Water Quality

Water quality describes the condition of the water, including chemical, physical, and biological characteristics, usually with respect to its suitability for a particular purpose such as drinking or swimming.

Water Quality

Multiple Choice

For what types of water does the Clean Water Act relate to?

• surface waters
• ocean waters

Multiple Choice

A body of water that has high turbidity is ...

• cloudy
• clear

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are indicators of healthy water systems?

• high nitrates, high pH, and low temperatures
• low temperatures, high dissolved oxygen, and neutral pH

Multiple Choice

What is the possible effect of high nitrate level in water systems?

• algal bloom
• fewer algae

Multiple Choice

What pH level is best for marine organisms?

• 1.0
• 7.4

Multiple Select

What do we use to measure water quality?

• pH and temperature

• salinity and dissolved oxygen

• Ferric burden and light level

• sediment type and slime layer

• turbidity and presence of micro and macro-organisms

• harder to identify and harder to address

• comes from many places, all at once

​Non-Point Source

• is easy to identify

• comes from a single place

​Point Source

Pollution

Multiple Choice

An example of a non-point solution is 

• waste water from leaking pipe
• fertilizer runoff from lawns

Multiple Choice

What is pollution?

• Pollution is the absence of any substances in the environment.
• Pollution is the presence of beneficial substances in the environment.
• Pollution is the presence of harmful substances or pollutants in the environment.

Multiple Choice

An example of point source pollution is

• trash floating in the ocean
• oil spilling from a supertanker

• living or once living

• bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals (including humans)

​Biotic Factors

• nonliving

• water, rocks, dirt and sand

• sunlight and air

• temperature, air & water quality

​Abiotic Factors

Factors in an Ecosystem

Multiple Choice

Abiotic means

• living

• nonliving

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a biotic factor in an aquatic ecosystem?

• the salt content of the water

• the temperature of the water

• the fish in the water

• the oxygen in the water

Multiple Choice

Temperature, light, air, water, and soil are all  _____  parts of the environment

• alive
• biotic 
• abiotic
• living

Multiple Choice

What are the abiotic factors in this image?

• water, sunlight, dirt, air

• birds, trees, and sunlight

• water, trees, and birds

Multiple Select

Select ALL the biotic factors

• temperature

• water

• dragon fly

• bacteria

• lily pad