Download surface-runoff-and-stream-discharge

1. When snow cover on the land melts, the water will
most likely become surface runoff if the land surface
is
A) frozen
B) porous
C) grass covered
D) unconsolidated gravel
Base your answers to questions 2 through 4 on the water budget data and climate classification below.
Table 1 shows water budget data for a location in New Jersey, and table 2 describes climate types. All
data are expressed in millimeters of water.
2. According to the information provided in table 2, the area represented by the water budget data would
have a climate classified as
A) humid
B) subhumid
C) semiarid
D) arid
3. Stream discharge at this location would probably be lowest during
A) April
B) May
C) August
D) November
4. What is the total amount of moisture added to soil storage during October?
A) 0 mm
B) 30 mm
C) 46 mm
5. During a rainfall, surface runoff will probably be
greatest in an area that has a
A)
B)
C)
D)
steep slope and a clay-covered surface
steep slope and a gravel-covered surface
gentle slope and a grass-covered surface
gentle slope and a tree-covered surface
D) 76 mm
Base your answers to questions 6 and 7 on the two graphs below, which show the relationship
between the amount of rainfall during a storm and the amount of discharge into a nearby stream.
Letter A represents the time when approximately 50% of the precipitation from the storm has fallen.
Letter B represents the time when peak runoff from the storm is flowing into the stream. The delay is
the difference in time between letters A and B on the graph. Graph I shows data before urbanization in
an area. Graph II shows data after urbanization in the same area.
6. The delay time between points A and B on both graphs is due mainly to the time needed for
A) groundwater to evaporate
B) precipitation water to move into the streams
C) green plants to absorb precipitation
D) rainfall rate to decrease
7. How did urbanization affect delay time between points A and B and the maximum stream discharge?
A)
B)
C)
D)
The delay time decreased, and the maximum discharge decreased.
The delay time decreased, and the maximum discharge increased.
The delay time increased, and the maximum discharge decreased.
The delay time increased, and the maximum discharge increased.
8. Which soil conditions normally result in the greatest
amount of runoff?
A)
B)
C)
D)
low permeability and gentle slope
low permeability and steep slope
high permeability and gentle slope
high permeability and steep slope
9. Base your answer to the following question on the
diagrams below, which represent 500-milliliter
containers that are open at the top and the bottom and
filled with well-sorted, loosely packed particles of
uniform size. A piece of screening placed at the
bottom of each container prevents the particles from
falling out.
Assume that the samples in each container were taken
from surface soil in different locations. Which
location would produce the least amount of runoff
during a heavy rainfall?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
10. The photograph below shows a sign near the Esopus Creek in Kingston, New York.
The main purpose of the word "watershed" on this sign is to communicate that the Esopus Creek
A)
B)
C)
D)
is a tributary of the Hudson River
is a flood hazard where it flows into the Hudson River
forms a delta in the Hudson River
contains ancient fish fossils
Base your answers to questions 11 and 12 on the diagram of the water cycle below. Letter A
represents a process in the water cycle. Points X and Y represent locations on Earth's surface.
11. Rainwater will enter the ground at X if the ground is
A) saturated and permeable
B) saturated and impermeable
C) unsaturated and permeable
D) unsaturated and impermeable
12. The amount of runoff at Y will increase as the
A)
B)
C)
D)
slope of the land decreases
porosity of the soil increases
evaporation rate exceeds the infiltration rate
precipitation rate exceeds the infiltration rate
13. Why do many streams continue to flow during long
periods when there is no precipitation?
A) Soil moisture storage is recharged by
vegetation along the streams.
B) Ground water continues to move into the
stream channels.
C) An increase in potential evapotranspiration
increases the stream runoff.
D) The porosity beneath the stream channels
becomes higher than normal.
14. During a 3-week period without rain in June, water
continued to flow in a small Maryland stream. The
water in the stream most likely came from
A) the roots of trees along the stream bank
B) evapotranspiration in a region far away and
unaffected by the dry period
C) ground water flowing into the streambed
D) condensation on the surface of rocks in the
stream
15. The block diagram below shows a volcano.
Which map shows the stream drainage pattern that most likely formed on the surface of this volcano?
