Earth History 8.E.1.1-8.E.1.3

Which factor has the greatest effect on a community’s stores of fresh water?

• the location of the nearest ocean

• the average annual rainfall

• the location of the nearest mountain

• the average winter temperature

The graph shows the distribution of the freshwater resources of Earth. Which of these sources of fresh water corresponds to Source 1?

• atmospheric water

• surface water

• frozen water

• groundwater

Which of these is a freshwater reservoir?

• Gulf of Mexico

• Pacific Ocean

• Atlantic tidal basin

• Antarctic polar ice

Which is Earth’s largest source of drinkable water?

• lakes

• rivers

• oceans

• aquifers

Which of the following contains MOST of the water on Earth?

• the oceans

• watersheds

• the atmosphere

• ice and aquifers

During a portion of the water cycle, water falls to Earth’s surface as precipitation. Some of this water runs off into channels and keeps moving until it ends up in the ocean.

Which BEST describes the water in the channels?

• lake

• river

• aquifer

• wetland

The figure above shows how water is distributed on Earth. Which of the following contains the largest percentage of Earth’s fresh water?

• lakes

• groundwater

• glaciers and ice caps

• ground ice and permafrost

What most often causes the availability of water to change?

• local geography

• types of plants

• types of soil

Which best describes the role of the water cycle?

• circulates existing water on Earth

• reduces pollution in most of the water

• increases usable supply of Earth’s water

If water is recycled in the atmosphere, which best describes why water availability on Earth is decreasing?

• An increase in droughts is slowly reducing freshwater reservoirs.

• Due to an increase in Earth’s temperature, evaporation rates continue to increase reducing liquid water on the surface.

• Earth’s freshwater continues to become more polluted, reducing the supply of freshwater safe for humans to consume.