is advected from the sea to the land.
C)twenty-two percent of Earth's precipitation falls over the oceans.
D)seventy-eight percent of all precipitation falls on the oceans.
E)seventy-eight percent evaporates from land.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Approximately what percentage of our bodies is comprised of water?

A)5 percent
B)25 percent
C)70 percent
D)83 percent
E)99 percent

Question 5

Which of the following is true of precipitation in North America?

A)the highest amounts occur in the Southwest and Midwest.
B)the highest amounts occur in the Southeast and extreme South.
C)the lowest amounts are received in the Midwest.
D)the lowest amounts are received near Hudson Bay.
E)the highest amounts are orographic precipitation over the coast ranges.

Question 6

Which of the following can measure evapotranspiration?

A)rain gauge
B)anemometer
C)evaporation pan
D)weighing lysimeter
E)hydrometer

Question 7

The hydrologic cycle

A)defines the volume of water in the oceans and lakes on Earth.
B)defines the flow of water between water bodies,but cannot be used to quantify the water in lakes and seas.
C)only describes how water moves from frozen to liquid on the continents.
D)is a system that describes and explains all water on Earth.
E)describes water volumes,but cannot define energy flows.

Question 8

Which of the following is used to determine potential evapotranspiration?

A)evaporation pan
B)barometer
C)rain gauge
D)snow gauge
E)hydrometer

Question 9

You are an environmental consultant in the southern prairies and need advise planners regarding a large urban development and water availability,both now and in future.Your advice

A)is to carefully plan out water use,especially thinking of conservation and efficient use of water because the sediment records indicate a past climate that was much drier than present.
B)is to build as the architects deem the right style for the area because there is an abundance of freshwater available from local rivers.
C)is to plan for water shortages in winter when the glaciers in the Rocky Mountains supply less water to the rivers.
D)is to halt all development as there is a current water shortage and it will only continue with climate change.
E)to plan out deep wells for groundwater because there is a sufficient supply of water in deep aquifers.

Question 10

Water enters the soil in a process called ________,and then moves downward through the soil in a process called ________.

A)percolation infiltration
B)infiltration percolation
C)throughfall percolation
D)percolation throughfall
E)throughfall infiltration

Question 11

Precipitation normally refers to

A)the moisture demand in the water balance.
B)water that is respired by plants.
C)rain,fog,ash,soot,dust,and hail.
D)the actual evapotranspiration amount.
E)the moisture supply to Earth's surface.

Question 12

Transpiration refers to

A)the movement of free water molecules away from a wet surface.
B)the outward movement of water from plant leaves.
C)an amount of moisture loss from the surface that cannot be measured.
D)evaporation.
E)the amount of water plants absorb from the soil through root systems.

Question 13

Precipitation is generally measured with

A)buckets.
B)an evaporation pan.
C)specially constructed gauges.
D)a lysimeter.
E)pipettes.

Question 14

Precipitation that reaches Earth's surface penetrates the soil surface through the process of

A)percolation.
B)throughfall.
C)infiltration.
D)interception and throughfall.
E)insolation.

Question 15

Which of the following are true?

A)28 countries face impending water shortages.
B)one thousand people lack access to safe water.
C)1)8 billion people lack access to adequate sanitary facilities.
D)in the next 50 years,water availability per person is expected to increase by 74%.
E)climate change induced temperature increase will result in more precipitation.

Question 16

Which of the following would decrease the rate at which evapotranspiration occurs?

A)increased temperatures
B)increased wind speed
C)increased humidity
D)increased water availability
E)decreased water availability

Question 17

Which of the following is normally true of a hot desert?

A)potential evapotranspiration exceeds actual evapotranspiration.
B)actual evapotranspiration exceeds potential evapotranspiration.
C)potential evapotranspiration equals actual evapotranspiration.
D)it is impossible to say what the normal relationship between potential and actual evapotranspiration would be in a desert.
E)there is no actual evapotranspiration in a hot desert.

Question 18

Which of the following is true of transpiration?

A)it warms the surfaces of leaves.
B)it is made possible by leaf veins.
C)the amount of transpiration that occurs is partially controlled by the plants themselves.
D)it is a water input in the water balance equation.
E)it operates in plants as ingestion does in mammals.

Question 19

Which of the following is true of the hydrologic cycle?

A)the bulk of the precipitation occurs over land.
B)most evaporation on Earth occurs over the continents.
C)most of the water that falls on the continents is derived from the oceans.
D)the bulk of the precipitation occurs over the land.
E)it does not include ice.

