Hydrosphere Module 5

Front 1

Suppose you are given a sample of water taken from somewhere in earth's hydrosphere.
a) Would it most likely be saltwater or freshwater?

b) If it is freshwater, where did it most likely come from?

c) If the person who collected the sample tells you it is freshwater that originally came from a liquid source, where did it most likely come from.

Back 1

a) It would most likely be saltwater.

After all, more than 97% of the earth's water is ocean water, so the most likely source for water is the ocean

b) If it is freshwater, it most likely came from an iceberg or glacier, since that's the largest source of freshwater on the planet.

c) If the person tells you it is from a liquid source, it is most likely groundwater, because groundwater is the largest source of liquid freshwater.

Front 2

Water that was originally in a plant ends up in a cloud. What two processes of the hydrologic cycle caused it to be transferred in that way?

Back 2

Transpiration and condensation put the water into the cloud. Since it was in a plant, the only way to get it into the atmosphere is by transpiration.

At that point, however, it is water vapor, not in a cloud.

To be in a cloud, the water vapor must condense.

Front 3

Rain that hits the land can travel as a liquid into a lake, river, stream, or ocean in two different ways. What are they?

Back 3

Rain on the land can get into another water source via runoff groundwater flow. If the rain never really gets absorbed by the soil, it becomes surface runoff.

If it gets absorbed by the soil and enters into the groundwater, it will get to another water source b groundwater flow.

Front 4

Suppose a scientist studies two groundwater sources. The first is an underground river that flows quickly into a large lake. The second is a large basin of underground water that moves at a much slower rate towards a small pond. Which groundwater source has the longest residence time?

Back 4

Residence time measures how long a single molecule of water stays in a water source. The slower the water source exchanges water with other sources, the longer the residence time. Thus, the slow-moving groundwater source will have the longest residence time because groundwater must flow into another source. if it flows slowly, it will take a long time to transfer water.

Front 5

Suppose you analyzed the salinity of three samples of ocean water. One was taken from deep in the ocean, one was taken from near the surface, and one was taken from a place near where a large river emptied into the ocean. if the salinities of samples 1, 2 and 3 were 37 grams per kilogram, 25 grams per kilogram, and 35 grams per kilogram, respectively, which sample was taken near the river?

Back 5

Sample 2 was taken from the place near the river. The other two salinities are at or above the average salinity of the oceans. Sample 2's salinity, however, is significantly lower. This means it must be near a place where freshwater dilutes the salt concentration.

Front 6

If a lake were completely isolated from all rivers and streams so that the only way it could get rid of water was by evaporation, would it most likely be a freshwater or saltwater source.

Back 6

It would be a saltwater source.

If evaporation is the only way the lake loses water, it can never get rid of any salt that it gets. So salts keep building up,making the lake a saltwater lake.

Front 7

A sailor brings you a chunk of ice that he thinks came from an iceberg. Based on the description of what he saw, however, you think that it might have been a large chunk of sea ice. How could you tell whether the ice is from an iceberg of from sea ice?

Back 7

Melt the ice and taste the water.

If it is salty, it came from sea ice.

If it is not salty, it came from an iceberg.

Front 8

You are studying a sample of soil and want to know if it came from above or below the water table. What could you do to determine this?

Back 8

Add some additional water to the soil. If the soil absorbs the water, it came from below the water table. Remember, soil below the water table is saturated.

If the soil absorbs water, it is not saturated and therefore is not from below the water table.

Front 9

In a certain region, the depth of the water table is measured. If there is a lot less rain than usual over the summer, what will happen to the depth of the water table?

Back 9

The depth of the water table will increase.

The water table separates saturated soil from unsaturated soil.

With little rain, groundwater flow will deplete the saturated soil faster than percolation will replace it, and soil that used to be saturated will become unsaturated.

That means the water table will be deeper than before.

Front 10

Suppose you have a balloon whose volume you can change. You inflate it to a volume of 1 litre and measure the temperature of the gas inside. You then very quickly compress the balloon so that its volume is only 0.5 litres. What happens to the temperature of the gas inside.

Back 10

The temperature will increase. Since air cools when it expands, it will warm when it is compressed, unless energy is removed in the process.

