NSCI Exam 3 (Chapters 13, 20, 8, 11) BHC Spring 2021
What percentage of the world's water supply is liquid freshwater that is available to living organisms? - 0.024% - 8% - 13% - 30% - 42%
Correct! 0.024%
The heavily farmed state of Iowa has lost about ____ of its inland wetlands. - 29% - 39% - 59% - 79% - 99%
Correct! 99%
Which of the cities below would be most likely to use desalination? - A city with abundant freshwater lakes - A city that experiences substantial precipitation throughout the year - A small, rural town in a less developed country - A large, dry city near the ocean - A large, rapidly growing inland city with aqueducts bringing in water
Correct! A large, dry city near the ocean
What is the leading cause of water pollution? - Mining - Factories - Sewage treatment plants - Agriculture activities - Ocean-going shipping
Correct! Agriculture activities
Access to freshwater is a(n) - global health issue. - economic issue. - national and global security issue. - environmental issue. - All of these answers.
Correct! All of these answers.
Populations of organisms living in aquatic life zones may be limited by - access to light. -nutrient availability. - dissolved oxygen. - All of these answers. - None of these answers.
Correct! All of these answers.
The hydrologic cycle will naturally purify and recycle fresh water as long as humans don't - pollute the water faster than it is replenished. - withdraw water from groundwater supplies faster than it is replenished. - overload it with slowly degradable and nondegradable wastes. - All of these answers.
Correct! All of these answers.
People interested in developing approaches to managing flooding are particularly interested in studying approaches to manage flooding in ____. - Tibet - Pakistan - Argentina - Japan - Bangladesh
Correct! Bangladesh
In large lakes, there are four distinct zones. Which of the following is the exception? - Benthic - Littoral - Bathyal - Limnetic - Profundal
Correct! Bathyal
What prevents coral reefs from surviving below the euphotic zone? - High water density - High pressure - Saline water - Inadequate sunlight - Damage from storms
Correct! Inadequate sunlight
Four of the following are part of the saltwater or marine aquatic life zones. Which one is the exception? - Oceans - Estuaries - Inland wetlands - Coastal wetlands - Mangrove forests
Correct! Inland wetlands
Which statement about lakes is true? - Stratified layers of lakes are characterized by vertical mixing. - Stratification increases levels of dissolved oxygen, especially in the bottom layer. - Lakes are more vulnerable than streams to contamination by plant nutrients, and toxic substances. - Lakes have more flushing than streams. - Changing of water in lakes takes days to weeks.
Correct! Lakes are more vulnerable than streams to contamination by plant nutrients, and toxic substances.
Which potential source of water pollution is a nonpoint source? - Sewage treatment plant - Electric power plant - Active or inactive coal mine - Logged forest - Factory
Correct! Logged forest
Which of these is not a cause of cultural eutrophication? - Overfishing - Runoff from golf courses - Agricultural runoff - Phosphate from mining sites - Phosphates from household cleaners
Correct! Overfishing
Which technique is an example of a low-tech method that may be used to conserve water in less-developed countries? - Drip irrigation - Planting deep-rooted perennial crop varieties - Low-energy, precision application sprinkler - Center-pivot sprinkler - Flood irrigation
Correct! Planting deep-rooted perennial crop varieties
Which source is often responsible for thermal water pollution? - Animal feedlots - Mining - Farmlands - Power plants - Septic systems
Correct! Power plants
Four of the following are major human activities that disrupt and degrade freshwater systems. Which one is the exception? - Reintroducing salmon stock to natal streams - Fragmenting habitats through dams and canals - Disconnecting rivers from floodplains through flood control levees and dikes - Adding excess nutrients and pollution through cities and farms - Draining inland wetlands to grow crops
Correct! Reintroducing salmon stock to natal streams
Which of the following is a major cause of increasing ocean acidification? - Eutrophication - Construction of dams and levees - Rising sea level - Rising levels of CO2 - Decreasing dissolved oxygen
Correct! Rising levels of CO2
Four of the following are ecological and economic services provided by inland wetlands. Which one is the exception? - Filtering and degrading toxic wastes and pollutants - Stopping the recharge of groundwater aquifers - Reducing flooding and erosion caused by storms - Helping to sustain stream flow during dry periods - Helping to maintain biodiversity by providing habitat
Correct! Stopping the recharge of groundwater aquifers