Question 20

Potential evapotranspiration refers to

A)the moisture supply.
B)the amount of unmet water demand in an environment.
C)the amount of water that would evaporate or transpire if it were available.
D)actual evapotranspiration under conditions of moisture deficit.
E)the amount of water vegetation requires to live.

Question 21

The amount of water associated with the wilting point in clay is ________ than that for sand and silt because ________.

A)greater the water is very tightly bound to the smaller,more numerous clay particles
B)greater there is less hygroscopic water in clay than in sand and silt
C)less the water is loosely bound to the smaller,more numerous clay particles
D)less there is less hygroscopic water in clay than in sand and silt

Question 22

Which of the following types of soils would be the most likely to produce runoff during a flash flood?

A)sand
B)silt
C)clay
D)silt and clay

Question 23

If precipitation and soil moisture are inadequate to meet potential evapotranspiration demands,the moisture condition is described as

A)actual evapotranspiration.
B)a surplus.
C)a deficit.
D)soil moisture utilization.
E)soil moisture storage

Question 24

Which of the following is the most directly useful for estimating stream flow?

A)potential evapotranspiration
B)actual evapotranspiration
C)runoff
D)soil moisture storage
E)soil moisture utilization

Question 25

Water detention on the surface is a form of

A)surplus.
B)groundwater.
C)deficit.
D)precipitation.
E)soil moisture storage

Question 26

Surplus (S)includes which of the following?

A)precipitation
B)overland flow
C)transpiration
D)soil moisture recharge
E)soil moisture utilization

Question 27

The texture and structure of the soil dictate

A)soil moisture deficit.
B)soil moisture utilization.
C)throughflow
D)hygroscopic water.
E)field capacity.

Question 28

Which of the following types of water is accessible to plants?

A)hygroscopic
B)capillary
C)deficit water
D)transpired water
E)distilled

Question 29

Actual evapotranspiration (AE)is determined by

A)precipitation - deficit.
B)precipitation - surplus.
C)actual evapotranspiration - surplus.
D)potential evapotranspiration - deficit.
E)actual evapotranspiration - deficit.

Question 30

Soil moisture that plants are unable to use is called ________ water.

A)capillary
B)gravitational
C)available
D)hygroscopic
E)free molecular

Question 31

Which of the following is true when the soil is at field capacity?

A)a surplus definitely exists.
B)no gravity drainage has occurred.
C)the soil is holding the maximum amount of water that it can hold against the pull of gravity.
D)the capillary force is not acting.
E)a deficit exists.

Question 32

As soil particle size decreases from silt to clay,the field capacity ________ and the available water ________.

A)increases increases
B)increases decreases
C)decreases increases
D)decreases decreases
E)increases remains the same

Question 33

The difference between the wilting point and field capacity is approximately equal to

A)wilting point water.
B)gravitational water.
C)available water.
D)hygroscopic water.
E)distilled water.

Question 34

Which of the following conditions are necessary for a surplus to exist?

A)water is added to the soil when actual evapotranspiration is less than potential evapotranspiration.
B)water is added to the soil when potential evapotranspiration is less than actual evapotranspiration.
C)water is added to the soil when actual evapotranspiration is equal to potential evapotranspiration and the soil is full of moisture.
D)water is added to the soil when the deficit is very small.
E)water is added to the soil while soil moisture utilization is occurring.

Question 35

If the field capacity increases while wilting point decreases,the amount of available water

A)increases.
B)decreases.
C)remains the same.

Question 36

Which of the following cannot be used to meet the needs for potential evapotranspiration from the soil?

A)irrigation
B)precipitation
C)runoff
D)moisture stored in soil
E)capillary water

Question 37

Soil moisture that plants are capable of accessing and using is called

A)wilting point water.
B)free molecular water.
C)capillary water.
D)hygroscopic water.
E)gravitational water.

Question 38

Clay has a ________ field capacity because ________.

A)large the pores between the particles are bigger
B)large there are more particles (i.e. ,there is greater surface area)for the water to adhere to
C)small the pores between the particles are bigger
D)small there are fewer particles (i.e. ,there is less surface area)for the water to adhere to

Question 39

The difference between soil moisture saturation and field capacity is approximately equal to

A)wilting point water.
B)gravitational water.
C)available water.
D)hygroscopic water.
E)distilled water.

