Freshwater
What percentage of Earth's water is freshwater?
3%
What vocab word describes pollution that comes from a single, identifiable source?
Point-source pollution
What is drip irrigation?
Using a perforated pipe to slowly water plants in order to reduce evaporation
What is desalination?
Creating freshwater by removing salt from ocean water
What word do we use for water that is safe to drink?
Potable
Name 2 major sources of freshwater
Groundwater, surface water (lakes, rivers)
Where does most ocean pollution come from?
Runoff from nearby land
Which sector uses the most water?
Agriculture
What is the recharge zone?
Where water travels down to become part of an aquifer
Where is the water table?
The top/upper boundary of groundwater or an aquifer
What is an aquifer?
A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater
How does thermal pollution impact aquatic ecosystems?
It raises water temperatures, reducing oxygen levels
What can be created to form an artificial body of water behind a dam?
Reservoir
What is a part of a factory that contains a heat exchanger and is used to cool the water being circulated?
Cooling tower
What is one of the world's most pressing problems when it comes to water?
A shortage of access to clean, fresh water
What is the zone of saturation?
The area underground where it is filled/saturated with water
What's the difference between point-source and nonpoint-source pollution?
Point-source: Specific location
Nonpoint-source: Different sources
What are 2 solutions to the lack of access to fresh water?
Desalination, Transporting Fresh Water
What is the layer of rock, clay, or plastic that water can't pass through called?
Impermeable layer
Name the 4 sources of pollution
Pathogens, Heavy metals, Sediments, Pesticides/Fertilizer
Why is most freshwater unavailable for human use?
It's frozen, trapped in glaciers and ice caps or deep underground
How does eutrophication affect aquatic ecosystems?
It causes too much algae to grow, depleting oxygen and leading to dead zones
Name 3 ways to conserve water
Low flow toilets, xeriscaping, drip irrigation, reusing water for industries, etc.
What is the difference between a watershed and a river system?
Watershed: Area of land that drains into a single river (drainage basin)
River system: An interconnected network of rivers and streams that drains an area of land
Explain the difference between porosity & permeability
Porosity: The amount of empty space between grains of sediment
Permeability: How connected the pores in a sediment are, how easily liquids can pass through