What is a scientific model? Why do scientists create them for the past as well as for the future?
A projection of what might happen in the future based on knowledge of current and past events. They create them for the past as a way of calibrating their model. If the model accurately represents the past, it most likely will accurately predict the future.
Where is the majority of our water location?
97% of our water is on Earth’s surface and is primarily saltwater.
What is meant by a point source water pollutant? Give an example.
This means the water pollution comes from a single identifiable location. A drain pipe is discharging waste from a factory into a nearby river.
Watershed Management
Protects and manages water resources by controlling land use and pollution within a drainage basin.
Wind Power
Energy harvested from the wind.
What are the consequences of ocean acidification?
Many organisms are very sensitive to changes in the ocean PH, and ocean acidification is resulting in the habitats changing across the globe.
What are the three sectors of consumptive water? Which one is the largest consumer of the consumptive water?
Agricultural – Largest, Industrial, and Domestic – Smallest.
What causes eutrophication?
The cause of eutrophication is excess nutrients entering the water systems. These excess nutrients usually come from fertilizer runoff or sewage, resulting in mostly nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients.
Refuse Act of 1899
Prohibited dumping trash or pollutants into U.S. navigable waters without a permit.
Hydropower
Energy harvested from water. Includes storage hydropower, pumped-storage hydropower, run-of-river hydropower, tidal power.
Why does ice float on water?
It is less dense.
What three purposes do flood plains serve?
Absorb and store excess floodwater, provide fertile soil for agriculture, and support ecosystems and wetlands to reduce flood damage.
What causes “fish kills”?
Fish kills are caused by low dissolved oxygen levels. This is often due to algae blooms, pollution, or sudden temperature changes.
Clean Water Act of 1972
Established regulations to reduce water pollution and restore water quality in U.S. waters.
Geothermal Energy
Harvesting the heat energy that heats our hot springs and geysers.
What do we call water in the solid state? In the gaseous state?
Ice; Water Vapor
How many rivers are there in the United States? Which river is the largest by volume? Which river is the longest?
Over 3000 ; Mississippi River – Largest by Volume ; Missouri River – Largest by Length.
List examples of physical water pollution.
Physical water pollution would include plastic waste, trash and debris, sediment from soil runoff, and thermal pollution from heated water at power plants.
Safe Drinking Water Act, amended 1986
Set standards for drinking water quality and required monitoring to ensure public safety.
Biomass Energy
Harvesting energy from materials of biological origin such as plants and animals.
Compare the specific heat capacity of water to other substances.
Water has a very high specific heat capacity compared to most substances. Water is able to absorb and release larger amounts of heat with a smaller change in temperature, which helps regulate our climate.
List the five oceans on Earth.
Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, and Southern.
What are the two sources of groundwater pollution?
The two sources of groundwater pollution are human sources and natural sources. Human sources include leaking landfills, septic tanks, chemical spills, and agriculture. Natural sources include minerals like arsenic or salts found in rocks and soil.
Solar Energy
Energy from the sun (passive or active).
______ is indirectly the source of most forms of energy.
The sun.