Question 40

Which of the following types of soil would have the most water available for plant use following a rain? (Consider all relevant factors. )

A)sand
B)silt
C)clay

Question 41

The line of contact between the zone of aeration and the zone of saturation is known as the

A)water table.
B)saturation contact.
C)influent line.
D)aquiclude.
E)aquatard.

Question 42

Which of the following is true regarding an unconfined aquifer?

A)it consists of a permeable sediment layer surrounded by impermeable layers above and below it.
B)it is recharged by the downward flow of water under the influence of gravity.
C)water cannot migrate into the aquifer through pore spaces directly above it.
D)it collects water from a very restricted recharge area.
E)water is forced out of the aquifer when a well is drilled.

Question 43

Which of the following soil particle sizes is usually associated with the slowest recharge rate?

A)sand
B)silt
C)clay

Question 44

A water-bearing rock stratum is called a(n)

A)water table.
B)aquiclude.
C)zone of aeration.
D)aquifer.
E)field capacity.

Question 45

Artesian wells

A)occur in unconfined aquifers.
B)occur when the water in the associated aquifer is not pressurized.
C)occur when the groundwater will rise above the level of the water table if a well is drilled into the aquifer.
D)occur when the potentiometric surface is below the water table.
E)must be pumped to make the aquifer productive.

Question 46

Of the example stations,which of the following experiences the greatest moisture deficits?

A)Vancouver,British Columbia
B)Saskatoon,Saskatchewan
C)San Juan,Puerto Rico
D)Phoenix,Arizona
E)Ottawa,Ontario

Question 47

The water balance for Hamilton,Ontario exhibits

A)a net water surplus (S)during each month of the year.
B)net demands for water for 10 months of the year.
C)water deficits in the summer months.
D)water deficits each month of the year.
E)potential evapotranspiration greater than actual evapotranspiration all year

Question 48

In order to protect aquifers from pollution,the bottoms of waste dumps should be lined with

A)gravel.
B)sand.
C)clay.
D)soil.
E)compost

Question 49

The term "ground water mining" refers to

A)the removal of overlying rock to reach ground water.
B)the excavation of tunnels to reach ground water.
C)the use of ground water to mine minerals.
D)the removal of ground water at a rate faster than that at which it can be replaced.

Question 50

Which of the following would make the best aquifer?

A)uncemented,loosely compacted clay
B)cemented sand that was highly compacted
C)uncemented sand that is loosely compacted
D)cemented gravel that was loosely compacted at the time of cementation
E)a mix of sand,silt and clay cemented together.

Question 51

The term "cone of depression" refers to

A)a change in the level of the soil water zone.
B)a depression in the water table formed by rapid ground water withdrawal.
C)a depression in Earth's surface formed by ground water withdrawal.
D)a graphical representation of the decline in the rate of ground water flow as an aquifer dries out.
E)the sinkhole that develops after groundwater has been withdrawn.

Question 52

Productive aquifers exist best under conditions of

A)low porosity
B)low permeability
C)sand,gravel and rock with little cementing agent.
D)an abundance of clay arranged in tightly packed,horizontal layers
E)a deficit of surface water.

Question 53

Which of the following is a potential consequence of ground water mining?

A)land subsidence and cracked building foundations
B)compression of the aquifer,resulting in a permanent increase of water storage capacity
C)increase in the rate of recharge due to pressure differences from outside the aquifer.
D)an increased flow of water downslope resulting in flooding.
E)movement of the contact surface toward the ocean.

Question 54

Which of the following accurately describes annual groundwater withdrawal in the United States?

A)withdrawals increased 150 percent between 1950 and 2000.
B)the percentage of withdrawals in the United States and Canada are about the same.
C)groundwater pumping is presently not exceeding water recharge rates.
D)the amount withdrawn is equal to river discharges in the United States.
E)irrigation practices do not rely on groundwater.

Question 55

Which of the following is true of ground water found between the surface and a depth of 4 km?

A)it is the smallest potential freshwater source in the hydrologic cycle.
B)it contains 7 times as much water as all the fresh water lakes in the world.
C)It contains water equal to that found in the atmosphere and rivers.
D)75% of North America's population derives a portion of its fresh water from this ground water.
E)it is rapidly replenished from surface water sources.

Question 56

If the potentionmetric surface is above ground level you could find

A)the zone of aeriation
B)the cone of depression
C)an artesian water
D)a confined aquifer
E)an aquifer recharge area

Question 57

In order to protect aquifers from pollution,the bottoms of waste dumps should be lined with ________ in order to ________.