In cultural eutrophication, fish die from ____. - acid deposition - depletion of oxygen - toxic substances in the water - increased sediment reducing habitats - loss of space
Correct! depletion of oxygen
What is an area where a river meets the sea and includes some of the earth's most productive wetlands? - euphotic zone - estuary - inlets - bays - coastal marshes
Correct! estuary
Most photosynthesis in the open ocean occurs in the ____. - abyssal zone - euphotic zone - estuary zone - bathyal zone - benthic zone
Correct! euphotic zone
The natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake, estuary, or slow-moving stream is called ____. - oligotrophy - spring/fall overturn - upwellings - red tides - eutrophication
Correct! eutrophication
The primary cause of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was ____. - faulty equipment and poor decision-making - a tsunami - an earthquake - the oil rig crashing into an underwater reef - leakage from old, rusty pipes
Correct! faulty equipment and poor decision-making
Dead zones have a detrimental impact on ____. - fish and shellfish populations - agricultural farms - ethanol fuel production - sewage treatment - Phytoplankton
Correct! fish and shellfish populations
In the eastern United States, the most serious water problems are - flooding and pollution - frequent, prolonged drought - water scarcity - inadequate water distribution systems
Correct! flooding and pollution
In the United States, the single largest use of domestic freshwater is ____________, which accounts for about 27% of home water use. - washing dishes - bathing and showering - watering lawns - washing clothes - flushing toilets
Correct! flushing toilets
To reduce the risk of harm from a water transfer project, ____. - government subsidies for water should be avoided - there should be no use of water for growing crops - ecosystem needs do not need to be considered - dams should be used - aqueducts should not be used
Correct! government subsidies for water should be avoided
The biggest threat to water quality in the Great Lakes is from ____. - industrial pollution - increased runoff caused by urban sprawl - the introduction of invasive species - poor air quality - the presence of toxic hot spots
Correct! increased runoff caused by urban sprawl
Organisms in ____ must be able to avoid being swept away, crushed by waves, or being left high and dry at low tides, and must survive daily or seasonal salinity and temperature changes. - estuaries - coastal wetlands - bathyal zones - intertidal zones - coral reefs
Correct! intertidal zones
Throughout the world, the most water is used for - irrigation. - industrial processes. - direct consumption by animals and humans. - transportation. - cooling towers of power plants.
Correct! irrigation.
It is important to protect a watershed because ____. - it contains many bodies of water - it is the land area that delivers runoff to a stream, lake, or wetland - it is the deeper water lying between the surface layer and the lake bottom - it contains nutrient-rich sediment and mangroves - it is a large water reservoir
Correct! it is the land area that delivers runoff to a stream, lake, or wetland
Besides contaminated drinking water, lead poisoning in the home commonly occurs because of ____. - lawn fertilizers - contaminated food - leaking air conditioners - contact with electrical wiring - lead paint
Correct! lead paint
In lakes, the open-water surface layer is called the - limnetic zone. - benthic zone. - littoral zone. - profundal zone. - abyssal zone
Correct! limnetic zone.
A shark is most likely to be ____. - phytoplankton - zooplankton - nekton - benthos - decomposers
Correct! nekton
On a fishing boat, someone catches a swordfish. You would most likely classify this species as a member of the - phytoplankton. - zooplankton. - benthos. - nekton. - decomposer
Correct! nekton.
A lake with low nutrient levels and very clear water is called ___. - eutrophic - oligotrophic - a dead zone - a septic zone - oxygen depleted
Correct! oligotrophic
Due to the clear waters, the "prettiest" lake to swim in would be a(n) ____________________ lake. - autotrophic. - eutrophic. - oligotrophic. - mesotrophic. - oligomesotrophic
Correct! oligotrophic.
Dead zones are characterized by a lack of ____. - phosphorus - nitrogen - oxygen - chlorine - fecal material
Correct! oxygen
The Gulf of Mexico's dead zone is caused by high levels of ____ in the Mississippi River. - coliform bacteria - phytoplankton - plant nutrients - algae - cyanobacteria
Correct! plant nutrients
The most effective way to deal with groundwater pollution is to ____. - prevent contamination - use monitoring wells - cover all wells carefully - treat all water from underground sources - use advanced sewage treatment
Correct! prevent contamination
The Columbia River is located in the - Pacific Northwest. - Midwest. - Southeast. - Appalachian Mountains. - Northeast
Pacific Northwest.
