Hydrology Midterm Study Guide

Question 1 What is a polar molecule? How can you determine if a substance is polar or nonpolar?  A polar molecule is a molecule with positively and negatively charged ends  A polar substance will dissolve in water and a nonpolar substance will not

Question 2 What does the water molecule look like? What are its charges? Charges – Hydrogen (slightly negative) Oxygen (slightly positive)

Question 3 What is capillary action? Give examples. What is cohesion?  Capillary action – the process that moves water through a narrow porous space Examples  water soaking up a paper towel  water creeping up the sides of a straw  water flowing up the stalk of a celery stick  Cohesion – the force of attraction between water molecules

Question 4 What is surface tension? Give examples. What is adhesion?  Surface Tension – the force that acts on the particles at the surface of a material Drops on a penny Beads of water Bugs skimming across the water  Adhesion – the tendency of water to stick to other substances

Question 5 What is specific heat? Give examples.  Specific Heat – the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius Water takes more energy to heat up than steel Water has a high specific heat The specific heat of water is higher than steel

Question 6 Explain the 3 stages of the water cycle.  Evaporation – the change in water from a liquid to a gas  Condensation – the change in water from a gas to a liquid  Precipitation – rain, sleet, hail, snow and other forms of water falling from the sky

Question 7 What is the source of energy for the water cycle?  The sun

Question 8 How much of the Earth’s water is salt and how much is fresh?  Salt – 97%  Fresh – 3%

Question 9 Where is the majority of the Earth’s freshwater stored?  Polar ice caps, glaciers

Question 10 What is runoff?  the water flow that occurs when the soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, melted ice, or other sources flow over the land

Question 11 What forms the boundaries of a watershed?  Mountains and hill tops (points of high elevation)

Question 12 What are the parts of a watershed?  Source/headwaters, tributaries, river, mouth

Question 13 In which river basin do we live?  White Oak River Basin

Question 14 What is brackish water and were would you find it?  A mixture of salt and fresh water  The mouth of a river

Question 15 What does a topographic map show?  Land features of a planet through use of contour lines and other symbols

Question 16 What are contour intervals?  the difference in elevation between each contour line

Question 17 How can you find the top of a mountain on a topo map?  Look for the circle in the middle of a series of contour lines Top of Mountain (Highest Elevation)

Question 18 a What is a solute and a solvent? Give examples.  Solute – Substance being dissolved Examples: powdered kool-aid, sugar, chocolate  Solvent – Substance dissolving the other substance Examples: water, water, milk  Solution formed– kool-aid drink, sugar water, chocolate milk

Question 18 b What does high, medium, and low nitrates mean? What causes it?  High nitrates – many nutrients in the water (can lead to algal blooms, high turbidity, and low DO)  Medium nitrates – a moderate amount of nutrients in the water  Low nitrates – low amount of nutrients in the water (shows a healthy water system)

Question 19 What is an algal bloom and what does it mean for a water system?  Algal bloom – an over growth of algae which results in high turbidity (unclear water) and high DO initially, but low DO in the long run.

Question 20 What does high, medium, and low dissolved oxygen mean? What causes it?  High DO – a lot of dissolved oxygen in the water and shows a healthy water system  Medium DO – some dissolved oxygen (not the best, but most fish can still survive)  Low DO – not much dissolved oxygen in the water (generally results in fish kills)

Question 21

Question 22

Question 23

Question 24

Question 25

Question 26

Question 27

Question 28

Question 29