Water Cylce
What are Canada's 5 watersheds?
Hudson's Bay, Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico
How is a glacier formed?
A glacier forms when snow accumulates over time, turns to ice, and begins to flow outwards and downwards under the pressure of its weight.
What is point source pollution? Given 2 examples.
The source of a pollutant is from a small, defined area. You can "pinpoint" the source.
Examples: Sewage drain, smoke stack, factories, drainage pipes
Why do waves break when they reach the shoreline?
The trough of the wave is slowed down by friction and the crest of the wave continues moving at the same speed. Eventually, this causes the wave to topple over itself.
What is a water table?
The level below the surface of the ground at which you start to find water
Describe one way you depend on water in your daily life.
Compare and contrast valley glaciers and continental glaciers.
Continental glaciers cover a great area of land, such as the glaciers covering Greenland or Antarctica, while valley glaciers are found high in a mountain valley and do not have much area coverage. Valley glaciers also flow down a valley, while continental glaciers move outwards across the land.
What is non-point source pollution? Give 2 examples.
The pollutant comes from a wide, undefined area. It is difficult to find the source.
Examples: golf courses, farms, ranches, suburban septic systems
Identify 5 features of the ocean floor.
Continental shelf, continental slope, abyssal plains, trench, mid-ocean ridge
What is turbidity?
measure of the level of particles such as sediment, plankton, or other dissolved solids, in a body of water. As the turbidity of water increases, it becomes denser and less clear due to a higher concentration of these light-blocking particles.
What are the main parts of the water cycle?
Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Run-Off, and Transpiration
Identify and explain two types of glacier erosion.
How does nutrient pollution affect water systems?
Nutrient pollution could lead to an algal bloom. This blocks sunlight and lowers dissolved oxygen levels in the water ultimately creating a "dead zone".
Describe how particles of a wave move.
They travel in a circular motion. Things floating on top will bob up and down!
What is a bioindicator species?
Living organisms that are monitored to screen the health of an ecosystem. Example: measuring the amount of rainbow trout in the bow river.
Where is the majority of freshwater located?
It is frozen as ice!
Identify and explain two types of glacier deposition.
Answers may include Moraine, Till, Erratic, Esker
List 4 ways you can test/monitor water quality?
How do ocean currents affect the climate?
Ocean currents act like a conveyor belt, transporting warm water and precipitation from the equator toward the poles and cold water from the poles back to the tropics.
What are 2 different methods to purify water.
Explain how human activities can impact the water cycle.
Examples: water withdrawals, pollution/contamination, climate change, deforestation increases surface runoff.
The overall result is a water cycle that is less stable and predictable, with potential impacts on water availability, quality, and aquatic ecosystems.
Explain the difference between an advancing glacier and a retreating glacier.
Advancing Glacier: If more snow and ice are added than are lost through melting or evaporation, glaciers will advance.
Retreating Glacier: If less snow and ice are added than are lost, glaciers will retreat.
*Both still flow downhill!
Explain the difference between the greenhouse effect and climate change
Both the greenhouse effect and climate change have to do with warming the Earth's atmosphere. However, the greenhouse effect is a natural process that keeps Earth habitable while climate change is enhanced by humans putting excess Greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Compare and contrast neap tides and spring tides.
Spring tides occur when the sun, moon, and Earth are lined up. This causes a larger tidal range each day. Neap tides occur when the sun, moon, and Earth form a right angle, and this causes a smaller tidal range each day.
Both occur twice a month!
Explain acid precipitation and its impact on ecosystems.
Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the atmosphere and enter the water cycle. This increases the acidity of precipitation which is extremely harmful to fish, plants, and other wildlife.