A)
B)
C)
D)
16. Apartment buildings and parking lots completely
cover an area that was once an open, grass covered
field. What factor most likely increased because of
this construction?
A)
B)
C)
D)
capillarity
runoff
infiltration into the ground
the level of the local water table
17. The topographic map below shows the largest island of the Hawaiian Islands.
Which map below best shows the most likely stream drainage pattern of this island?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Base your answers to questions 18 and 19 on the cross section below, which represents part of Earth’s
water cycle. Letters A, B, C, and D represent processes that occur during the cycle. The level of the
water table and the extent of the zone of saturation are shown.
18. What are two water cycle processes not represented by arrows in this cross section?
A) transpiration and condensation
B) evaporation and melting
C) precipitation and freezing
D) runoff and infiltration
19. Which two letters represent processes in the water cycle that usually cause a lowering of the water
table?
A) A and B
B) A and C
C) B and D
20. The table below shows the relationship between total
yearly precipitation (P) and potential
evapotranspiration (E P ) for different types of
climates.
The total yearly precipitation (P) for a city in Texas
is 218 millimeters. The total yearly potential
evapotranspiration (E P ) is 951 millimeters. Which
type of climate does this city have?
A) humid
C) semiarid
B) subhumid
D) arid
D) C and D
21. Which conditions produce the most surface water
runoff?
A) steep slope, heavy rain, and frozen ground
B) steep slope, gentle rain, and unfrozen ground
C) gentle slope, heavy rain, and frozen ground
D) gentle slope, gentle rain, and unfrozen ground
22. As surface runoff in a region increases, stream
discharge in that region will usually
A) decrease
B) increase
C) remain the same
23. Why would a stream in South Carolina have a lower
stream discharge in late summer than in spring?
A) Potential evapotranspiration is less in late
summer than in spring.
B) Plants carry on more transpiration in spring
than in late summer.
C) The local water budget shows a surplus in late
summer.
D) The local water budget shows a deficit in late
summer.
24. Which graph best represents the relationship
between surface-water runoff and stream discharge?
A)
A) become ground water
B) become surface runoff
C) cause a moisture deficit
D) cause a higher potential evapotranspiration
28. Two locations, one in northern Canada and one in
the southwestern United States, receive the same
amount of precipitation each year. The location in
Canada is classified as a humid climate. Why would
the location in the United States be classified as an
arid climate?
B)
A) The yearly distribution of precipitation is
different.
B) The soil-moisture storage in the southwestern
United States is more than that in northern
Canada.
C) The potential evapotranspiration is greater
in the southwestern United States than in
northern Canada.
D) The vegetation of the southwestern United
States is different from that of northern Canada.
29. Which climate conditions are typical of regions near
the North Pole and the South Pole?
C)
D)
25. A paved blacktop parking lot was built on what was
once a soil-covered field. This area will now
experience increased runoff when rain occurs
because the paved parking lot has
A) less capillarity
B) less permeability
C) greater infiltration D) greater porosity
26. Which condition would cause surface runoff to
increase in a particular location?
A)
B)
C)
D)
27. When the soil is saturated in a gently sloping area,
any additional rainfall in the area will most likely
covering a dirt road with pavement
reducing the gradient of a steep hill
planting grasses and shrubs on a hillside
having a decrease in the annual rainfall
A) low temperature and low precipitation
B) low temperature and high precipitation
C) high temperature and low precipitation
D) high temperature and high precipitation
30. When rainfall occurs, the rainwater will most likely
become surface runoff if the land surface is
A) sandy
B) impermeable
C) covered with grass D) nearly flat
31. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below. The arrows show the direction in
which sediment is being transported along the shoreline. A barrier beach has formed, creating a
lagoon (a shallow body of water in which sediments are being deposited). The eroded headlands are
composed of diorite bedrock. A groin has recently been constructed. Groins are wall-like structures
built into the water perpendicular to the shoreline to trap beach sand.
