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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Between 1960 and 2006, floods in the United States resulted in an average of _______ deaths per year.
A. 1.4 B. 14 C. 139 D. 1,450 E. 14,5000 |
139
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Between 1960 and 2006, floods in the United States produced an average of _______ in damage per year.
A. $459,000 B. $4.59 million C. $45.9 million D. $459 million E. $4.59 billion |
$4.59 billion
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Base level ____________________.
A. is the level below which a stream cannot erode B. for all streams is sea level C. is the average annual flow level for a stream D. is the minimum amount of flow possible for a stream E. None of these are correct. |
is the level below which a stream cannot erode
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Factor(s) that interact to make streams seek equilibrium include __________________.
A. the volume of water discharged by the stream B. the amount of sediment waiting to be moved C. the slope of the stream bottom D. the sinuosity of the stream path E. All of these are correct. |
All of these are correct
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United States Geological Survey stream-gauging stations measure all but which of the following?
A. water depths B. channel width C. water velocity D. United States Geological Survey stream-gauging stations measure all but which of the following? A. water depths B. channel width C. water velocity D. amount of sediment being carried by the stream E. All of these are correct. E. All of these are correct. |
United States Geological Survey stream-gauging stations measure all but which of the following?
A. water depths B. channel width C. water velocity D. amount of sediment being carried by the stream E. All of these are correct. |
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If a stream experiences more energetic water flow, the stream _____________________.
A. responds by increasing the sinuosity of its channel pattern through meandering B. responds by decreasing the sinuosity of its channel pattern C. will not change its sinuosity, but will erode sediment D. will not change its sinuosity, but will deposit sediment E. will not change its floe path |
responds by increasing the sinuosity of its channel pattern through meandering
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7. If a stream is choked with sediment and has insufficient water to carry it away _________________.
A. the water will pick its way through as a braided stream B. a peninsula is formed C. a canyon is formed D. a flood will occur E. Any of these may happen. |
the water will pick its way through as a braided stream
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If a stream has a meandering section, that section is most likely to be __________________.
A. in its upstream section near its source or sources B. in its downstream section, near its mouth C. in its upstream section near its source or sources or in its downstream section, near its mouth D. braided |
in its downstream section, near its mouth
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On a given stream, small floods happen _______________________.
A. with the same frequency as large floods B. more often than large floods C. less often than large floods, which explains why we hear about large floods more often in the news D. sometimes more often, sometimes less often than large floods, depending on long-term climate |
more often than large floods
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. Statistically, the 100-year flood has a ______ percent chance of occurring any year.
A. 1 B. 10 C. 50 D. 63 E. 0 |
1
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What is the probability that a 100-year flood will occur at least once in 100 years?
A. 1 percent B. 10 percent C. 50 percent D. 63 percent E. 0 percent |
63 percent
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Killer floods are caused by ____________________.
A. local thunderstorms B. abundant rainfall lasting for days C. the storm surges of tropical cyclones flooding the coasts D. the break-up of winter ice on rivers E. All of these are correct. |
All of these are correct
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Most flood-related deaths in the United States are caused by ____________________.
A. flash floods from local thunderstorms B. regional floods from abundant rainfall lasting for days C. storm surges of tropical cyclones flooding the coasts D. ice jam floods from the break-up of winter ice on rivers E. collapse of man-made dams |
flash floods from local thunderstorms
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About 50% of flash flood deaths __________________________.
A. are related to people swimming across flooded rivers B. are related to people watching floods from bridges C. are related to people trying to retrieve pets from flooded homes D. are vehicle-related E. are boat-related |
are vehicle-related
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In the United States about 2.5% of the land is floodplain and home to about _________ of the population.
A. 0.065 percent B. 0.65 percent C. 6.5 percent D. 65 percent E. None of our population lives on floodplains because of flood zoning legislation. |
6.5 percent
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Why are floods so common along the Red River of the North (in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota)?
A. The Red River valley is geologically young (about 9000 years old) and has not carved a deep valley. B. The gradient or slope of the riverbed is very low. C. River flow increases as winter snow melts and meltwater runs northward into still frozen parts of the river. D. All of these are correct. |
All of these are correct
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In the late spring and summer of 1993, the upper Mississippi River basin experienced record high floods. However, the floodwater mass did not significantly affect the lower Mississippi River basin because _________________.
