Deck 17: Water Use and Management

Question 1

The dip in the water table below wells is called the

A) recharge are
B) discharge are
C) cone of depression.
D) aquifer.

Answer 1

cone of depression.

Question 2

Which if the following irrigation techniques is least wasteful of water?

A) Flood irrigation
B) Sprinkler irrigation
C) Furrow irrigation
D) Drip irrigation

Answer 2

Drip irrigation

Question 3

Rain shadows

A) are areas of particularly high precipitation.
B) are areas known for receiving little precipitation.
C) generally do not occur near mountains.
D) are areas of particularly high precipitation and generally do not occur near mountains.

Answer 3

are areas known for receiving little precipitation.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a factor in determining how much or how little precipitation a region receives?

A) Topography
B) Global atmospheric circulation patterns
C) Vegetation
D) Proximity to water
E) All of these are important factors

Question 5

Water tables rise and fall seasonally.

Question 6

The total amount of water taken from a lake, river, or aquifer for any purpose is known as

A) consumption.
B) withdrawal.
C) discharge.
D) depletion.

Question 7

Approximately _______ percent of Earth's water is freshwater.

A) two
B) ten
C) thirty
D) fifty

Question 8

The temperature at which gaseous water condenses to form liquid water is called

A) the sublimation point.
B) the saturation point.
C) the relative humidity point.
D) the precipitation point

Question 9

Clearing forests can

A) alter rainfall patterns.
B) increase runoff.
C) enhance transpiration.
D) alter rainfall patterns and increase runoff.
E) alter rainfall patterns and enhance transpiration.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a part of the hydrologic cycle?

A) Condensation
B) Photosynthesis
C) Precipitation
D) Evaporation

Question 11

Evaporation is greatest at

A) near the equator (0 to 20 degrees).
B) mid-latitudes (20 to 40 degrees).
C) higher latitudes (40 to 60 degrees).
D) polar regions.

Question 12

Aquifers are porous underground geological formations from which water can be extracted.

Question 13

Of all the world's fresh water, nearly ___ percent is tied up in glaciers, ice caps, and snowfields.

A) 25
B) 50
C) 75
D) 90

Question 14

Wetlands are important for the infiltration of water into aquifers.

Question 15

Groundwater recharge in most areas of the U.S. is just barely keeping up with the rate of water withdrawal.

Question 16

What two things does the hydrologic cycle do?

A) Distributes and purifies water
B) Distributes and warms water
C) Distributes and contaminates water
D) Distributes and increases the salinity of water

Question 17

Worldwide per capita use of water has

A) remained remarkably constant over the centuries.
B) increased slightly.
C) increased substantially.
D) actually dropped because of technological advances.

Question 18

The largest single use of water for industrial purposes is for

A) canning and food processing.
B) cooling.
C) power production.
D) washing produce in food processing industries.

Question 19

According to the United Nations, by 2025 two-thirds of the world's population will be living in drought-stressed conditions.

Question 20

Obtaining usable freshwater by processing seawater is

A) not cost-effective in most places.
B) not technically possible on a large scale.
C) widely expected to resolve the water crisis in most developing countries that front on oceans.
D) not practical because the technology doesn't exist.

Question 21

The rainshadow on the mountain in the diagram would be in the area marked

A) From A to B
B) From B to C
C) From C to D
D) At A and at D
E) At A and at B

Question 22

Air moving in the direction indicated in the diagram will become warmer as it moves from

A) B to D
B) A to B
C) C to A
D) D to A
E) None of these is correct

Question 23

Evaporation is

A) The way plants absorb water
B) Liquid water turning to vapor well below boiling temperature
C) Liquid water boiling to produce water vapor
D) The way water seeps into the ground
E) The process of water becoming a liquid at a lower temperature

Question 24

The atmosphere has the greatest ________ of the earth's hydrologic compartments.

A) Water volume
B) Turnover rate and smallest water volume
C) Discharge rate and water content
D) Residence time for water
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 25

The amount of water in aquifers in the United States is

A) Nearly as great as the amount of surface water in the United States
B) Higher than all the Great Lakes together
C) Only a small portion of surface water in the United States
D) Over thirty times greater than all surface water in the United States
E) About the same amount as all surface water in the United States

Question 26

Which of the following factors is the MOST important factor in determining whether a country is "water rich" or "water poor"?

A) Population density
B) Country size
C) Humid climate
D) Rivers running through the country
E) Renewable water supplies

Question 27

Air moving in the direction indicated in the diagram will become dryer as it moves from

A) B to D
B) A to B
C) C to A
D) D to A
E) None of these is correct

Question 28

The zone of saturation is the portion of groundwater where

A) Water vapor turns to liquid
B) An aquifer is the deepest
C) All soil or rock pore spaces are filled with water
D) All soil or rock pore spaces are filled with air
E) The water table ends

Question 29

A country's renewable water supplies are generally made up of

A) Surface runoff and infiltration into accessible aquifers
B) Seasonal flooding and infiltration into accessible aquifers
C) Seasonal flooding
D) Rivers running through the country
E) Water used from an aquifer

Question 30

The rainiest or snowiest zone on the mountain in the diagram would be in the area marked

A) From A to B
B) From B to C
C) From C to D
D) At A and at D
E) At C and at D

Question 31

Water scarcity occurs when

A) Renewable water supplies are slow to recover.
B) Populations are evenly dispersed.
C) Renewable water supplies are slow to diminish.
D) The demand for water exceeds the available amount or when poor quality restricts its use.

