Deck 6: Water Resources

Question 1

The hydrologic cycle includes water

A) at the surface of Earth and in the oceans.
B) in the atmosphere.
C) at a depth of up to several kilometers below the surface.
D) all of the above
E) at and below the surface only.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Surplus (SURPL) does $\underline{\operatorname{not}}$ include which of the following?

A) water oversupply
B) overland flow
C) total runoff
D) soil moisture recharge

Answer 2

soil moisture recharge

Question 3

Transpiration refers to

A) the movement of free water molecules away from a wet surface.
B) the outward movement of water from plant leaves.
C) an amount of moisture loss from the surface that cannot be measured.
D) evaporation.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Atmospheric water that is carried from the ocean to the land is balanced by

A) atmospheric water carried back to the ocean from land.
B) surface water flow from the land to the ocean.
C) subsurface flow from the land to the ocean.
D) the combination of all of the above
E) None of the above-no balance exists.

Question 5

Which of the following conditions are necessary for a surplus to exist?

A) Water is added to the soil when actual evapotranspiration is less than potential evapotranspiration.
B) Water is added to the soil when potential evapotranspiration is less than actual evapotranspiration.
C) Water is added to the soil when actual evapotranspiration is equal to potential evapotranspiration and the soil is full of moisture.
D) Water is added to the soil when the deficit is very small.

Question 6

Which of the following is $\underline { \text { not } }$ considered precipitation in all climates?

A) hail
B) sleet
C) fog
D) rain
E) snow

Question 7

If precipitation and soil moisture are inadequate to meet potential evapotranspiration demands, the moisture condition is described as

A) actual evapotranspiration.
B) a surplus.
C) a deficit.
D) soil moisture utilization.

Question 8

In the water budget, ________ is the major receipt and ________ is the major expenditure.

A) sunshine; radiative cooling
B) outgassing; dissociation
C) precipitation; evaporation and transpiration
D) evaporation and transpiration; precipitation

Question 9

Precipitation normally refers to

A) the moisture demand in the water balance.
B) all forms of moisture-including fog.
C) rain, sleet, snow, and hail.
D) the actual evapotranspiration amount.

Question 10

Potential evapotranspiration refers to

A) the moisture supply.
B) the amount of unmet water demand in an environment.
C) the amount of water that would evaporate or transpire if it were available.
D) actual evapotranspiration under conditions of moisture deficit.

Question 11

Which of the following is true of precipitation in North America?

A) The highest amounts occur in the Southwest and Midwest.
B) The highest amounts occur in the Southeast and Northwest.
C) The lowest amounts are received in the Midwest.
D) The lowest amounts are received near Hudson's Bay.

Question 12

Which of the following are true?

A) 80 countries face impending water shortages.
B) 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water.
C) 1.8 billion people lack access to adequate sanitary facilities.
D) In the next 50 years, water availability per person is expected to drop by 74%.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 13

Actual evapotranspiration (ACTET) is determined by

A) PRECIP - DEFIC.
B) PRECIP - SURPL.
C) ACTET - DEFIC.
D) POTET - DEFIC.

Question 14

Which of the following can measure evapotranspiration?

A) rain gauge
B) anemometer
C) evaporation pan
D) weighing lysimeter

Question 15

Approximately what percentage of our bodies is comprised of water?

A) 5 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 70 percent
D) 99 percent

Question 16

Which of the following is true regarding the hydrologic cycle?

A) The bulk of the precipitation occurs over land.
B) Very little moisture is advected from the sea to the land.
C) 22 percent of Earth's precipitation falls over the oceans.
D) 78 percent of all precipitation falls on the oceans.

Question 17

Which of the following would $\underline {\text { decrease }}$ the rate at which evapotranspiration occurs?

A) increased temperatures
B) increased wind speed
C) increased humidity
D) increased water availability

Question 18

Precipitation that reaches Earth's surface penetrates the soil surface through the process of

A) percolation.
B) throughfall.
C) infiltration.
D) interception and throughfall.

Question 19

Which of the following is normally true of a hot desert?

A) Potential evapotranspiration exceeds actual evapotranspiration.
B) Actual evapotranspiration exceeds potential evapotranspiration.
C) Potential evapotranspiration equals actual evapotranspiration.
D) It is impossible to say what the normal relationship between potential and actual evapotranspiration would be in a desert.

Question 20

Which of the following is true regarding potential evapotranspiration (POTET) in the United States?

A) The highest values are in the South and East.
B) The highest values are in the Southwest.
C) Complete measurements and a map of POTET have yet to be prepared.
D) It coincides with precipitation amounts.

Question 21

Which of the following types of water is accessible to plants?

A) hygroscopic
B) capillary
C) deficit water
D) transpired water

Question 22

Of the example stations, which of the following experiences the greatest moisture deficits?

