Mod 4 study guide

What approaches can we use to monitor groundwater losses?

-GRACE -InSAR (Radar movements) -GPS -well measuring

What was learned from the famous experimental setup shown above?

-That groundwater flows in response to the difference in total hydraulic head -that the discharge of groundwater depends linearly on the gradients of the hydraulic head. -that groundwater depends on the permeability of the rock, sediment, or soil. -all of the above

Short Answer: Outline the fundamental properties of water that make it so essential to life on Earth (Hint: Remember the Water and Like haiku)

-Water is able to dissolve many substances (dielectric constant) -water has a high heat capacity -high thermal conductivity -high latent heat of vaporization -low viscosity - an efficient transport medium, lubricant, and transporter of nutrients and waste

What are the ecosystem services provided by streams?

-cultural and social (recreation/education) -provision (water/food) -regulation (water flow/water purification -support (nutrient cycling)

What are things individuals can do to reduce water pollution?

-dont litter -carpool or was to work (use car less) -compost/reduce waste

Which of the following are solutions to water pollution?

-find solutions for toxic chemicals -install monitoring wells near landfills/underground tanks -require leak detectors on underground tanks -ban hazardous waste disposal -store harmful liquids in above ground tanks with leak detection and collection systems.

what are some effects due to groundwater pumping?

-water table drops -aquifer compacts -land subsidence creating sink holes, fissures, and cone of depression. -along coast, freshwater floats on saltwater, so draw in saltwater

What are some common inorganic contaminants of water?

Disinfection by-products (THM, HAA5, Bromate, Chlorite) radioactive elements (radon), toxic metals (lead, mercury, arsenic), insulation (asbestos)

What causes depletion of oxygen in polluted waters?

Enrichment in nitrogen fertilizers causes algal blooms in which the algea consumes all of the oxygen

Short Answer: Explain where the highest environmental stress in the great lakes is found and what causes that stress.

Lake Erie - these coastal waters are most strongly stressed because theyre experiencing stressors that are occuring in the lakes themselves like invasive species and contaminated sediments, and they experience all the runoff from the land and all the aquatic habitat disruption that goes with coastal development

What are some organic contaminants in the water?

Pesticides (DDT), Petrochemical (oil, gas, MTBE), Pharmaceuticals & hormones (steroids, antibiotics, drugs) electrical (dioxin, PCB), fertilizers (lead to hypoxia)

What does the slope of the two linear trends defined by data in the above plot represent?

Represents darcys law, flow rate is proportional to slope. Darcys law allows you to estimate the average travel time from aquifer to a point downstream.

Which figure shows an undisturbed water table?

a

What is a gaining stream (as opposed to a losing stream)?

a gaining stream generally gains water from the ground. losing streams lose water from the stream bed out into the ground.

About how long would your brain survive if its cooling system shut down?

about 40 minutes

why is it so important that a liquid is a major constitute of life forms?

beings are mostly water/liquid. liquid is easily contained and a great transporter, used as lubricant for the body, balances nutrients and waste in/out, water is particularly good at being a coolant: -high thermal connectivity -water will move rapidly -get the heat away from the brain -high heat capacity: can absorb a lot of heat w/out changing too much

Which figure shows a water table that had been disturbed by human activity?

c

What is the name for lowering of the water table in panel B?

cone depression

What are Pathogens?

disease causing microbes: bacteria, protozoa, and viruses

If a river is higher than the regional water table, it is likely to be a perennial (flows all the time) or an ephemeral (flows only during storms) river?

ephemeral, because it is not being recharge by groundwater

T/F: On a typical day about 20% of a persons water loss is simply from breathing?

false

What is the dominant source of excess nitrogen common in surface waters?

fertilizer with excess nitrogen causes algal blooms

What are common water pollution or contamination concerns?

germs, pathogens, industrial pollution, gastrointestinal water-borne illness (glardia, raw sewage, pharmaceuticals, chlorination)

Through which material will a contaminant plume travel fastest (gravel, sand, silt, or clay)?

gravel? 10^0

Why is water flowing away from the stream in panel C?

groundwater extraction (pumping) has reversed the water table

which of these is not a biochemical cycle discussed in literature:

hydrologic - water carbon - climate nitrogen - critical nutrient sulfur - Proteins phosphorus - RNA & DNA

Short Answer: Explain ways that people directly or indirectly affect the nitrogen cycle.

people directly affect the nitrogen cycle by burning fossil fuels, using inorganic fertilizers in soils, and dumping of municipal sewage. This can indirectly effect surrounding ecosystems and wildlife, algal blooms, chemical composition of soils

What are peroxyacetyl nitrates (PANs)?

secondary pollutants that cause smog

Air pollution in LA in the 1950s and 60s was as bad as anywhere in the world today - what was the most important step in reducing air pollution?

the clean air act - regulating vehicle emissions

what is primary production?

the conversion of energy input into biomass (plant growth) (energy converted per unit land area per year), the growth, conversion of solar energy into plant energy

Whats meant by the hyporheic zone in the vicinity of a river?

the hyporheic zone is a region of sediment and porous space beneath and alongside a stream bed, where there is mixing of shallow groundwater and surface water.

What controls the shape of the brown curve on the above hydrograph?

the median (daily statistic) controls the shape of the brown curve

In analyses of contaminants in stream water, what is the definition of the contaminant load?

the rate of mass transfer (or transport) of the contaminant (mass per time)

What is the shape of the water table?

the shape of a hill or land surface, the shape and height of the water table is influenced by the land surface that lies above it; it curves up under hills and drops under valleys.

What is the water table?

the upper level of an underground surface in which the soils or rocks are permanently saturated with water. it separates the groundwater zone that lies below it from the capillary fringe, or zone of aeration, that lies above it.

What is Natural Capitol?

the worlds stock of natural resources and services, includes geology, soils, air, water, and all living organisms.

Why are the heat capacity (hc), high thermal conductivity (tc), and high latent heat of vaporization (lhofv) key attributes that make water so effective in supporting animal life?

these properties together make water an effective coolant - absorbing heat, transporting it, and then cooling during evaporation of sweat.