hydrosphere review

Which would be the most sustainable way to increase the supply of potable water as the United States population grows?

• Dig more deep wells to access fossil water.
• Build more reservoir dams along rivers.
• Increase the use of greywater for landscaping.
• Increase the use of saltwater for cooling power plants

Many variables affect the quality and quantity of water available for people to use. Which variable is leastcontrolled by human behavior?

• groundwater depletion rate
• aquifer recharge rate
• turbidity level
• algae level

Which of the following is most responsible for reducing the availability of fresh water in this country?

• recharge of aquifers
• reservoir evaporation
• nonpoint source pollution
• boat and watercraft emissions

There are many methods of increasing the supply of freshwater to coastal cities. Which method takes the most energy?

• drilling deep wells
• desalination
• conservation
• building pipelines

What would be the most sustainable way to reduce farm use of river water in a coastal area?

• Build desalination plants to convert seawater to fresh water for farms.
• Dig deeper wells to pump more water from deeper aquifers to farms.
• Use drip irrigation systems to water crops more precisely on farms.
• Construct pipelines that carry water from inland reservoirs to farms.

Toxic runoff can pollute a stream and also

• produce acid rain. 
• cause soil erosion.
• create algae blooms.
• pollute groundwater.

Which most likely caused the changes observed in the data over time?

• increase in the amount of precipitation
• increase in water conservation efforts
• decrease in the amount of recharge
• decrease in irrigation for farming

Acid precipitation can dissolve aluminum from soil. As aluminum is dissolved, it can flow into lakes and contaminate the water. High concentrations of aluminum in lakes is fatal to many forms of aquatic life. This scenario provides evidence for which of these concepts?

• Environmental change can impact the quality of life for living organisms.
• Environmental change always has a negative impact on organisms.
• Acid rain is the most important environmental problem to address.
• Acid rain is the leading cause of death to fish in lakes.

Which human activity directly affects the quality of freshwater resources?

• depleting the ozone layer
• burning gasoline in car engines
• throwing trash out of car windows
• allowing runoff from agricultural fields

What is most responsible for the presence of groundwater in an area?

• the movement of water from a confined aquifer into surface water
• the movement of surface water and precipitation through the soil and rock
• the movement of water from streams and rivers to watersheds
• the movement of surface water through impermeable rock