Front 11

Define the following term:

Hydrosphere

Back 11

The sum of all water on the planet

Front 12

Define the following term:

Hydrologic cycle

Back 12

The process by which water is continuously exchanged between earth's various water sources.

Front 13

Define the following term:

Transpiration

Back 13

Evaporation of water from plants

Front 14

Define the following term:

Condensation

Back 14

The process by which a gas turns into a liquid

Front 15

Define the following term:

Precipitation

Back 15

Water falling from the atmosphere as rain, snow, sleet, or hail

Front 16

Define the following term:

Distillation

Back 16

Evaporation and condensation of a mixture to separate out the mixture's individual components

Front 17

Define the following term:

Residence time

Back 17

The average time a given particle will stay in a given system

Front 18

Define the following term:

Salinity

Back 18

A measure of the mass of dissolved salt in a given mass of water

Front 19

Define the following term:

Firn

Back 19

A dense, icy pack of old snow

Front 20

Define the following term:

Water table

Back 20

The line between the water-saturated soil and the soil that is not saturated with water

Front 21

Define the following term:

Percolation

Back 21

The process by which water moves downward in the soil, toward the water table

Front 22

Define the following term:

Adiabatic cooling

Back 22

The cooling of a gas that happens when the gas expands with no way of getting more energy

Front 23

Define the following term:

Cloud condensation nuclei

Back 23

Small airborne particles upon which water vapor condenses to form clouds.

Front 24

What kind of water makes up the majority of earth's water supply?

Back 24

The vast majority of water on the earth is saltwater, since more than 97% of the earth's water supply is in the oceans

Front 25

What is the largest source of freshwater on the planet?

Back 25

Glaciers and Icebergs

Front 26

What is the largest source of liquid freshwater on the planet?

Back 26

Groundwater

Front 27

In the hydrologic cycle, name the ways water can enter the atmosphere.

Back 27

Evaporation
Transpiration

Front 28

When a raindrop hits the ground, name four ways it can eventually end up in a river.

Back 28

If the raindrop never really soaks into the soil, it can end up in a river via surface runoff.

It could also soak into the groundwater and get to the river via groundwater flow.

Alternatively, it could go into the soil, be absorbed by a plant, transpired into the atmosphere, condensed into a cloud, and precipitated into the river.

It could also be evaporated before it soaks into the ground, condensed into a cloud, and precipitated into the river.

Front 29

What process int he hydrologic cycle puts soil moisture into the atmosphere?

Back 29

Transpiration takes water from the soil and puts it in the atmosphere, because plants absorb the soil moisture and then put it into the atmosphere via transpiration.

Front 30

In which body of water would the residence time be shorter: a quickly moving river or a lake that has no river outlets?

Back 30

The residence time in the river is shorter. The residence time will be shorter wherever water is quickly exchanged with other sources.

Front 31

What must a lake have in order for it to be a freshwater lake?

Back 31

A lake must have a way to get rid of water other than just evaporation.

This usually is accomplished when the lake feeds a river or stream.

If evaporation is the only way of getting rid of water, the salts that the lake receives will become concentrated, making saltwater.

Front 32

Why is the salinity of the ocean evidence that the earth is not billions of years old?

Back 32

The oceans are not salty enough for the earth to be billions of years old.

Since salt accumulates in the oceans, the older the earth is, the saltier the oceans will be.

Calculations indicate that even assuming the oceans had no salt to begin with, it would take, at most, 62 million years to make the oceans as salty as they are now. (NOT BILLIONS OF YEARS!!)

Front 33

If you tasted melted sea ice,k would it taste like freshwater or saltwater?

Back 33

Melted sea ice would taste like saltwater, because salt is incorporated into sea ice when it freezes.

Front 34

Where do icebergs come from?

Back 34

Glaciers

If a glacier moves to the sea, it can break apart and float away as icebergs.

Front 35

Where do glaciers come from?

Back 35

Glaciers start on mountains as the result of snow that never completely melts in the summer.

If enough snow piles up, the weight causes it to slide down the mountain as a glacier.

Front 36

What is the term for the process by which a portion of a glacier breaks off and falls into the water?

