Chapter 12
Which of the following environmental concerns do both essay discuss?
Dams block passage for migratory fish.
The essay in support of dam removal avoids one key environmental benefit touted by dam advocates. If the authors were participating in a debate, how might dam advocates state this benefit?
Dams use a renewable "fuel" (water) to generate clean electricity.
How much land is Louisiana losing every year as a result of coastal erosion?
Louisiana is losing 75 km2 of wetlands every year.
Which of the following statements is true?
Most of Earth's fresh water is frozen.
The Mississippi River's flow has been greatly reduced over the last 200 years, preventing much of the sediment carried by the river from reaching the delta in Louisiana. What has caused this?
dams and reservoirs
What is the name of an area of land that is drained by a river and all of its tributaries?
Watershed
Oceans have absorbed approximately one-third of the excess carbon dioxide that humans have added to Earth's atmosphere so far. This has slowed the progression of global climate change, but it has led to ________.
a decrease in the pH (ocean acidification)
The rapid melting of Greenland's ice cap could disrupt the NADW formation by ________.
adding huge amounts of less-dense fresh water to the surface of the system
The fish in the lake at the local park are dying, and a professor from the local college comes to investigate. First, she measures the levels of dissolved oxygen in order to check for ________.
hypoxia
What does the red graph line represent?
plant biomass
Pathogens and waterborne diseases enter drinking water supplies from ________.
poorly treated wastewater and animal wastes from feed lots
Natural wetlands provide many ecosystem services. When a wetland is restored, which of the following ecosystem services returns most rapidly?
providing food for fish and wildlife
Most of Earth's liquid fresh water is found ________.
underground
____________ is the rising of deep, cold, dense water toward the surface.
Up-welling
Ocean water is 96.5% water by mass. Most of the remainder consists of __________.
ions from dissolved salts
Which of the following statements accurately describe(s) changes in bird species diversity following the construction of a wetland in the study area? Select all that apply.
An increase in bird species diversity was observed across most months of the study period following wetland construction. A decrease in bird species diversity was observed only in August.
Sara Nicholas presents the case for dam removal by offering a variety of reasons. Which of the following reasons is her primary argument for removing dams?
All dams harm riparian environments.
Which of the following statements reflects how you might use the data from the graphs in the previous parts to make your case? Select all that apply.
Based on evidence of changes in diversity and abundance of birds, construction of an artificial wetland creates new foraging and nesting habitat. Construction of an artificial wetland in California resulted in an overall increase in the abundance of birds inhabiting that location. Construction of an artificial wetland in California resulted in an overall increase in the number of bird species inhabiting that location.
Which is the correct term to describe fish and other ocean organisms that are caught accidentally along with the targeted fish?
Bycatch
If the captain of a fishing fleet wanted to catch fish over a vast expanse of ocean, which of the following would be an effective method to do so?
Driftnets
The exceptionally strong warming of the eastern Pacific is referred to as ________.
El Niño
Which of the following is a systematic shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation patterns in the tropical Pacific Ocean that alters weather patterns on a worldwide scale?
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Thomas Flint and Christine Stallard cite multiple benefits of dams. Which of the following statements represents their primary argument for the importance of dams?
Global water use has increased at twice the rate of population growth, and dams can provide water.
Which of the following is a nonconsumptive use of water as a resource?
Hydroelectric power
What is the spatial relationship between the distributions of water and people?
Populations and water resources too often have an inverse relationship (lots of people where there is little water).
You are part of a panel that reviews dam permits for renewal. Your panel hears testimony from both pro-dam and pro-dam removal advocates. Which of the following scenarios is least likely to be controversial?
Removal of a mill dam for a now defunct mill operation
Based on the bar graph, during which season did bird abundances decline post-construction of the artificial wetland?
Summer
Which term describes a regular periodic change to the ocean's height due to the gravitational influence of the moon and the sun?
Tides
All of the following are examples of point sources of pollution except ________.
a large farm
What is the direct cause of death for aquatic animals during eutrophication?
a loss of dissolved oxygen in the water
Which of the following best describes a floodplain?
a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows
A septic system is ________.
a rural method of processing wastewater
After 55 years, how does the capacity of a restored wetland to absorb nutrients compare to that of a natural wetland?
about 40% of natural wetland capacity
After 20 years, how much plant biomass does a restored wetland contain?
about 80% of the biomass of a natural wetland
What is the most cost-effective solution for groundwater depletion and land-level subsidence?
allowing no more water to be withdrawn from an aquifer than is naturally recharged
What is a marine protected area?
any portion of the ocean that is protected from some human activities but may be open to others, such as the laying of cables and some fishing
The area that underlies the shallow water bordering continents is called the ________.
continental shelf
Which of the following is a promising way to reduce global water consumption?
avoiding waste and mismanagement
Recent research that analyzed the content of commercial bottled water indicates that ________.
bottled water is no safer or purer than most samples of tap water
Upwelling ________.
brings benthic nutrients to the ocean surface promoting high primary productivity
Is the following statement supported or not supported by the data shown in the graph? The restoration of a wetland takes about 100 years.
cannot be determined from the graph
What technology is used to extract freshwater from ocean water?
desalinization
What type of coastal feature experiences fluctuations in salinity with daily and seasonal variations?
estuaries
As a result of humans' increased use of the water in the Colorado River, __________.
fisheries in the upper Gulf of California have been hurt
We build dams to ________.
generate electricity, prevent flooding, and provide irrigation and drinking water
One reasonable way to prevent sinkholes might be to ________.
increase groundwater recharge by constructing artificial wetlands that use treated municipal wastewater
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the number of human-induced sinkholes has doubled since 1930. Insurance claims increased 1200% from 1987 to 1991, costing nearly $100 million. A major reason for this is ________.
increased water consumption through development and urbanization
Humans use more fresh water for ________ than for any other purpose.
irrigating crops
Most water taken out of the natural world is used for __________.
irrigation
The region of a lake where plants are able to attach to the bottom and still reach above the surface is known as the __________.
littoral zone
What industry contributes to wetland loss in Louisiana?
oil and natural gas
What caused the Aral Sea, the fourth largest lake on Earth, to lose four-fifths of its volume in 40 years?
overconsumption by cotton farmers
Sinkholes can result from ________.
overconsumption of water from aquifers
Currently, the greatest ecological crisis facing marine food webs is ________.
overharvesting
Which of the following types of pollution is most responsible for large numbers of deaths worldwide because of unsafe drinking water?
pathogen pollution
What does the y-axis show?
percent of recovery compared to natural wetlands
Is the following statement supported or not supported by the data shown in the graph? Most of the productivity of a wetland can be restored within 50 years, but it takes much longer to restore soil fertility.
supported
Zooxanthellae are ________.
symbiotic algae that provide energy to many species of corals
A watershed is ________.
the area of land that drains into a river or lake
In the past 50 years, the global hydrological environment has experienced great change due to __________.
the construction of more than 40,000 new dams
"Biosolids" produced at a wastewater treatment plant are often ________.
used as crop fertilizer
Which of the following wetland environments only occurs for a short period of time each year?
vernal pools
Which of the following will contribute to water conservation?
watering lawns at night and landscaping with native plants
Many present-day fisheries managers ________.
wish to set aside areas of ocean where systems can function without human interference