A) Kingsport, Tennessee
B) Omaha, Nebraska
C) Jacksonville, Florida
D) Phoenix, Arizona

Question 23

Excess surface water percolates through the zone of ________ to reach the zone of ________ and the water table.

A) hydration; infiltration
B) porosity; permeability
C) water table; water deposit
D) aeration; saturation

Question 24

Which of the following would make the best aquifer?

A) uncemented, loosely compacted clay
B) cemented sand that was highly compacted
C) uncemented sand that is loosely compacted
D) cemented gravel that was loosely compacted at the time of cementation

Question 25

The water balance for Kingsport, Tennessee exhibits

A) a net water surplus (SURPL) during each month of the year.
B) net demands for water for 10 months of the year.
C) water deficits in the summer months.
D) water deficits each month of the year.

Question 26

Soil moisture that plants are capable of accessing and using is called

A) wilting point water.
B) gravitational water.
C) available water.
D) hygroscopic water.

Question 27

The line of contact between the zone of aeration and the zone of saturation is known as the

A) water table.
B) saturation contact.
C) influent line.
D) aquiclude.

Question 28

The texture and structure of the soil dictate

A) potential evapotranspiration.
B) available pore spaces (i.e., the soil's porosity).
C) flow of water through soil (i.e., the soil's permeability).
D) hygroscopic water.
E) Both B and C are correct.

Question 29

Which of the following is the most directly useful for estimating stream flow?

A) potential evapotranspiration
B) actual evapotranspiration
C) runoff
D) soil moisture storage

Question 30

As transpiration occurs, water enters plant roots because ________.

A) a neutral pressure gradient is created
B) the water pressure in the soil is more than the water pressure in the plant
C) the water pressure in the soil is less than the water pressure in the plant
D) gravity acts on the water in the soil

Question 31

Which of the following soil particle sizes is usually associated with the $\underline { \text { slowest } }$ recharge rate?

A) sand
B) silt
C) clay

Question 32

The difference between the wilting point and field capacity is approximately equal to

A) wilting point water.
B) gravitational water.
C) available water.
D) hygroscopic water.

Question 33

Hurricane Camille

A) evidently produced damage and property loss that exceeded any presumed moisture benefits.
B) created deficit abatement (drought-ending) precipitation that produced benefits exceeding damages.
C) produced floods only along the Gulf Coast.
D) led to restrictive zoning along the Gulf Coast so that properties were not rebuilt after the storm in the same vulnerable areas.

Question 34

If the field capacity increases while wilting point decreases, the amount of available water

A) increases.
B) decreases.
C) remains the same.

Question 35

A water-bearing rock stratum is called a/an

A) water table.
B) aquiclude.
C) zone of aeration.
D) aquifer.

Question 36

Which of the following types of soil would have the most water available for plant use following a rain? (Consider all relevant factors.)

A) sand
B) silt
C) clay

Question 37

Which of the following is true when the soil is at field capacity?

A) A surplus definitely exists.
B) No gravity drainage has occurred.
C) The soil is holding the maximum amount of water that it can hold against the pull of gravity.
D) The capillary force is not acting.

Question 38

Which of the following accurately describes annual groundwater withdrawal in the United States?

A) Withdrawals increased 160 percent between 1950 and 1990.
B) The percentage of withdrawals in the U.S. and Canada are about the same.
C) Groundwater pumping is presently not exceeding water recharge rates.
D) The amount withdrawn is equal to river discharges in the U.S.

Question 39

Approximately what percent of the U.S. population derives a portion of its fresh water from groundwater sources?

A) 10 percent
B) 30 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 40

Clay has a ________ field capacity because ________.

A) large; the pores between the particles are bigger
B) large; there are more particles (i.e., there is greater surface area) for the water to adhere to
C) small; the pores between the particles are bigger
D) small; there are fewer particles (i.e., there is less surface area) for the water to adhere to

Question 41

An aquiclude would make a ________ aquifer because they are ________.

A) poor; permeable
B) poor; impermeable
C) good; permeable
D) good; impermeable

Question 42

Which of the following is a potential consequence of ground water mining?

A) land subsidence and cracked building foundations
B) compression of the aquifer, resulting in a permanent loss of water storage capacity
C) salt water intrusion
D) all of the above
E) A and B only

Question 43

Which of the following water withdrawal habits do developing nations exhibit?

A) They withdraw equal proportions for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use.
B) They withdraw the greatest amounts for the industrial sector.
C) They withdraw the greatest amounts for agriculture.
D) Their pattern of water usage is very similar to that of the United States.

Question 44

This activity uses the least amount of withdrawn water in the United States

A) irrigation-livestock.
B) industry-mining.
C) domestic-commercial.
D) steam-electric power.

