Hydrosphere Study Guide Which is the most common contamination source for freshwater resources? a. runoff b. digging wells c. melting of glaciers d. lightning Subsurface ocean currents continually circulate from the warm waters near the equator to the colder waters in other parts of the world. What is the main cause of these currents? e. differences in the topography along the ocean floor f. differences in density of ocean water g. the rotation of Earth on its axis h. movement of the jet stream A rural, forested area receives a lot of rain in a short amount of time. What would most likely cause potential flooding in the area? i. if the area has a large uncharged aquifer beneath it j. if the water level in the area is below the zone of saturation k. if the ground of the area is already saturated with water l. if the ground of the area is mostly sandy soil What is most responsible for the presence of groundwater in an area? m. the movement of water from a confined aquifer into surface water n. the movement of surface water and precipitation through soil and rock o. the movement of water from streams and rivers to watersheds p. the movement of surface water through impermeable rock
A student created a diagram of farmland with runoff from cornfields to a nearby pond. What was the student probably trying to model? q. how acid rain kills pond plants r. how pond water is use to irrigate crops s. how fertilizers can get into ponds and cause algae blooms t. how toxic chemicals from industrial wastes can poison pond water Which statement about the relationship between the ocean and atmosphere is MOST accurate? u. Ocean currents do not affect the atmosphere. v. The atmosphere stores more heat than the ocean. w. The ocean can hold heat more efficiently than the air. x. Ocean currents can move faster than air or wind currents.
Residents in a seaside town experience onshore breezes from the ocean during hot sunny days and offshore breezes from the land during cool nights. How does the ocean affect this pattern? y. Warm air sinks over the ocean and moves onto land. z. Cold air rises over the land and moves over the ocean. aa. The land heats and cools faster than the ocean heats and cools. bb. The ocean heats and cools faster than the land heats and cools Which human activity directly affects the quality of freshwater resources? cc. depleting the ozone layer dd. burning gasoline in car engines ee. throwing trash out of car windows ff. allowing runoff from agricultural fields In regions where prevailing winds blow from the oceans to the shore, which of these is MOST likely to occur? gg. heavier rainfall hh. dryer conditions ii. cold temperatures jj. frequent hurricanes
Which MOST influences the milder temperatures of St. Augustine, Florida? a. increased cloud cover b. reduced solar radiation c. distance north of the equator d. nearness to ocean currents Which of these properties of water helps moderate the weather of coastal areas? a. neutral ph b. high specific heat c. dissolves many substances d. floats as a solid Because water is able to exist in the liquid phase on Earth, water helps to moderate temperatures across the entire planet. Which statement BEST illustrates this link between water in the liquid phase and moderation of temperatures? e. The movement of water creates heat. f. Ocean currents circulate heat away from the equator. g. Earth s internal heat is pushed outward through volcanic activity. h. Land warms as ocean water makes direct contact with land.
Solar radiation provides more heat near the equator than near the poles on Earth. The GREATEST amount of heat is moved away from the equator by a. ocean currents. b. aquatic plants. c. surface winds. d. tectonic plates. Nevada s annual precipitation averages between 21 and 24 cm. In comparison, Washington state averages between 96 and 97 cm of precipitation per year. Which of these factors has the greatest impact on the difference in precipitation between these two states? e. the relative sizes of each state f. the types of industry found in each state g. the location of each state on the continent h. the relative frequency of volcanic activity in each state A student compares the climate of two towns located on the same latitude. One town is located near the ocean and the second town is inland. Which environmental difference will MOST likely be observed with increasing distance from the ocean? a. the number of daylight hours increases b. the summer and winter seasons become milder c. the intensity of sunlight on the ground is greater d. the temperature difference between day and night increases What is the primary energy source driving circulation of ocean currents on Earth? a. geothermal heating b. planetary rotation c. solar heating d. lunar tidal forces
Without oceans, the temperatures of Earth would vary widely from temperatures that currently exist. Which characteristic of the ocean MOST likely helps to maintain the temperatures of Earth? kk. water s heat capacity ll. density of ocean water mm. evaporation of ocean water nn. high humidity near the ocean Variation in which property between water at different temperatures contributes MOST to the formation of horizontal ocean layers having distinct temperatures? oo. density pp. viscosity qq. turbidity rr. acidity Which statement BEST explains the role of evaporation in ocean currents? ss. Evaporation adds salt to surface waters, forcing the water to sink. tt. Evaporation leads to the movement of air masses, causing surface currents uu. Evaporation removes heat energy from surface waters, increasing the water density vv. Evaporation increases the air pressure above surface waters, causing horizontal currents
Many households in the town of Rolesville get their drinking water from private wells that have been drilled into an aquifer. During the past decade, the water table in the aquifer has dropped. The town council of Rolesville has recently requested proposals for projects that will help the aquifer to recharge with water. Which of the following project proposals is MOST likely to achieve the goal set by the town council? a. creation of a dam on the Neuse River to create a reservoir b. installation of automatic sprinkler systems on city property c. drilling of new wells to replace old wells on citizens property d. replacement of cement parking lots with gravel and tile lots Which would be the MOST sustainable way to increase the supply of potable water as the United States population grows? e. Dig more deep wells to access fossil water. f. Build more reservoir dams along rivers. g. Increase the use of greywater for landscaping. h. Increase the use of salt water for cooling power plants. Saltwater intrusion can occur in aquifers near coastlines, when fresh groundwater in the aquifer is displaced by salt water. Coastline aquifers become more vulnerable to saltwater intrusion when freshwater recharge rates are low or withdrawal rates are high. An aquifer in which of the following areas would be MOST affected by saltwater intrusion? i. a small coastal town experiencing a rainy summer j. a coastal agricultural area using periodic irrigation k. a large inland region of growing cities and farms l. a growing coastal city undergoing a drought
During extreme flooding, which of these water cycle processes has MOST likely slowed down or stopped completely? a) surface runoff b) groundwater discharge c) evaporation d) infiltration When rain water reaches Earth s surface, it can run off into surface water bodies or infiltrate soil and rock to become groundwater. Which of these surfaces would allow the MOST runoff and LEAST infiltration of rain water? a. gravel b. cement c. sand d. grass Which of the following is MOST responsible for reducing the availability of fresh water in this country? e. aquifer depletion f. reservoir evaporation g. nonpoint source pollution h. boat and watercraft emissions A regional water board is examining proposals to provide drinking water to a growing metropolitan area. Which of these proposals is MOST likely to deplete groundwater supplies? ww. installation of city-owned wells within each neighborhood xx. construction of a dam to create a large water reservoir yy. placement of stations along a river to capture and filter water zz. establishment of a water treatment plant next to a large lake There are many methods of increasing the supply of fresh water to coastal cities. Which method takes the MOST energy? aaa. drilling deep wells bbb. desalination ccc. conservation ddd. building pipelines
At a city council meeting, a developer outlines plans for a new shopping area. Residents speaking at the meeting voice their concerns that the development will increase runoff and pollute bodies of water in the area. The developer could address their concerns by proposing the addition of which of the following to the plans? Fff. private wells that provide water to each store eee. sprinklers that hose down parking lots daily a. flower gardens that are planted near each store b. wetlands that surround the development Officials hire private contractors to monitor drinking water safety in the suburbs of a large city. These suburbs are mainly residential, with some schools, shopping malls, and light industrial plants. The contractors determine that the drinking water samples contain levels of nitrates and other nutrients that are higher than normal. After discussion with the contractors, the officials would MOST likely decide to contact which of these groups to combat the problem? c. plant managers a. homeowners b. mall management c. school principals