List the 5 characteristics that make water unique - ANSWERstable, high specific heat, great buffer, expands at freezing, excellent solvent
Why is it critical that water stores a lot of energy? - ANSWERallows large bodies of water to cool or heat Earth to maintain a temperature
List the elemen...
List the 5 characteristics that make water unique - ANSWERstable, high specific heat, great buffer,
expands at freezing, excellent solvent
Why is it critical that water stores a lot of energy? - ANSWERallows large bodies of water to cool or
heat Earth to maintain a temperature
List the elements of the hydrologic cycle including driving forces - ANSWER1/2-Evapotranspiration
3-Condensation
4-Precipitation
5-Runoff
6-Inflitration
7-Subsurface flow
8-Base flow
9-Concentrated surface flow
10-interflow (seepage)
Driving forces:
1-Sun
2-Earth's rotation
3-Gravity
4-Residual heat from Earth
What path does most of the rainfall onto the land surface take in getting to the ocean? -
ANSWERRunoff
Which hydrologic cycle element acts as a valve, essentially controlling how fast the water moves? -
ANSWERinfiltration
, Give an example of why it is important to think of the hydrologic cycle over the 3-D landscape, and
not just at a point - ANSWERat any given time you can find water in any of the different locations, it is
never in one place and its always moving. It has not starting point
How do higher stormwater flow rates generally affect streams? - ANSWERIn urban areas: increase in
sediment, causes narrower, deeper, straighter streams
In rural areas: Wider, shallower, windier streams
Describe why stormwater tends to move a lot of contaminants. List at least 3 problems caused by
sediment as a water contaminant. - ANSWERMost pollutants/contaminants are on the surface.
1. clogging of streams
2. impact on aquatic environment
3. sediment carries pollutants with it
What are the 2 main problems caused by nitrogen as a water contaminant? - ANSWERCauses aquatic
life growth, aquatic plants consume nutrients and die, consumed by other organisms, causes nitrite
1. Eutrophicaton
2. Converts to nitrites which displaces oxygen in blood ("blue baby syndrome")
What is the main water quality problem caused by phosphorus as a water contaminant? -
ANSWEReutrophication increases-lower dissolved O2 levels
List at least 3 common sources of nitrogen and phosphorus contamination of water. - ANSWERseptic
systems, animal feed lots, agricultural fertilizers, manure, industrial waste waters, sanitary landfills,
and garbage dumps
From the time that nitrogen is applied to a field surface, how does it most commonly move through
the environment? - ANSWERNitrogen in presence of O2 converts to nitrate which is very mobile in
water, then is converted to Nitrite
From the time that phosphorus is applied to a field surface, how does it most commonly move
through the environment? - ANSWERseepage into aquifer=>into streams
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