Back 36

Calving

Front 37

The captain of a ship sees an iceberg and steers clear of it. Why is the captain still worried about a collision?

Back 37

The captain is worried because 90% of the glacier is underwater and therefore not visible.

The captain steered clear of the visible part, but the underside of the boat could still hit the part that is underwater.

Front 38

Suppose you studied two areas of land close to one another. In the first, there are a lot of trees. In the second, there are almost no trees at all. Other than that, the two areas seem identical. They have the same kind of grass and experience the same weather. Which one has the deeper water table?

Back 38

The water table will be deeper in the area with lots of trees.

Since there are no trees to take away soil moisture in the one area, and since they each have the same kind of grass, the area with the trees depletes soil moisture faster than the other one.

As a result, there will be more unsaturated soil in the region with trees, and the water table will therefore be deeper.

Front 39

If no energy is added to air, what happens to the temperature when the air expands?

Back 39

The air will cool as it expands.

That is what adiabatic cooling is all about.

Front 40

Will fog be thicker in a smoky area or an area free of smoke?

Back 40

Like the cloud in Experiment 5.3, the fog will be thicker in the smoky area.

Front 41

What kind of cooling is responsible for most cloud formation?

Back 41

Like the cloud in Experiment 5.3, adiabatic cooling accounts for most cloud formation.

Front 42

A bright student notes that with a few modifications, a refrigerator can become a "hot box," keeping things warm instead of cold. Explain.

Back 42

A refrigerator compresses a gas, which heats the gas up, and then it allows the gas to expand and any liquid to evaporate, which cools the gas. The only reason the inside of the refrigerator is cold is that the pipes carrying the expanded gas are exposed to the inside of the refrigerator. If you simply reversed the design so that the pipes carrying the gas after compression are on the inside of the refrigerator, the inside would heat up.

Front 43

What kind of water pollution is the hardest to track back to its source?

Back 43

Groundwater pollution is hard to track back because there is no easy way to tell where the polluted groundwater came from.

Front 44

Where does the majority of earth's water reside?

Back 44

Oceans

Front 45

What is the largest source of liquid freshwater on the planet?

Back 45

Groundwater

Front 46

What water source is a molecule of water once it has gone through transpiration?

Back 46

It is in the atmosphere.

Remember, transpiration takes water from plants and puts it in the atmosphere.

Front 47

Water was in the ocean and is now in a cloud. What two hydrologic cycle processes happened in order to make that transfer?

Back 47

Evaporation allowed it to leave the ocean and condensation put it in the cloud.

Front 48

Where is the residence time longer: in the ocean or in a fast-moving stream?

Back 48

The residence time is longest where the least amount of water exchange takes place. Since evaporation is the only way out of the ocean, it will take a long time for a molecule of water to leave the ocean.

Thus, the ocean has a longer residence time.

Front 49

If a lake has no means of getting rid o water except evaporation, does it contain saltwater or freshwater?

Back 49

It contains saltwater.

If the only means of losing water is evaporation, the salts continue to concentrate, making saltwater.

Front 50

An enormous amount of ocean water n the polar region freezes. Does it form an iceberg? Why or why not?

Back 50

It does not form an iceberg.

Icebergs are freshwater and come from glaciers. Sea ice has salt mixed in with it.

Front 51

What process in the hydrologic cycle is responsible for making glaciers.

Back 51

Precipitation is responsible for glaciers.

Remember, glaciers start because of snow, and snow is precipitation.

Front 52

What causes the temperature change that allows for condensation, which makes most clouds?

Back 52

Adiabatic cooling causes the temperature change that allows for the condensation that makes most clouds.

Front 53

If a sample of gas is compressed and nothing else is allowed to change,, what will happen to the temperature of the gas?

Back 53

The temperature will increase.

Gases cool as they expand and heat up as they are compressed if they are not allowed to exchange energy with their surroundings.

Front 54

If there is a lot more rain than normal in an area over an extensive length of time, what happens to the depth of the water table?

Back 54

The depth of the water table will decrease.

If a lot more water enters the soil, more soil than usual will become saturated.

This means you don't have to go down as far to find the saturated soil, so the water table is no longer as deep.

