Groundwater Notes

Multiple Select

Why is groundwater important?

• Accounts for more than 95% of all freshwater

• 50% of Americans obtain their drinking water from groundwater

• Used in crop irrigation

• Industrial needs are fulfilled by groundwater

Multiple Choice

All of the following are examples of surface water, EXCEPT:

• Spring

• Lake

• Aquifer

• River

Multiple Choice

Which description best describes an aquifer?

• Water running through streams and rivers across the open surface

• Water below the surface after percolating through layers of rock

• Any body of water we can use as drinking water

• Non-drinkable water that is considered too contaminated for use

Multiple Choice

Based on the macroscopic views of the three substances, which is the most permeable?

• Gravel

• Sand

• Silt

• There are all equally permeable.

Multiple Choice

Long periods of drought can have a lasting effect on the availability of water. Even after rainfall has returned to an area, why is it important to conserve water in areas that are prone to extended droughts?

• Some aquifers recharge slowly and remain depleted for long periods of time

• Aquifers can move to different places after extreme weather

• Rain cannot recharge an aquifer

• Water filling an aquifer is not suitable to drink for many years

Multiple Choice

The city of Hill Valley is running dangerously low on water. Despite receiving large amounts of rainfall over the last year, their aquifer is nearly depleted. They sent a soil sample to a local lab for analysis. Hill Valley (Sample C) was compared samples from other parts of the state (Samples A and B). Based on your understanding, what is the problem with Hill Valley’s soil?

• High porosity: water quickly passes through the soil

• High permeability: water moves to other areas

• Low porosity: water does not penetrate the soil

• Hill Valley has not received enough rainfall

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the MOST beneficial adaptation for cavern dwelling organisms in an aquifer?

• No eyes because as there is no light in the cavern, they don't need to use energy on eyes

• Large feet because they need to paddle around the water

• A specialized heart to allow them to last longer out of water

• A tail designed for continuous high-speed movement

Multiple Choice

Water that falls as rain recharges the watershed and sinks about a mile deep through faults and fractures. As it goes deep into the earth, it becomes heated by the natural heat gradient of the earth and compression. The water then rises quickly through a fault to the earth’s surface where it is known as a ___.

• spring

• fault line

• plasmordium

• oasis