Watersheds/Runoff
What is a "divide" in a watershed?
highest point of a watershed
Oil and grease should be disposed of properly so it does not end up in a groundwater source. Oil is hydrophobic.
True/False: Most of the world uses chicken and beef as their main protein source, not seafood.
False
True/False: Plant life is important for the health of groundwater.
True; plants promote groundwater absorbtion
Explain how fertilizer can be bad for a water source, even though it is usually good for plant life.
can promote the overgrowth of algae in lakes or streams
What is an aquifer?
area of high concentration of water underground (not an underground lake), where wells are drilled for extraction
What happens to dissolved oxygen levels in water as the surface temperature of the Earth rises?
oxygen levels go down as surface temperature goes up
Why is it important that we place farms up-river from factories?
Pollution from factories might end up in the river, damaging crops from farms if they are down-river from the factories
Fred and George are neighbors. Fred has been watering his grass every evening the past few weeks. George says that he should stop, because their county is in a drought. Fred says it is fine because water is a renewable resource. Who is right? Explain.
George. Everyone should do their part to conserve water in a drought, and watering grass is not the most important use of water in this scenario.
Why are parking lots and paved cement bad for groundwater/flooding?
The ground is a sponge that absorbs water, when there is cement covering the ground, it cannot absorb water like it normally would, leading to flooding
Explain how fertilizer can negatively impact marine fish populations.
Overgrowth of algae leading to less available oxygen in the water
Why are phytoplankton important? Give me 2 reasons.
more than 50% of Earth's oxygen, food for other sea life
Where does most ocean pollution come from? (44%)
Runoff from land
What percent of Texas's water comes from underground?
60%
Explain how coral dies due to increased surface temperature.
Algae, corals' food source, dies or is expelled from coral, leading to bleaching
A local government bans dumping water in the largest local lake, but only that lake. Scientists claim this won't actually prevent contamination of local groundwater sources. Explain why not.
The government only banned one water source for dumping, that doesn't mean they banned the others. Dumping pollutants anywhere could mean contaminated groundwater.
What is the only way to completely purify water? (hint: part of the water cycle)
Evaporate it
What major aquifers does Williamson county use?
Trinity and Edwards
fossil fuels, destruction of plant life such as the Amazon, mass deforestation
Why is it important that there is plant life near water sources such as streams and rivers?
the roots of plants keep water from eroding the banks of streams, protecting ecosystems