Question 32

Water enters groundwater by

A) Infiltration
B) Entering the runoff stream
C) Transpiration
D) Interception
E) Sublimation

Question 33

Transpiration is the way plants

A) Return large amounts of water to the atmosphere
B) Absorb water from the atmosphere
C) Absorb water from the ground
D) Return large amounts of water from the atmosphere to the ground
E) Respire using water

Question 34

Natural evaporation processes are mainly driven by

A) Living plants
B) Radiative heat from the ground
C) Solar energy
D) The natural instability of liquid water
E) Radiative heat from the Earth's core

Question 35

The hydrologic compartment that contains the greatest amount of fresh water is

A) Groundwater
B) The Great Lakes
C) Living organisms and biomass
D) Ice and snow
E) Clouds in the atmosphere

Question 36

Desalinization could be a method used by which country?

A) The United States
B) The Congo
C) Bahrain
D) Mexico
E) Desalination could be used by any country on the ocean.

Question 37

The place where aquifers are most likely to be contaminated is at

A) Artesian springs
B) Seeps and other outlets
C) Recharge zones
D) All discharge and recharge areas
E) The zone of aeration

Question 38

Cause and effects of water stress may include

A) Per capita renewable water supply is low
B) Renewable water supplies are inadequate to satisfy essential human or ecosystem needs
C) Competition increases among increasing demands for water
D) All of the above are potential causes or effects of water stress

Question 39

The largest river in the world is the

A) Orinoco
B) Amazon
C) Mississippi
D) Nile
E) Congo

Question 40

The residence time of one molecule of water in the ocean is _______.

A) 3 years
B) 3,000 years
C) 30 years
D) 300 years

Question 41

The Ogallala Aquifer supplies water to ___________ and once held more water than all of the surface water __________.

A) California's Central Valley; in the world
B) The Rocky Mountain states; in the United States
C) The Great Plains states; in the world
D) Most of New England; in the United States
E) Arizona and Las Vegas; in the United States

Question 42

Human water withdrawals have been increasing at about ___________ rate as worldwide population growth.

A) the same
B) half the
C) one-third the
D) three times the
E) twice the

Question 43

Technically speaking, when water is consumed, it

A) Has been used
B) Is no longer suitable for any other purpose
C) Is no longer available for other purposes
D) Is lost to evaporation or leakage
E) Is available for other uses

Question 44

Subsidence and sinkholes

A) Can, with difficulty, be reversed and the ground surface raised again
B) Are probably a permanent loss of an aquifer
C) Are a consequence of saltwater intrusion
D) Leave gaps in the bedrock that then fill up with salt water
E) Increase the total area of recharge zones

Question 45

Withdrawal of groundwater often causes subsidence, a situation where

A) Aquifer volume decreases sharply
B) Withdrawals exceed recharge rates
C) Water quality and water tables fall
D) Porous rocks settle and ground level falls
E) Wells dry up

Question 46

Principal problems that have resulted from the construction of large dams include the relocation of people.

Question 47

On the graph of domestic water use per person, each letter represents a country. Which of the following is most likely?

A) A is the United States; B is China
B) B is the United States; A is China
C) A is the United States; B is Canada
D) B is India; A is China
E) A is India; B is China

Question 48

In the twentieth century, half of the new dams that were built are in

A) China
B) Pakistan
C) Russia
D) The United States
E) Canada

Question 49

Many experts think that in the future, water conflicts will be a major cause of international conflict. Currently, however, there are no international conflicts over water.

Question 50

The Klamath River agreement

A) is an agreement to remove dams to save migrating salmon populations.
B) provides for the increase in value of water rights for fish and aquatic organisms.
C) is a less-used strategy to help regulate water diversion for local farmers.
D) provides a water diversion project for the city of Los Angeles.
E) forces conservation measures on domestic use of water by local residents.

Question 51

A method of increasing water supplies that has been successful, but expensive is

A) Desalination
B) Cloud seeding
C) Towing icebergs by ship from polar regions
D) Altering the climate's convection currents
E) None of these is correct.

Question 52

Charging a higher proportion of real costs rather than subsidies has led to water conservation.

Question 53

Compare and contrast the water diversion projects in China and California.

Question 54

Withdrawal is the total amount of water

A) Lost in transmission, due to evaporation or leakage
B) Taken from rivers, lakes, or aquifers
C) Used in manufacturing or agriculture
D) Altered or polluted in human activities
E) Lost due to chemical transformation because of human use

Question 55

Human activity such as deforestation can affect rainfall.

Question 56

One of the major reasons for the removal of dams in the United States is

A) Buildup of silt behind the dams
B) Danger of earthquakes beneath the reservoir
C) To satisfy conservation groups
D) To restore fish populations
E) To make the region look more natural

Question 57

After graduation, you are moving to southern California for a great job. You will need to change your water consumption habits because you have been living in an area with plenty of water and it has not been an issue. (Note: Use your own region if it is applicable.) Describe five things you can do to conserve water.

Question 58

In general, water use worldwide is dominated by

A) Agricultural use
B) Domestic needs
C) Industrial activities
D) Use as drinking water
E) All of these are sectors that use water about equally

Question 59

The activity that uses the greatest share of U.S. household water is

A) Bathing
B) Drinking and cooking
C) Flushing the toilet
D) Washing clothes and dishes
E) Watering lawns