Hydrosphere: Water Usage and Pollution

I. Freshwater
Barron’s Ch. 3
EdPuzzle #005
FRQ: 2003-Q3, 2012-Q4, 2013-Q1, 2015-Q1
A. Describe the importance of water in regards to its:
1. Unique Properties:
- strong hydrogen bonds hold water molecules to each other
- temperature of water changes slowly because of its high specific
heat capacity
- water has a high boiling point
- a lot of energy is needed to evaporate water
- water dissolves many compounds
- water filters out harmful UV radiation in aquatic ecosystems
- water adheres to many solid surfaces
- water expands when it freezes

2. Percentages and Locations:

- 70% of Earth is water
- 97% of that is freshwater
- the other 3% is salt water (normally found in icecaps)
- the rest is found in descending order, in groundwater, lakes,
soil moisture, atmospheric moisture, rivers, and streams

3. Availability for Human Use:

- most human settlements are determined by the availability of
freshwater
- highest amount of freshwater is found in countries with high
precipitation and small population
- Ex. Norway and Iceland
- lower per capita freshwater supplies are found in areas with low
precipitation and high population
- Ex. Egypt and Israel
- freshwater is a limited source, but the use of freshwater is growing
at twice the rate of population growth
- average amount of freshwater per person → 500,000
gallons a year

B. Lakes
1. Types, formations of lakes
2. Nutrient levels in water
a) Oligotrophic
b) Mesotrophic
c) Eutrophic
d) Hypertrophic
 3. Thermal stratification
4. Spring and fall turnover
a) Cause
b) Importance to health of lake
C. Wetlands and Estuaries
1. Different types of wetlands and characteristics of each
2. List four ecological services provided by wetlands.

D. Aquifers
- geologic formation that contains water in quantities sufficient enough to
support a well of spring
- groundwater from aquifers supplies almost 40% of all freshwater in US

Types of Aquifers:
- Confined Aquifer - below the land surface that is saturated with
water. The layers are impermeable material above and below the
aquifer, causing it be under pressure, so that when the aquifer is
penetrated by a well, the water will rise above the top of the
aquifer (Artesian Well)
- Unconfined Aquifer - water seeps into the ground surface directly
above the aquifer, permeable layers above and below the aquifer
that allow water into the aquifer

1. Groundwater - the largest source of freshwater on Earth.

2. Zone of Saturation - An aquifer whose pores are saturated with
water
3. Unsaturated Zone - zone immediately below the land surface
where the pores contain both water and air, but are not totally saturated
with water
4. Water Table - the level/line where that lines on top of the ground
that is saturated with water
5. Recharge Zone - surface area above an aquifer that supplies
water to an aquifer
a) Natural Recharge -
b) Lateral Recharge -
6. Surface Water -
 7. Surface Runoff -
8. Watershed/Drainage Basin -
E. Oceans
1. Zones of oceans
2. Upwelling
3. Ocean Currents
a) surface ocean currents
b) Deep ocean currents
4. Ocean temperature increase
a) Amount
b) Cause
c) Significance
5. Sea levels raise
a) Cause
b) Impact on:
(1) Marine organisms
(2) Wetlands
(3) Intertidal zones
(4) Estuaries
II. Water Usage
Barron’s Ch. 3
EdPuzzle #
FRQ: 2002-Q2, 2013-Q1
A. Usage for
1. Agriculture
2. Industrial
3. Residential/domestic use?
B. Groundwater
1. Infiltration/Recharge (Water Cycle)
2. Pollution impact
3. Overuse
C. Conservation of freshwater
D. Hydrologic poverty.
1. Define
2. Areas affected
E. Future predictions
III. Fishing
Barron’s Ch.7
EdPuzzle #
FRQ: 2004-Q1, 2006-Q4
A. Describe the four types of major commercial fishing:
1. Trawler fishing
2. Purse-seine fishing
3. Longlining
4. Drift-net fishing
 B. Bycatch
1. Describe
2. Impacts
C. Commercial extinction
D. Maximum sustainable yield vs optimum sustainable yield
E. Farm-raised fish
1. Positive impacts
2. Negative impacts
F. Hydroelectric dams
1. Effect on freshwater
2. Salmon species
IV. Water Pollution
Barron’s Ch. 9
FRQ: 2010-Q1, 2015-Q3, 2017-Q1
EdPuzzle #
A. Eutrophication
B. Cultural eutrophication
C. Does groundwater generally recover quickly from water pollution? Why or why
not?
D. Surface runoff
1. Impact on groundwater
2. Impact on sewage facilities
3. Impact on drainage systems
E. Drinking water purification
F. Ocean Water Pollution
V. Sewage Treatment
Baron’s Ch 9
FRQ 2007-Q1, 2012 -Q4, 2014-Q2, 2017-Q1
EdPuzzle #
A. Primary treatment
B. Secondary treatment
C. Tertiary treatment
D. Diagram
VI. Laws
A. Clean Water Act
B. Safe Drinking Water Act
C. Ocean Dumping Ban Act
D. Oil Spill Prevention and Liability Act