A. the input from the Ohio River flow was low B. there was a drought in Louisiana C. the southern levees were built higher during the summer before the water got there D. All of these are correct. E. None of these are correct. |
the input from the Ohio River flow was low
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The __________ is reputed to have killed more people than any other natural feature.
A. Huang (Yellow) River in China B. Mississippi River C. Nile River in Egypt D. Red River of the North E. Amazon River in Brazil |
Huang (Yellow) River in China
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Efforts to control rivers include _______________.
A. dams B. levees C. channelization D. All of these are correct. |
All of these are correct
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A hydrograph is a plot of ___________________.
A. the volume of water or stream-surface height versus time B. water quality versus time C. sediment load versus time D. stream elevation versus distance downstream |
the volume of water or stream-surface height versus time
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Hydrographs from urban settings _______________________.
A. look just like those from rural settings B. show higher rates of runoff than rural settings, for a given precipitation event C. show floods are of shorter duration than in rural settings, for a given precipitation event D. show floods are of longer duration than in rural settings, for a given precipitation event E. Both show higher rates of runoff than rural settings, for a given precipitation event and show floods are of shorter duration than in rural settings, for a given precipitation event are correct. |
Both show higher rates of runoff than rural settings, for a given precipitation event and show floods are of shorter duration than in rural settings, for a given precipitation event are correct.
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With respect to channelization, straightening the channel ______________________.
A. increases the gradient of the stream bottom, making the water flow faster B. decreases the gradient of the stream bottom, making the water flow slower C. increases the gradient of the stream bottom, making the water flow slower D. decreases the gradient of the stream bottom, making the water flow faster E. None of these are correct. |
increases the gradient of the stream bottom, making the water flow faster
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When ice dams in front of the largest glacial lakes failed, stupendous floods resulted whose passage is still recorded ___________________.
A. in lake sediments B. by countryside stripped of all soil and sediment cover C. by abandoned waterfalls D. by a system of braided channels, now left mostly dry E. by all of these |
by all of these
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The most famous of the ice-dam failure floods is preserved in the "channeled scablands" topography in ____________________.
A. Manitoba B. Saskatchewan C. Alberta D. Montana E. Washington State |
Washington State
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A braided stream has ______________.
A. too much sediment to carry B. too little sediment in suspension, causing erosion in a braided pattern C. no relationship to the amount of sediment being transported |
too much sediment to carry
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If a flood has a recurrence interval of ten years, it means ______________________.
A. that a similar-sized flood will occur once every ten years B. that a similar-sized flood has a greater probability of occurring every tenth year than during any one of the intervening years C. that in any given year a similar flood has a 1/10 chance of occurring D. that the flood must be bigger than any other flood during any given 10-year interval E. None of these are correct. |
that in any given year a similar flood has a 1/10 chance of occurring
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During the great flood of July 1993, the southeastern United States experienced __________________.
A. persistent low atmospheric pressure and a drought B. persistent high atmospheric pressure and a drought C. persistent low atmospheric pressure and a flood D. persistent high atmospheric pressure and a flood |
persistent high atmospheric pressure and a drought
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The "channeled scablands" of the state of Washington were caused by ___________________.
A. the gentle, slow melting of glaciers B. the failure of an ice dam during glacial melting C. a large rainstorm D. winds from an ancient volcanic explosion at Mt. St. Helens E. None of these are correct. |
the failure of an ice dam during glacial melting
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Which of the following conditions led to the 1993 flood in the midcontinental United States?
A. the jet stream moving north and south more rapidly than normal B. the jet stream locked in place over north-central plains for an unusually long time C. an unusual amount of rainfall caused by the after-effects of Hurricane Andrew D. one unusually large rainstorm over Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota |
the jet stream locked in place over north-central plains for an unusually long time
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The 1993 flood in the central United States was caused by _____________________.
A. a single large rainstorm over a large area B. rapid melting of record winter snows during the spring of 1993 C. several storms building up excess moisture over several months over much of the upper Mississippi River drainage basin |
several storms building up excess moisture over several months over much of the upper Mississippi River drainage basin
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