One way to promote sustainable fishing is to encourage the use of ____, which allow fishers to have a share of the allowable catch. - cap and trade systems - trawling and purse-seine fishing systems - co-management systems - catch-share systems - protected area fishing systems
catch-share systems
The largest animal in the world is the - blue whale - hammerhead shark - killer whale - elephant - leatherback turtle
blue whale
Reducing fishing intensity could eventually, over a long enough time period, allow the recovery of a species that is____. - globally extinct - commercially extinct primarily due to fishing - severely affected by habitat degradation - severely affected by climate change - only maintained in zoos and aquariums
commercially extinct primarily due to fishing
There is growing evidence that the current harmful effects of human activities on aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services could be reversed over the next ____. - 2 years - 10 years - 2 decades - 50 years - 2 centuries
2 decades
Invasive species that threaten the Great Lakes now or in the future include all of the following except: - sea lamprey. - zebra mussel. - quagga mussel. - Asian carp. - Asian swamp eel.
Asian swamp eel.
Four of the following are goals of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Select the exception. - Restore the curving flow of the Kissimmee River. - Build a series of massive dams to stop water from leaving the Everglades. - Remove 400 kilometers of canals and levees south of Lake Okeechobee. - Convert large areas of farmland to marsh. - Create 18 large reservoirs and underground water storage areas.
Build a series of massive dams to stop water from leaving the Everglades.
Some people have proposed trying to artificially change the chemistry of seawater to make it more alkaline. What problem are they trying to address? - Most organisms survive well in a highly alkaline environment, so changing the ocean's chemistry would increase our food supply. - Coral reefs require an alkaline environment or they lose their zooxanthellae and become white. - The ocean needs to be more alkaline so that the coral reefs can dissolve naturally to repeat the cycle of breakdown and renewal. - The ocean has become increasingly acidified as it takes up CO2, harming living organisms such as coral reefs. - There are too many fish in the ocean and making it more alkaline would make the numbers more manageable.
Correct! The ocean has become increasingly acidified as it takes up CO2, harming living organisms such as coral reefs.
How does the use of water from aquifers affect the water table? - The top of the water table lowers - The water table gradually rises - The water table quickly rises - The water table separates from the zone of saturation - The water table expands in width
Correct! The top of the water table lowers
What is the most efficient means of water delivery to crops? - Center-pivot sprinkler systems - Flood irrigation - Trickle or drip irrigation - Gravity-flow canal systems - Diagonal-pivot systems
Correct! Trickle or drip irrigation
Which of the following would be characteristic of a eutrophic lake? - Crystal clear waters - Limited population of phytoplankton - Small supply of plant nutrients - Well-supplied with nutrients for producers - Low net primary productivity
Correct! Well-supplied with nutrients for producers
Algal blooms created from excessive agricultural and sewage runoffs are least likely to cause ____. - a release of waterborne and airborne toxins - the poisoning of seafood - a decrease in agricultural yields - the death of some fish-eating birds - a reduction in tourism
Correct! a decrease in agricultural yields
The best formal definition of a lake is ____. - a large natural body of standing freshwater - a nutrient-rich, shallow body of standing freshwater - a shallow, rapidly flowing body of water - a shallow pool of water that dries out and then refills when it rains - a large natural wetland with plants and saltwater
Correct! a large natural body of standing freshwater
The deepest part of the ocean is the ____. - abyssal zone - euphotic zone - estuary zone - bathyal zone - benthic zone
Correct! abyssal zone
Four of the following are key factors that help to determine the types and numbers of organisms found in the various layers of both freshwater and marine systems. What is the exception? - algal bloom - availability of nutrients - temperature - dissolved oxygen levels - availability of food
Correct! algal bloom
The Clean Water Act could be strengthened by ____. - requiring septic tank permits - focusing purely on end-of-pipe pollution removal - allowing citizens to bring lawsuits to ensure that water pollution laws are enforced - establishing national pollutant standards - giving responsibility of monitoring and enforcing water pollution laws to private companies
Correct! allowing citizens to bring lawsuits to ensure that water pollution laws are enforced
Storing drinking water in a reservoir is beneficial because it ____. - reduces the dissolved oxygen level - makes water treatment unnecessary - allows suspended matter to settle - allows the water to be ionized by the atmosphere - increases populations of healthy coliform bacteria
Correct! allows suspended matter to settle
Groundwater is primarily stored in underground ____. - aquifers - water tables - wells - rivers - basins
Correct! aquifers
Porous water-saturated layers of underground rock are known as - aquifers. - recharge areas. - watersheds. - runoff areas. - water tables
Correct! aquifers.
