Properties of Water
What makes water a unique liquid?
Polarity, expands as a solid, neutral pH, high specific heat
What percentage of earth's water is freshwater?
2.5%
What is ground water?
Water that fills gaps between soil and sediments underground
What is the process of water leaving the clouds in various forms?
Precipitation
What causes the shape of water?
Electronegativity
What percentage of water is available for living things?
1.2%
What is most ground water used for?
Agriculture
What uses natural water pressure to bring water to the surface?
Artesian wells
What is cohesion?
What is adhesion?
Cohesion = attraction of water molecules to other water molecules
Adhesion = attraction of water molecules to other substances
What is a watershed?
An area of land that drains into a particular body of water
What is a water table?
Borders ground water on the top surface
Water tables show the depth at which the soil is saturated with water
What is the process of water vapor leaving plant leaves?
Transpiration
How is water moved through the earth and the earth's atmosphere?
Hydrologic cycle
What is an estuary?
The point where the mouth of a freshwater river meets the ocean
How does a spring form?
Ground water bubbles up to the surface
Name and define the two types of aquifers.
Unconfined aquifer: found above an aquitard
Confined aquifer: trapped below an aquitard
Describe how differences in electronegativity causes water to bond to itself.
Water = H2O = 2 hydrogen atoms, 1 oxygen atom
1 Oxygen atom = slightly negative charge
2 hydrogen atoms = slightly positive charges
Hydrogen atoms from one water molecule are attracted to the Oxygen atom in another water molecule
What does it mean for water to be considered "brackish"
Mixture of saltwater and freshwater
What new farming technique was introduced after the Dust Bowl?
Irrigation
Name and define each step in the hydrologic cycle.
Transpiration: water vapor leaving plant leaves
Condensation: water vapor turning back into liquid
Precipitation: water released from clouds in various forms
Evaporation: water changing from liquid to gas
Infiltration: water on the ground seeping into the soil
Runoff: water that runs along the land’s surface
Aquifer: saturated area below the water table