Water Properties
After it rains, several drops of water join together to form one larger drop. Which property of water causes this?
What is cohesion?
After a rainstorm, a puddle on the playground slowly disappears on a warm, sunny day. What water cycle process occurred?
What is evaporation?
Rain falls on a neighborhood and flows downhill into the same nearby creek. The entire land area that drains into that creek is called this.
What is a watershed?
A farmer applies fertilizer to a field. After a heavy rain, some of it washes into a nearby stream and eventually reaches a larger river. This shows that activities on land can affect this throughout a watershed.
What is water quality?
During a dry summer, a farmer uses pipes and sprinklers to supply water to crops instead of relying only on rainfall. What is this use of water called?
What is irrigation?
A student places a thin straw into colored water. The water climbs slightly up the inside of the straw because it is attracted to the straw’s surface. Which property is demonstrated?
What is adhesion?
Water vapor rises into cooler air and changes into tiny droplets that gather to form clouds. What process is taking place?
What is condensation?
Rain falls on two sides of a mountain ridge. Water on one side flows toward one river, while water on the other side flows toward a different river. What is the ridge acting as?
What is a watershed divide?
After a heavy rain, soil washes from a construction site into a stream, making the water muddy and cloudy. What water-quality measurement would increase?
What is turbidity?
One end of a water molecule has a slightly positive charge while the other end has a slightly negative charge. This makes water this type of molecule.
What is a polar molecule?
A student carefully places a paper clip on top of water. Even though the paper clip is denser than water, it can rest on the surface without immediately sinking. Which property makes this possible?
What is surface tension?
After a heavy rain, water flows downhill across the ground and eventually enters a nearby stream. What process is being demonstrated?
What is runoff?
A small creek flows into a larger river but does not flow directly into the ocean. What is the smaller creek called?
What is a tributary?
Scientists test a stream and find the water has a pH of 7. Is the water acidic, basic, or neutral?
What is neutral?
During a heavy storm, this type of ecosystem can absorb excess water, reduce flooding, provide wildlife habitat, and help filter pollutants before they reach larger bodies of water.
What is a wetland?
A student adds salt to a glass of water and stirs. Soon, the salt seems to disappear and is evenly spread throughout the water. Which property of water does this demonstrate?
What is water’s ability to act as a universal solvent?
After rainfall, some water soaks into the soil instead of flowing across the surface. It may eventually become groundwater. What process occurred?
What is infiltration?
Rain falls in south and southeastern Virginia and flows into rivers such as the Chowan River, eventually reaching the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. Which major watershed does this water belong to?
What is the North Carolina Sounds watershed?
Scientists test a stream to find out how much oxygen is available in the water for fish and other aquatic organisms to breathe. What water-quality measurement are they testing?
What is dissolved oxygen?
Water freezes and expands in cracks, breaking a rock apart, while acidic rainwater reacts with minerals and changes the rock’s composition, such as oxidation. Which example is physical weathering, and which is chemical weathering?
Freezing and breaking the rock is physical weathering; acidic water changing the minerals is chemical weathering.
A pond freezes during winter, but the ice stays on top while liquid water remains underneath, allowing organisms to survive below. What unusual property of water explains this?
What is the lower density of solid water (ice) compared with liquid water?
On a hot, sunny day, a large tree releases water vapor from tiny openings in its leaves. What process of the water cycle is occurring?
What is transpiration?
A stream contains fish, algae, rocks, sunlight, and flowing water. Which items are biotic factors, and which are abiotic factors?
Biotic: fish and algae; Abiotic: rocks, sunlight, and water.
A water-monitoring team finds many mayfly and stonefly larvae in a stream. Because these organisms are sensitive to pollution, what might their presence suggest?
What is good water quality?
The Chesapeake Bay is an example of this type of ecosystem where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.
What is an estuary?