Hydrosphere
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Properties of water
High specific heat Neutral pH Good conductor Exists in liquid form Universal solvent Has surface tension
About hydrosphere
About 1% accessible for human consumption 71% is on Earth’s surface
Natural waters
Surface waters: fresh and marine Ground waters
Area Filled with moisture in the ground
Zone of saturation
What happens when weather is dry and discharge is greater than recharge?
Water table falls
What happens when weather is wet or the recharge is greater than the discharge?
Water table rises
What is a watertight layer of rock or clay that keep water from escaping deep into the Earth? Why?
Aquiclude; low hydraulic conductivity
Different types of recharge
Natural: percolated water from precipitation Lateral: from streams or rivers
Underground caverns of porous layers of sand, bedrock or gravel where groundwater flows
Aquifers
Aquifer with no seal above
Unconfined aquifer
Aquifer with seal (aquicludes)
Confined aquifer
From what point to what point does groundwater flow
High elevation and pressure to low elevation and pressure
How are surface waters and groundwaters interrelated?
Surface waters recharge groundwaters through rivers and lakes Groundwaters recharge surface waters when water table or aquifer intersects with lakes or rivers
Will withdrawal of surface waters affect ground waters vise versa?
Yes
An area of land that drains all streams and rainfall into a common outlet; drainage or catchment
Watershed
Amount of time a water molecule stays within a particular stage in the hydrologic cycle
Residence time
Examples of residence time
Biospheric water: 1 week Ground water: 2 weeks to 10,000 years Ice caps and glaciers: 1000 to 10,000 years
It is measured by 3 critiques, name it and what the 3 critiques are
Water pollution; biological, chemical, and physical
Discharge pollutants at specific locations, easy to identify. Name examples
Point sources; factories, sewage treatment plants, oil tankers, and underground mines
Cannot be traced by a single point of discharge, very little progress because it is hard to control and identify. Name examples
Non point sources; cropland, livestock, urban streets, logged forests
Where is dilution of pollutants less effective and why?
Less effective in lakes and reservoirs than streams because it has little flow and vertical mixing Lakes are vulnerable to runoff of sediments, toxic substances, and nutrients
What water body is also heavily affected by pollutants and why
Coastal areas; 40% of population lives there Industries, cities, red tides, oxygen depleted zones, urban sprawl, and toxic sediments
What can recover from moderate wastes? How and why? What is the twist?
Rivers and streams; with the use of biodegradation, dilution, bacteria that break down wastes Will not recover if it is overloaded with pollutants and if there are slowly degradable and non-degradable pollutants.
Source of surface water pollution: Dead plant and animal matter High BOD (?) __% come from agriculture and urban sewage
Oxygen-demanding wastes High in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) 33%