Which event will most likely occur during a heavy rainfall?
A) Less sediment will be carried by the streams.
B) An increase in sea level will cause more sediments to be deposited along the shoreline.
C) The shoreline will experience a greater range in tides.
D) The discharge from the streams into the lagoon will increase.
32. Which graph shows the effect of soil permeability on
the amount of runoff in an area?
A)
B)
C)
D)
33. Which soil condition usually exists when flooding
occurs during a rainstorm?
A)
B)
C)
D)
The soil is unsaturated.
Soil water storage is equal to zero.
Soil infiltration is less than surface runoff.
Soil permeability is equal to the rate of pre
cipitation.
34. Photographs A and B below show two different valleys.
Which list best identifies the agent of erosion that primarily determined the shape of each valley?
A) photograph A—glacier; photograph B—river
B) photograph A—river; photograph B—glacier
C) both photographs—river
D) both photographs—glacier
35. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which shows some processes in
the water cycle.
Describe one change that would cause more water to evaporate from this stream.
36. The block diagram below shows a portion of Earth's crust.
Which stream drainage pattern is most likely present on this crustal surface?
A)
B)
C)
D)
37. The least amount of surface water runoff will occur
when soil pore spaces are
A)
B)
C)
D)
saturated and the slope is steep
saturated and the slope is gentle
unsaturated and the slope is steep
unsaturated and the slope is gentle
38. Base your answer to the following question on the
graph below, which shows the rate of rainfall during
a storm and the stream discharge of a nearby stream
on July 19.
Why does stream discharge usually not become zero
even during extended dry periods?
A) Ground water continues to flow into the
stream.
B) Surface runoff increases.
C) The potential evapotranspiration increases.
D) The porosity beneath the stream becomes
higher
than usual.
39. Which condition makes surface runoff of rainfall
most likely?
46. Stream discharge would normally be highest during
a period of
A) The gradient of the surface is low.
B) Permeability rate exceeds the rate of rainfall.
C) Surface soil pore spaces are filled.
D) The porosity of the surface soil is high.
40. Which set of conditions would produce the most
runoff of precipitation?
A) recharge
B) deficit
C) usage
D) surplus
47. Which statement best explains why a desert often
forms on the leeward side of a mountain range, as
shown in the diagram below?
A) gentle slope and permeable surface
B) gentle slope and impermeable surface
C) steep slope and permeable surface
D) steep slope and impermeable surface
41. The water table usually rises when there is
A) a decrease in the amount of infiltration
B) a decrease in the amount of surface area
covered by vegetation
C) an increase in the amount of precipitation
D) an increase in the slope of the land
42. During a dry summer, the flow of most large New
York State streams generally
A) continues because some groundwater seeps
into the streams
B) increases due to greater surface runoff
C) remains unchanged due to transpiration from
grasses, shrubs, and trees
D) stops completely because no water runs off into
the streams
43. Flash flooding is most likely to occur when heavy
rain falls on
A) deforested landscapes with clay soils
B) deforested landscapes with sandy soils
C) forested landscapes with clay soils
D) forested landscapes with sandy soils
44. During a heavy rainstorm, runoff is most likely to
occur if the surface soil is
A) firmly packed clay-sized particles
B) loosely packed sand-sized particles
C) covered by trees, shrubs, and grasses
D) unsaturated and has a gentle slope
45. An area with a high potential for evapotranspiration
has little actual evapotranspiration and precipitation.
The climate of this area is best described as
A) hot and arid
C) cold and arid
B) hot and humid
D) cold and humid
A)
B)
C)
D)
Sinking air compresses and warms.
Sinking air expands and warms.
Rising air compresses and warms.
Rising air expands and warms.
48. The data table below shows the stream discharge in April for a creek in the southern United States for
a period of 8 days.
Which graph most accurately shows stream discharge for the 8-day period?
A)
B)
C)
49. The cross section below represents a forested area in
Vermont.
During heavy rainfall, the greatest amount of runoff
should occur in which two sections of the forest?
A) A and B
C) C and E
B) B and D
D) D and E
D)