Front 55

Why is groundwater pollution so hard to trace back to its original source?

Back 55

The nature of groundwater flow makes it such that a lake can be polluted by groundwater that originally soaked into the soil hundreds of miles away.

When you find a lake polluted by groundwater pollution, how will you know where it came from?

Front 56

Define the following term:

Sedimentary rock

Back 56

Rock formed when chemical reactions cement sediments together, hardening them.

Front 57

Define the following term:

Aphelion

Back 57

The point at which the earth is farthest from the sun

Front 58

Define the following term:

Perihelion

Back 58

The point at which the earth is closest to the sun

Front 59

Define the following term:

Coriolis effect

Back 59

The way in which the rotation of the earth bends the path of winds, sea currents, and objects that fly through different latitudes.

Front 60

Define the following term:

Insulator:

Back 60

A substance that does not conduct electricity very well

Front 61

A sample of water is taken randomly from earth's hydrosphere. What kind of water (freshwater or saltwater) is it most likely to be?

Back 61

Since the vast majority of water on the earth is in the oceans, it is most likely to be saltwater.

Front 62

A lake has no outlets to dump into rivers or streams. The only way water can leave the lake is by evaporation. Does the lake contain freshwater or saltwater?

Back 62

If evaporation is the only way of getting rid of water, the salts that the lake receives will be become concentrated, making it a saltwater lake.

Front 63

Why is the salinity of the ocean evidence that the earth is not billions of years old?

Back 63

The oceans are not salty enough for the earth to be billions of years old.

Since salt accumulates in the oceans, the older the earth is, the saltier the oceans will be.

Calculations indicate that even assuming the oceans had no salt to begin with, it would take only 62 million years (not billions of years!) to make the oceans as salty as they are now.

Front 64

Where do glaciers come from?

Back 64

Glaciers start on mountains as the result of snow that never completely melts in the summer.

If enough snow piles up, the weight causes it to slide down the mountain as a glacier.

Front 65

If no energy is added to air, what happens to the temperature when the air expands?

Back 65

The air will cool as it expands. That's what adiabatic, cooling is all about.

Front 66

Scientists often separate the earth into five distinct sections. Name those sections.

Back 66

The earth is divided into:

Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Crust
Mantle
Core

Front 67

What is the man thing scientists observe in order to learn about the makeup of the earth's interior?

Back 67

Scientists observe seismic waves which are usually generated by earthquakes.

The behavior of these waves tells us a lot about the makeup and properties of the mantle and core.

Front 68

What causes the magnetic field of the earth?

Back 68

The magnetic field is caused by a large amount of electrical flow in the core.

Front 69

Give a brief description of the two main theories that attempt to explain the earth's magnetic field. Which is more scientifically valid?

Back 69

The dynamo theory says that the motion of the core is due to temperature differences in the core and the rotation of the earth.

This motion causes the motion of electrical charges in the core, which creates electrical current.

The rapid decay theory states that the electrical current in the core started as a consequence of how the earth formed and is reducing over time.

The rapid-decay is more scientifically valid, since it is most consistent with the data.

Front 70

Why would life cease to exist without the earth's magnetic field?

Back 70

Without the magnetic field, cosmic rays from the sun would hit the earth.

These rays would kill all life on the planet.

Front 71

What is Pangaea?

Back 71

Pangaea is a hypothetical supercontinent that might have existed in earth's past.

At one time, all of the continents might have fit together to form this supercontinent.

Front 72

Name the four kinds of mountains.

Back 72

Volcanic mountains
Domed mountains
Fault-block mountains
Folded mountains

Front 73

What are the 3 main factors that affect earth's weather?

Back 73

Thermal energy
Uneven distribution of energy
Water vapor in the atmosphere

Front 74

What does 'insolation' stand for?

Back 74

Incoming solar radiation

Front 75

Is the Northern Hemisphere's summer during aphelion or perihelion?

Back 75

The Northern Hemisphere is pointed toward the sun at aphelion, so that's when it's summer in that hemisphere.

Front 76

What causes wind?

Back 76

Temperature differences cause winds

Front 77

Over a period of a couple of days, the clouds slowly build and then a gentle, long rain ensues that lasts less than a full day. What kind of front causes this weather?