Question 45

Of the following regions, which is most vulnerable to water scarcity?

A) South America
B) United States
C) India
D) China

Question 46

What percent of New England's water supply is consumed annually?

A) 1%
B) 5%
C) 17%
D) 83%

Question 47

Which of the following is an example of the consumptive use of water?

A) water that evaporates from an irrigated field
B) hydroelectric power production
C) using water for a bath
D) river navigation
E) all of the above

Question 48

In order to protect aquifers from pollution, the bottoms of waste dumps should be lined with

A) gravel.
B) sand.
C) clay.
D) soil.

Question 49

This region of the High Plains aquifer is suffering the least from groundwater mining

A) south-central Nebraska.
B) northern Texas.
C) Oklahoma.
D) Kansas.

Question 50

The term "ground water mining" refers to

A) the removal of overlying rock to reach ground water.
B) the excavation of tunnels to reach ground water.
C) the use of ground water to mine minerals.
D) the removal of ground water at a rate faster than that at which it can be replaced.

Question 51

Which of the following is true regarding groundwater?

A) It is unlimited when compared with the amount of surface water supplies.
B) When polluted, it is actually easier to clean up than is surface water.
C) The total amount of groundwater has been reduced by the mining of water.
D) In terms of total amount, it is second to streams in the United States.

Question 52

Of the average precipitation over the lower 48 states, what percentage evaporates and transpires on the average per day?

A) 29 percent
B) 51 percent
C) 71 percent
D) 49 percent

Question 53

Water demand is increasing at ________ rate of population growth.

A) one-third the
B) the same
C) double the
D) half the

Question 54

The largest practical potential source of fresh water in North America is

A) groundwater.
B) ice sheets and glaciers.
C) stream discharge.
D) soil moisture.

Question 55

Rain is measured at more than 100,000 stations worldwide.

Question 56

The High Plains aquifer

A) averages about 30 inches of rain per year.
B) was not heavily mined until the 1960s.
C) is not Earth's largest aquifer.
D) received much of its water from melting glaciers in the past.

Question 57

Which of the following is true?

A) Per capita water use in the United States has increased 33% from 1990 to 2000.
B) World water supplies per person have shrunk by 1/3 since 1970.
C) Canada is facing water shortages.
D) Desalination plants are found.

Question 58

Which of the following is a potential source of ground water pollution?

A) septic tanks
B) pesticides and fertilizers
C) dumps
D) all of these

Question 59

The water in a confined aquifer is under pressure of its own weight, creating a pressure level called the

A) artesian water level.
B) aquifer recharge force.
C) potentiometric surface.
D) water table.

Question 60

The term "cone of depression" refers to

A) a change in the level of the soil water zone.
B) a depression in the water table formed by rapid ground water withdrawal.
C) a depression in Earth's surface formed by ground water withdrawal.
D) a graphical representation of the decline in the rate of ground water flow as an aquifer dries out.

Question 61

Water drains more easily from a sandy soil than from a clay soil.

Question 62

The upper limit of water that collects in the zone of saturation is the water table.

Question 63

The ten largest rivers in the world combined, in terms of discharge, exceed the total groundwater resource.

Question 64

Potential evapotranspiration (POTET), when reduced by the deficit (DEFIC), yields the actual evapotranspiration value for a given time period.

Question 65

Precipitation normally includes rain, sleet, snow, dew, clouds, and fog.

Question 66

Water could be pumped faster from a geologic unit composed of sand than from one composed of clay.

Question 67

The water available to a plant is a function of soil texture and the effective rooting depth of the plant itself.

Question 68

At wilting point, no water remains in the soil.

Question 69

Thornthwaite devised a method for estimating potential evapotranspiration that utilized mean air temperature and daylength.

Question 70

All plant species have the same amount of water available to them under the same soil moisture conditions.

Question 71

If the potentiometric surface reaches the surface of the ground, a spring will develop.

Question 72

Abnormally high cancer rates have occurred in the New Orleans area because of the contamination of the Mississippi River.

Question 73

When actual evapotranspiration is less than potential evapotranspiration, a soil moisture surplus exists.

Question 74

Soil moisture deficits are frequently overcome by irrigation in the arid and semi-arid agricultural regions of the world.

Question 75

Hygroscopic water is readily accessible to plants.

Question 76

An aquifer pumped beyond its recharge rate is over utilized and becomes a product of groundwater mining.

Question 77

Gravitational water is associated with soil moisture deficits.

Question 78

Although more water can be held in a clay soil, less is actually available for plant use than in a silt soil.

Question 79

On a hot day, a tree can transpire $\underline {\text { hundreds } }$ of liters of water.

Question 80

Ground water pollution that our generation creates will not be a problem in the future (decades to centuries) because it is easy to clean an aquifer once it is polluted.