To lower your own virtual water use, you should ____. - minimize shower use - drink less water - buy fewer ears of corn - refrain from watering your garden - wash laundry less frequently
Correct! buy fewer ears of corn
Large dams and reservoirs - reduce danger of flooding upstream. - are inexpensive to build - cannot be used for outdoor recreation. - can be used to provide electric power. - All of these answers.
Correct! can be used to provide electric power.
One of the world's largest freshwater transfer projects uses pumps, dams, and aqueducts to transfer freshwater from the mountains to cities and agricultural regions in - central and southern California - Nevada - Saudi Arabia - Kansas and Oklahoma - eastern Colorado and Nebraska
Correct! central and southern California
Wetlands, estuaries, mangrove swamps, and coral reefs are examples of ____. - coastal areas - ocean habitats - groundwater reservoirs - deltaic deposits. - pelagic zones
Correct! coastal areas
The ocean zone that covers the continental shelf is the - estuary. - coastal zone. - littoral zone. - benthic zone. - abyssal zone
Correct! coastal zone.
A good indicator of water quality is a low quantity of ____ present in a water sample. - indicator species - fish - dissolved oxygen - coliform bacteria - aquatic plants
Correct! coliform bacteria
Rainwater harvesting - is only useful in areas where it rains all year round - cannot be used in urban settings - is expensive and technically difficult - involves pumping water from shallow aquifers that are recharged quickly by rain - collects rainwater from rooftops and stores it
Correct! collects rainwater from rooftops and stores it
The delta of the Colorado River was destroyed by ____. - a hurricane - flooding - pollution - damming the river - overfishing
Correct! damming the river
People often propose new dams to deal with increasing concerns about severe drought, but a problem with this approach is that ____. - dams are ineffective in storing water - dams discourage water conservation efforts - animals can't live upstream of dams, where the water flow changes - terrestrial animals generally find dam water too salty for their use - dams restrict water flow, damage habitats, and can cause degradation of natural areas
Correct! dams restrict water flow, damage habitats, and can cause degradation of natural areas
To prevent overpumping, it is important to ____. - drill deeper wells when aquifers run dry - use larger pumps - prevent the use of more water than enters the aquifer due to rain and snowmelt - use nonrenewable aquifers - encourage the use of water from deeper within aquifers rather than near the surface
Correct! prevent the use of more water than enters the aquifer due to rain and snowmelt
Which of the following conditions in the Himalayan watershed contribute(s) to flooding in Bangladesh? - rapid population growth - forest conservation - dam construction - sustainable farming practices - low population growth
Correct! rapid population growth
In the sewage treatment process, the purpose of chlorination involves ____. - adding essential nutrients to drinking water - removing discoloration and killing bacteria - the reaction of chlorine with organic materials to form chlorinated hydrocarbons - preserving pipes in the sewage facility - helping large particles settle
Correct! removing discoloration and killing bacteria
One method of desalination uses high pressure to force saltwater through a membrane filter. This method is called - diffusion - distillation - reverse osmosis - active transport - passive transport
Correct! reverse osmosis
Chesapeake Bay has been quite vulnerable to pollution because it is - shallow and flushes 90% of the pollutants that enter it. - shallow and flushes only 1% of the pollutants that enter it. - deep and flushes 90% of the pollutants that enter it. - deep and flushes none of the pollutants that enter it. - deep and flushes 1% of the pollutants that enter it.
Correct! shallow and flushes only 1% of the pollutants that enter it.
The term subsidence refers to ____. - failure of the groundwater supply - sinking of ground when groundwater has been withdrawn - living on very little money - intrusion of salt water into a freshwater aquifer - money paid by the government to farmers
Correct! sinking of ground when groundwater has been withdrawn
The term subsidence refers to - failure of the groundwater supply. - accumulation of silt behind a dam. - sinking of ground when water has been withdrawn. - intrusion of salt water into a freshwater aquifer. - loss of water due to evaporation
Correct! sinking of ground when water has been withdrawn.
