Exam 8: The Hydrologic Cycle

Use the following data to calculate the discharge of a stream ("discharge" is the quantity of water passing a point on a stream bank during a given interval of time): Stream width = 10 meters. Stream average depth = 5 meters. Average flow velocity = 2 meters per second.

To prevent the long-pollution of ground water, it is in our best interest to protect which of the following areas?

The muddy character of many streams results from particles of __________ and clay carried in suspension.

A river is a body of inland water with an open surface, occupying a depression.

Streams and their channels are controlled by the interplay between the stream's cross-sectional area, gradient, average flow velocity, discharge, and sediment load.

DDT, a toxic organochloride pesticide, was largely banned from North America in the 1970s. However, DDT is still detected in natural reservoirs today. Why is this? What can be done to expedite the removal of compounds such as DDT from the environment more quickly?

Streams that have no base flow dry up seasonally and are said to be __________ .

Where does the majority of precipitation go after it falls?

__________ is a key component of an array of biogeochemical cycles that control the composition of the atmosphere and influence all living creatures on Earth.

If there is excessive pumping of well water, what is most likely to happen?

Water flows from areas where the water table is low toward areas where it's high.

Contaminated surface water bodies can often be cleaned up, or __________ , where sufficient political will and finances are available.

The bed load generally amounts to between __________ and __________percent of the total sediment load of most streams.

A __________ occurs when a stream's discharge becomes so great that it exceeds the capacity of the channel.

What is an example of a material that can have high porosity but low permeability?

An aquifer is a body of rock or regolith sufficiently porous and permeable to store and conduct significant quantities of groundwater.

The hydrologic cycle is not related to the rock cycle, rather, just to components of the atmosphere and biosphere.

With changing atmospheric conditions, some of the water vapor in the atmosphere undergoes __________ , changing from a vapor back into a liquid or solid state.

More than 1 percent of the fresh water in the hydrosphere is groundwater.

The unique properties of water allow it to play a central role in physical, chemical, and biological processes in the Earth system.