Back 77

This kind of weather is indicative of a warm front.

It is not a stationary front because the rain would have lasted several days.

Front 78

In less than a day, dark cumulonimbus clouds form and unleash a thunderstorm that lasts only a few hours. After the thunderstorm is over and the sky clears, do you expect cooler or warmer temperatures as compared to the temperature before the clouds began forming?

Back 78

This kind of cloud pattern and resulting rain is indicative of a cold front.

Thus, the temperature should decrease after the rain.

Front 79

If the heavy rain of a thunderstorm lasts for more than 30 minutes, what can you conclude about its makeup?

Back 79

The thunderstorm is probably made up of several cells.

The mature stage of a typical thunderstorm cell lasts no longer than 30 minutes.

Front 80

Which is responsible for most of the light and sound in a lightning bolt: the stepped leader or the return stroke?

Back 80

The return stroke is responsible for the majority of light and sound in a lightning bolt.

Front 81

Where does the thunder in a thunderstorm come from?

Back 81

Thunder is the result of superheated air traveling out from the lightning bolt in waves.

When those waves hit our eardrum, we interpret them as sound.

Since the waves are violent, the sound is loud.

Front 82

What is the difference between sheet lightning and a lightning bolt?

Back 82

Sheet lightning is cloud-to-cloud lightning, while lightning bolts are cloud-to-ground lightning.

The lightning bolts therefore, hit the ground while sheet lightning never does.

Front 83

What kind of cloud is necessary for tornado formation?

Back 83

A cumulonimbus cloud must be present to form a tornado.

The vortex will not form without the strong updraft of a thunderstorm cell that forms a cumulonimbus cloud.

Front 84

What causes a hurricane in the Southern Hemisphere to rotate in a different direction from a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere?

Back 84

The Coriolis effect causes hurricanes in different hemispheres to rotate differently.

Front 85

1. Water is such a large part of the earth that astronomers often call it the ____planet. The sum of all water on a planet is called its_____. Of all the planets in our solar system, earth is the ______that has a large quantity of water in its liquid form. This is because the earth has __________________________in its atmosphere and is _______________from the sun.

Back 85

Blue
Hydrosphere
only one
just the right mixture of gases
just the right distance

Front 86

2. The vast majority of earth’s water supply is contained in the _____________as______. The vast majority of earth’s freshwater supply is stored in _____and_________. The largest source of liquid freshwater is______. Aside from the sources just mentioned, the other major sources of water in the hydrosphere are _______________(not oceans), _____________, and____________.

Back 86

oceans
saltwater
icebergs
glaciers
groundwater
surface water
soil moisture
atmospheric moisture

Front 87

3. The process by which water is continuously exchanged between earth’s various water sources is called the__________. In this process, water gets into the atmosphere predominantly by __________and______________. Soil moisture is usually depleted by either ________or___________. Water vapor in the atmosphere can form a cloud through a process called condensation. Once water is in a cloud, it can fall back to earth as__________. When this water falls on land and then runs along the surface into a lake, river, or stream, we call it_________.

Back 87

hydrologic cycle
evaporation
transpiration
transpiration
groundwater flow
precipitation
surface runoff

Front 88

4. Evaporation and condensation of a mixture to separate out the mixture’s individual components is called_______. This process is why water from the ocean can eventually end up in a freshwater source, like a lake, river, or stream.

Back 88

distillation

Front 89

5. The average time a given particle will stay in a given system is called its _________ , and in the hydrologic cycle, it varies considerably from source to source. The average time a molecule of water stays in a swiftly flowing river, for example, is ___________than that of a water molecule in a lake. The average time a molecule of water stays in the atmosphere is much ______than that of a water molecule in the ocean. The _____was the first work to mention the hydrologic system.

Back 89

residence time
shorter
shorter
Bible

Front 90

6. The chemical name of the salt you put on your food is_______. Although this is the majority of salt in the ocean, chemists use the term ‘salt’ more________, and as a result, there are other salts in the ocean. A measure of the mass of dissolved salt in a given mass of water is called_______.