The North Pacific Garbage Patch is composed of ____. - piles of trash on the seafloor - thick mats of solid waste that block out sunlight - decaying organic matter following algal blooms - raw sewage from coastal cities - small particles of plastic and other solid wastes floating on or just below the ocean's surface
Correct! small particles of plastic and other solid wastes floating on or just below the ocean's surface
Floods and droughts are - strictly natural disasters. - sometimes made worse as a result of human activities. - decreased by increases in human population. - independent of human activity.
Correct! sometimes made worse as a result of human activities.
If you fish for trout, you would be most likely to seek out which part of a stream? - source zone - transition zone - floodplain zone - all sections equally - middle and mouth
Correct! source zone
Four of the following are ecological and economic services provided by inland wetlands. Which one is the exception? - filtering and degrading toxic wastes and pollutants - stopping the recharge of groundwater aquifers - reducing flooding and erosion caused by storms - helping to sustain stream flow during dry periods - helping to maintain biodiversity by providing habitat
Correct! stopping the recharge of groundwater aquifers
The overpumping of the Ogallala Aquifer is a problem for ____. - drinking water availability in Las Vegas - the future of agriculture in the Great Plains - agriculture in California's Central Valley - flow in the Colorado River delta - the Aral Sea ecosystem
Correct! the future of agriculture in the Great Plains
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada improved water quality by ____. - increasing nitrogen inputs - upgrading sewage treatment plants - banning invasive species - closing beaches - banning commercial fishing
Correct! upgrading sewage treatment plants
Gray water is ____. - used water from showers, sinks, dishwashers, and tubs - water that has been used for irrigation - water that can never be used again - water that is not needed - water that comes from the faucet
Correct! used water from showers, sinks, dishwashers, and tubs
Our ____ is a rough measure of the volume of freshwater that we use or pollute, directly and indirectly, to stay alive, and to support our lifestyles. - watershed - drainage basin - water footprint - zone of saturation - water table
Correct! water footprint
It is especially important to prevent pollution within ____ because water from throughout this region drains into lakes, rivers, or other bodies of water and degrades them. - soils - watersheds - groundwater - aquifer - bedrock
Correct! watersheds
A jellyfish would be considered a type of - benthos - zooplankton - nekton - phytoplankton - ultraplankton
Correct! zooplankton
Which term is defined as the area of ocean needed to sustain the fish consumption of an average person, a nation, or the world? - Fishprint - Footprint - Resource demand - Ocean view - Ocean resource
Fishprint
What has helped to reduce annual wetland loss by up to 80% since 1969? - a federal law prohibiting wetland development - a federal permit system for dredging or filling wetlands larger than 3 acres - grassroots environmental groups that blockade wetlands development projects - federal endangered species laws - regional endangered species laws
a federal permit system for dredging or filling wetlands larger than 3 acres
Which of the following is not a major cause for species loss in marine ecosystems? - overfishing - habitat destruction - pollution - cruise ships - rapid population growth
cruise ships
High inputs of plant nutrients into aquatic systems can cause algal blooms and areas of oxygen-depletion. These are called - fishprints. - bycatch. - sea-grass beds - commercial extinctions - dead zones
dead zones
One good way to reduce harmful jellyfish blooms is to ____. - increase local fishing intensity - discourage ecotourism to affected regions - change ocean current flows to direct jellyfish to less important locations - increase fertilizer runoff as this is toxic to them - reduce overfishing and help large marine species to increase in number
reduce overfishing and help large marine species to increase in number
An effective way to reduce damage to sea-bottom habitats is to ____. - reduce densities of the largest ocean predators - prevent jellyfish blooms - reduce the effects of dredging operations and trawlers - prevent coastal development - discourage shrimp farming
reduce the effects of dredging operations and trawlers
Consumers who care about protecting aquatic ecosystems can make a difference by choosing ____ when they make purchases. - sustainably produced seafood - seafood caught using subsidies - seafood caught along coasts - seafood caught by trawlers - farmed seafood
sustainably produced seafood
Which of the following statements regarding marine biodiversity is true? - biodiversity is greater in the open sea than it is near the coasts - biodiversity is greater at the surface of the open ocean than it is in the bottom regions - the greatest biodiversit is found in coastal areas like coral reefs and estuaries - All of the above are true
the greatest biodiversit is found in coastal areas like coral reefs and estuaries