A)sand slow down the rate at which wastes decompose
B)clay reduce the rate at which contaminated water moves out of a dump
C)clay increase the rate at which wastes decompose
D)gravel increase the permeability of the floor of the dump so that the rate at which water migrates out is increased,thereby diluting the contaminated discharge
E)gravel reduce the rate at which wastes flow out of the dump

Question 58

The water in a confined aquifer is under pressure of its own weight,creating a pressure level called the

A)artesian water level.
B)aquifer recharge force.
C)potentiometric surface.
D)water table.
E)aquiclude.

Question 59

As transpiration occurs,water enters plant roots because

A)a neutral pressure gradient is created.
B)the water pressure in the soil is more than the water pressure in the plant.
C)the water pressure in the soil is less than the water pressure in the plant.
D)gravity acts on the water in the soil.
E)water flows to cooler areas.

Question 60

)Excess surface water percolates through the zone of ________ to reach the zone of ________ and the water table.

A)hydration infiltration
B)porosity permeability
C)dehydration hydration
D)aeration saturation
E)saturation permeability

Question 61

On a hot day,a tree can transpire hundreds of liters of water.

Question 62

The High Plains aquifer

A)averages about 60 cm of rain per year.
B)was not heavily mined until the 1960s.
C)is not Earth's largest aquifer.
D)received much of its water from melting glaciers in the past.
E)is rapidly recharged from surface water sources.

Question 63

Which is true of groundwater pollution?

A)it is not difficult to remove groundwater pollution.
B)65% of groundwater pollution is from non-point sources.
C)underground gasoline storage tanks are no longer sources of pollution.
D)urban run off is considered point source pollution.
E)septic tank outflows do not contribute to pollution.

Question 64

Potential evapotranspiration (P),when reduced by the deficit (D),yields the actual evapotranspiration value for a given time period.

Question 65

Which of the following is an example of the consumptive use of water?

A)water which evaporates from an irrigated field
B)hydroelectric power production
C)using water for a bath
D)river navigation
E)cooling water for nuclear power plants.

Question 66

Water resources in the southern prairie provinces are stressed due to climate change.

Question 67

Which of the following is true?

A)it is predicted that by 2025 humans will not have adequate water.
B)forecasts show that in the next 30 years humans will be able to manage sufficient water supplies from runoff.
C)in China,water shortages are a less serious problem than floods.
D)it is predicted that by 2050 available water per person will decrease by 74%.
E)water demands in rural areas continue to be a greater problem than in urban areas.

Question 68

A soil moisture budget can only be constructed for time periods of a week or longer.

Question 69

Currently humans are using about ________ of the annual worldwide runoff.

A)30 percent
B)65 percent
C)75 percent
D)84 percent
E)90 percent

Question 70

Precipitation normally includes rain,sleet,snow,dew,clouds,and fog.

Question 71

The water-balance methodology is,in essence,an accounting or bookkeeping system for water resource analysis.

Question 72

As of 2012,approximately ________ countries are currently experiencing water shortages.

A)5
B)10
C)80
D)165
E)200

Question 73

Which of the following water withdrawal habits do developing nations exhibit?

A)they withdraw equal proportions for domestic,agricultural,and industrial use.
B)they withdraw the greatest amounts for the industrial sector.
C)they withdraw the greatest amounts for agriculture.
D)their pattern of water usage is very similar to that of the United States.
E)they withdraw the greatest amount for domestic use.

Question 74

Rain is measured at more than 100 000 stations worldwide.

Question 75

Of the following regions,which is least vulnerable to water scarcity?

A)Siberia
B)Egypt/Sudan
C)southern Europe
D)China
E)southern Prairies

Question 76

It is necessary to place a windshield around a rain gauge because,without it,the amount of rain trapped by the gauge would be more than that which actually fell.

Question 77

Of the following regions,which is most vulnerable to water scarcity?

A)South America
B)United States
C)India
D)China
E)Europe

Question 78

The largest practical potential source of fresh water in North America is

A)groundwater.
B)ice sheets and glaciers.
C)stream discharge.
D)soil moisture.
E)the Great Lakes.

Question 79

An evaporimeter is used to measure potential evapotranspiration.

Question 80

Which of the following is true regarding groundwater?

A)it is unlimited when compared with the amount of surface water supplies.
B)when polluted,it is actually easier to clean up than is surface water.
C)the total amount of groundwater has been reduced by the mining of water.
D)in terms of total amount,it is second to streams in the United States.
E)it is an independent source of water,not tied to surface sources.