Back 90

sodium chloride
broadly
salinity

Front 91

7. Salt is found in the ocean because the only way water can escape the ocean is through______. As Experiment 5.1 shows, when this happens, the _____is left behind. Thus, the ocean’s average salinity ______over time. Nevertheless, the salinity of the ocean does vary. Where rivers dump water into the ocean, for example, the salinity is _____than the average salinity. The average salinity of the ocean indicates it is ______than even a few million years old.

Back 91

Evaporation
Salt
increases
lower
much younger

Front 92

8. Saltwater freezes at a _____temperature than does freshwater. In fact, putting salt on ice will often ______the ice, because the salt molecules _____water molecules so that they move away from the other water molecules. When the temperature gets low enough, however, even saltwater will freeze, but the salt and water _______as the solution freezes, usually forming solid water that surround little pockets of concentrated saltwater called_____.

Back 92

Lower
Melt
Attract
Separate
brine

Front 93

9. Icebergs are composed of_____. They do not form as a result of _____water freezing. In certain polar regions, the water in the ocean does freeze to form______, but that is not an iceberg. In fact, icebergs come from_____, which are the result of ____fall. When a region is cold enough, the snow does not melt away during the summer. When new snow falls, the old snow gets packed down into what is called_____. As the mass of snow accumulates, it begins to slide to lower elevations, forming a_____.

Back 93

Freshwater
Ocean
sea ice
glaciers
snow
firn
glacier

Front 94

10. As glaciers move, they might encounter warmer temperatures, where they begin to_____, feeding various _____sources of the hydrosphere. Glaciers in the polar regions often do not encounter warmer temperatures, however, and move all the way to the ocean, where they form_______. When the edge of a glacier advances into the ocean, the ice ______at some points, and large chunks of ice break off the glacier, floating away in the water. This process, called______, is what makes an_______, approximately 90% of which is_______.

Back 94

Melt
freshwater
ice shelves
weakens
calving
iceberg
under water

Front 95

11. Soil moisture can flow down through the soil in a process called_____. If it travels down far enough, it will reach soil that is completely saturated with water. The line between the saturated and unsaturated soil is called the___________. The depth of this line _____over time. For example, when there is a period of very heavy rains, the depth_________, and when there are periods of little or no rain, the depth______.

Back 95

Percolation
water table
changes
decreases
increases

Front 96

12. If a lake has a high enough salinity to consider it a saltwater lake, there are ____rivers taking water away form the lake. As a result, the only way water can leave is through______. The __________is one such lake, and it has a much higher salinity than that of the ocean.

Back 96

No
evaporation
Dead Sea

Front 97

13. Water in the atmosphere exists as either ______or_____. In order for clouds to form, there must be _________________upon which water can condense. This condensation occurs because as air expands, it gets_____. The scientific name for this process is_________. Water in clouds can be either ______or_____, depending on the temperature.

Back 97

Humidity
Clouds
cloud condensation nuclei
cooler
adiabatic cooling
liquid
solid

Front 98

14. Adiabatic cooling should not be confused with the fact that most things ______when they are heated. When you heat something, you are giving it_____. In adiabatic cooling, air is expanding without being given______.

Back 98

Expand
Energy
energy

Front 99

15. A refrigerator uses a substance that is a ____at room temperature. A compressor in the refrigerator compresses the gas, which ____it up and forms a lot of_____. Once compressed, the gas is released into a _______portion of the system, which allows it to______. This _____down the contents of the refrigerator. In addition, the gas that had condensed______, which further cools the system. The pipes that carry the expanded gas are on the _______of the refrigerator, and the pipes that carry the compressed gas are on the _____of the refrigerator.

Back 99

Gas
heats
liquid
low-pressure
expand
cools
evaporates
inside
outside

Front 100

16. ____is the result of a cloud forming on the ground. Although this used to be called____, that term is now generally used to refer to a brownish haze that results from pollution. However, that brownish haze is more properly referred to as_______________.

Back 100

Fog
Smog
photochemical smog

Front 101

17. One of the real environmental problems that exists today is water______, especially what is occurring to the groundwater supply. Since nearly 50% of the United States gets its ____________from groundwater sources, it has a direct effect on human health.

Back 101

pollution
drinking water