Water Resources: Essential Roles, Pollution and Management - Prof. Robert Harrison, Assignments of Environmental Science

Download Water Resources: Essential Roles, Pollution and Management - Prof. Robert Harrison and more Assignments Environmental Science in PDF only on Docsity! ESRM100. Chapter 10 Questions Autumn 2006 1 ESRM100. Questions. Autumn 2006. Chapter 10 1. Which of the following is NOT an essential role that water has on earth? A. As long as you have food, you don’t need water. B. Regulates body temperatures of organisms C. Removes waste products from living organisms D. It is the medium in which all living processes occur 2. The __________ side of a mountain typically receives more precipitation than the __________ side or areas known as the rain shadow. A. leeward; windward B. west; east C. windward; leeward D. south; north 3. Over __________ percent of the world’s living biomass is contained in the oceans. A. 10 B. 30 C. 50 D. 90 4. Plants get most of their moisture from a shallow layer of soil containing both air and water, known as the zone of __________. The top of the lower soil layers where all soil pores are filled is called the __________. A. aeration; water table B. aeration; aquifer C. saturation; bedrock D. transpiration; aquacline 5. The 16 largest rivers in the world carry nearly __________ percent of all the surface runoff of the earth and a large fraction of that occurs in a single river, The Amazon. A. 20 B. 50 C. 70 D. 90 6. Water __________ is the total amount of water taken from a particular water body, while water __________ is the loss of water from that same body by the processes of evaporation, absorption and contamination. A. withdrawal; consumption B. consumption; withdrawal C. hydrolysis; consumption D. consumption; contamination ESRM100. Chapter 10 Questions Autumn 2006 2 7. Which of the following uses of water accounts for the largest portion of human related withdrawal? A. Domestic B. Industry C. Agriculture D. Evaporation 8. Water withdrawal at a rate faster than an aquifer can be replenished results in what type of problems? A. Groundwater wells running dry B. Decreased availability of fossil fuels C. Rising of the ground surface D. Less salts in the aquifer 9. Which of the following is NOT an environmental cost of dams? A. Decreased salinity of rivers downstream B. Sediment deposition thereby decreasing their effectiveness C. Destruction of free flowing rivers D. Loss of terrestrial habitat 10. Farming and forestry can have detrimental impacts on a watershed if not properly managed. Which of the following is a typical problem associated with poor management practices? A. Decreased soil runoff B. Flooding cycles reduced C. Increase soil runoff D. Increased wildlife habitat 11. Factories, power plants, sewage treatment plants, oil wells and underground coal mines are classified as __________ sources of water pollution. A. nonpoint B. point C. runoff D. radioactive 12. Which of the following categories of water pollutants are attributed to human health problems? A. Plant nutrients B. Thermal changes C. Soil nutrients D. Radioactive materials ESRM100. Chapter 10 Questions Autumn 2006 5 26. _______ play a major role in the hydrologic cycle by absorbing groundwater and pumping it into the atmosphere by ________. A. Sediments; transpiration B. Rivers; evaporation C. Plants; transpiration D. Buildings; evaporation 27. Most of the world’s rainiest regions are found in the _______ biome or coastal _______. A. Tundra; wetlands B. Boreal; mountains C. Temperate; wetlands D. Tropical; mountains 28. Most of the earths fresh water is in liquid form and readily available for human consumption. A. True B. False 29. Collectively, humans on earth appropriate more than _____ of all the freshwater in the world. A. a quarter B. half C. three-fourths D. seven-eights 30. Wars over access to water supplies may well be the major source of hostilities among different countries and economic stakeholders in the twenty-first century. A. True B. False 31. The Water Wars on the Klamath case presented in the book illustrated the conflicts among _______. A. federal agencies fighting to control water use B. water uses for irrigation and recreational sports C. Native American tribes, commercial fishermen and farmers who wanted irrigation water D. environmentalists and fishermen 32. Currently the most widespread toxic metal contaminant in North America is _______ which is released from incinerators and coal-burning power plants. A. sodium chloride B. pesticides C. mercury D. plastics ESRM100. Chapter 10 Questions Autumn 2006 6 33. The Clean Water Act goal is to make all US surface waters “fishable and swimmable”. These two criteria do not allow you to determine whether water quality is very high. A. True B. False 34. In farm country, especially in the Midwest US corn belt, _____ from fertilizers often exceed safety standards in rural drinking water and can result in the ________ syndrome in infants. A. oxygenates; oxygen-baby B. nitrates; blue-baby C. carbonates; carbo-baby D. borate; borax-baby