The Water Cycle & Conservation
What is: most water on Earth is either salt water or frozen in glaciers. There is only so much fresh water.
Where is the most water consumed every day? Agricultural practices, Industrial Factories, or Humans in their homes?
Agricultural practices: producing fruits/vegetables and animals
This term defines the amount of empty space in sediments or rocks.
What is Porosity?
This type of pollution cannot be traced back to a single source like a pipe, and includes runoff from farms.
What is Non-point source pollution?
The purpose of this 1974 Act is to ensure every person in the U.S. has the legal right to obtain safe drinking water.
What is the Safe Drinking Water Act?
A water source, such as a river or reservoir, that supplies both rural towns and large cities.
What are surface water. (its on the surface)
The type of industry or factories that are using the most water.
What are clothing, beverages, or food production.
The property of sediment that describes its ability for liquid or gas to pass through it.
What is Permeability?
This type of pollution can be traced back to a single, identifiable source, such as a factory's discharge pipe.
Point source pollution?
This 1972 Act regulates the discharge of pollutants into U.S. waters and often focuses on factory output.
What is the Clean Water Act?
A water source, such as an underground aquifer that supplies homes and small towns with water to their homes.
What is groundwater. (its under ground)
One reason an industry (factory) might be held back from switching to water-conserving practices.
What is the cost to switch things over or maintain new machinery?
Sediment that has HIGH or LOW permeability is best for refilling an aquifer quickly because it allows this process to happen fast.
The primary reason we should be careful what we put down our drain at home (think medications).
What is it enters the water cycle, exposing humans to the products when they dissolve in water.
What is contaminants can expose aquatic species to things like hormones and pain medication which we in turn may eat.
The causes of algae blooms.
What are fertilizer runoff and failing septic tanks.
The three most water-intensive activities in a typical human home.
What are showers, laundry, and dishwasher?
Ways farmers can conserve water.
What are, install drip irrigation and rain barrels. grow native plants, dry farming, fix leaks, go organic, rotate crops, compost.
Examples of water pollution contamination that we reviewed in class. (need 2)
Forever chemicals
Erin Brockovich
A Civil Action (Massachusetts,
Dark Waters (Teflon)
The main reason that plastic trash and other waste from landfills are bad for the environment, besides taking up space.
What are toxic chemicals can make their way into the water cycle due to runoff.
What is algae on the surface dies, when it does it takes in the oxygen in the water as it decomposes.
Why is the water cycle necessary for the environment?
It’s how water reaches plants, animals, and humans.It also moves things like nutrients, pathogens and sediment in and out of ecosystems. Without the water cycle life and environments they live in would cease to exist.
The two main ways farmers are having difficulty taking care of their farms due to a lack of fresh water.
What is less rain (drought) and less snow to recharge the aquifers? (chances due to climate change, both happening naturally and due to humans burning fossil fuels.)
The process where a pollutant increases in amount in organisms as it travels up the food chain, resulting in species at the top having the highest concentration.
What is Biomagnification? Species higher on food chain have MORE pollutant in them.
Examples of toxic chemicals in landfills that can pollute water. (name 3)
Heavy metals, chemicals from batteries and lightbulbs. Motor oil and cell phones. Freon from fridges and air conditioners.
The negative effects of a harmful algal bloom (like red tide) on humans.
What are loss of jobs, loss of tourism, or breathing problems?