Download Earth Systems Review Test 3

Earth Systems Review Test 3
Chapter 9: Surface Water
1. One happens to water when it reaches the earth? (3 options)
-runoff into a stream
-evaporate
-infiltrate and become groundwater
2. What conditions determine whether water will infiltrate the surface?
Soil composition (pore spacing)
-rate of precipitation (gentle infiltrates more)
-vegetation (more is better)
-slope (gentle is better)
3. What grade of slope is better for infiltration?
Gentle to no
4. What are three parts of stream systems?
-Streams-surface water channels
-tributaries-streams that flow into other streams
-watersheds-all the land area whose water drains into a stream system
5. What are three ways stream load is carried?
-materials in solutions (dissolved particles)
-materials in suspension (small particles)
-bedload (larger, rolled particles)
6. What does the carry capacity of a stream’s ability depend on? (5 things)
-velocity
-amount of water
-slope
-depth
-width
7. What is runoff?
Water flowing down the earth’s surface
8. What determines whether water on Earth’s surface will seep into the ground or become
runoff?
Whether the pores in the ground can take water in
9. What happens to surface water when it evaporates?
It stays in the clouds
10. What separates one watershed from another?
A divide (watershed is a stream system that land drains into
11. What are 3 ways water from rain stays on Earth?
Percolation, infiltration, surface runoff
12. What is flow?
Speed at which water move past a given point in one second
13. How does water temperature effect clarity?
Water temp up, clarity down
14. Is a stream healthier with a higher or lower percentage of dissolved oxygen?
Higher
15. What is a tributary?
-streams that flow into other streams
16. What is deposition?
-something that is carried downstream and deposited
17. What determines whether or not water will runoff? (4 things)
-slope
-vegetation
-soil composition
-rate of rainfall
18. What is a hydrosphere?
-the water on and in the Earth’s crust
19. What is the ultimate source of all water on land?
-ocean
20. Where is most of the freshwater?
-polar ice caps and glaciers
21. What is infiltration?
-the process by which precipitation that has fallen on land trickles into the ground
and becomes groundwater
22. What is porosity?
-the amount of pore space
23. The greater the porosity, the ___________the water can travel through the material.
-quicker
24. What is the zone of saturation?
-the point beneath the Earth’s surface where all pores are filled with water
25. What is the zone of aeration?
-the point above the Earth’s surface (above the zone of saturation) where all pores
are filled with air
26. What is permeability?
-the tendency of a material to let water pass through it
27. Which is permeable, an aquifer or an aquiclude?
-an aquifer
30. What is an Oxbow Lake?
-the blocked-off meander that occurs after enough winding has occurred
31. What does the velocity of a stream determine?
- The velocity of a stream determines HOW MUCH sediment it will
TRANSPORT. Loss of velocity dictates how much sediment will deposit out of
the stream
32. What is an alluvial fan?
-in mountainous regions where the gradient suddenly decreases, the sediment is
dropped quickly at the base of the mountain in a fan-shaped deposit
33. Is there a point where salt is a bad thing for the water supply?
-yes
34. What is a delta?
-triangular deposit that forms where a stream enters a larger body of water
35. What are 3 threats to our water supply?
-overuse
-subsidence
-pollution in groundwater
-chemicals
-salt intrusion
-radon
36. How is an artesian well different from an ordinary well?
-it shoots
37. Why are wells dug or drilled into the ground? What are they trying to reach?
-aquifer
38. What does hard water contain?
-calcium
-magnesium
-iron
39. What is the formula for carbonic acid?
-CO² +H²O  H²CO³
40. Can caves be flooded?
-yes
41. What is a natural underground opening with a connection to the Earth’s surface?
-cave or cavern
42. What is the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite?
-stalactite from above, stalagmite from below
43. What is an acid?
-an aqueous solution that contains hydrogen ions
44. What does carbonic acid do to rocks?
-attacks them
45. Is groundwater acidic?
-yes