2. Water Derives Its Solvent Properties from What Mechanism?
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
2017 BESC 320 Exam 1
1. Planet X is entering a position (axis tilt, distance from star) where it will likely have liquid pools of water on its surface. How does liquid water foster the creation of life?
2. Water derives its solvent properties from what mechanism?
3. One can tell if there is life on distant planets by...
4. How was the chemical composition of water discerned?
5. Water is being created and destroyed on our planet by what major processes?
6. What are some global consequences of water’s high latent heat properties?
7. Bonus for attending to hear this discussion: How does water’s density facilitate communication by aquatic organisms such as water striders (recall this involved Stim Wilcox’s use of classified high energy magnets)
8. How did organisms evolve to live on land, instead of water, if water is so vital to life?
9. How is it that solid objects (e.g. paperclip, water-strider) can rest on the surface of water?
10. Which of the following is a graph of water’s density over the temperatures given
11. In which nutrient cycle does water play no role?
12. Water’s hydrogen bonds give it which unique property below?
13. How much of the global water pool is readily accessible for traditional agriculture?
14. Of the world’s fresh water, how much of it is effectively inaccessible to humans because it is in glaciers and ice caps?
15. What is the geomorpholgy and dynamics of groundwater?
16. How is it that some groundwater sources are pressurized and some are not?
17. How is it that rivers can flow all year, even in weeks when there is no rain?
18. When air changes temperature, how are humidity and saturation point changed?
19. How are clouds formed?
20. Global precipitation is common in what global band?
21. Severe storms with large amounds of precipitation are typical of what frontal weather scenario?
22. Why are trees so important in the global hydrologic cycle?
23. With respect to the hydrologic cycle, runoff is
24. In the depiction at right, what is the predominant direction of river flow? 25. A headwater (1st order) stream is likely to be characterized by...
26. A lowland (e.g. 4th order) river is likely to be characterized by...
27. Oligotrophic waters feature what characteristics?
28. The Navasota River is usually about 20-30’ across and flows mainly in a rural setting. In Spring it is often about a half mile across (e.g. at Hwy 30). What is likely going on?
29. Why is developing adjacent to lowland rivers so attractive?
30. How are oxbow lakes formed?
31. What are ecosystem services?
32. What is the typical geomorphology of groundwater?
33. Upon what factors does recharge rate of groundwater depend?
34. If 1000 gallons of rain fall on a recharge area and 600 gallons run over the surface to lakes and streams in the watershed, how much water percolates into the groundwater supply?
35. What explains the major patterns of wetlands loss in the US states over the last century?
36. Ecosystem services of wetlands include…
37. What are the typical habitat characteristics of estuaries?
38. A dead zone forms in coastal environments where…
39. How does a floodplain or reservoir remove sediment from a river?
40. How many dead zones exist (order of magnitude) and where do they concentrate?
41. Clouds can be expected to form when…
42. A rain shadow results from what process?
43. What is a cold front?
44. Explain the geophysical phenomenon of doldrums
45. Rising moist air will ultimately do what?
46. The horse latitudes reflect what type of wind patterns?
47. The global latitudinal gradient in water shortage noted (in notes and in the Atlas), through Northern Africa and Arab states, is due to...
48. Large cyclonic storms are fed by what properties of air, land and water? 49. La Nina makes the region from Texas to central America dry because
50. Why are ocean currents referred to as global thermal conveyors?
51. Look at the ocean currents figure. Apply your knowledge of global fluid dynamics. Explain the Atlantic current paths in the N. hemisphere.
52. What would be the consequence of significant disturbance to ocean currents?
53. What is planetary albedo and what consequences does it have for global heat energy?
54. At what locations are you likely to find forests on the planet (think both within the US as well as worldwide) and why?
55. Temperatures on the moon generally fluctuate from a high of 212 °F during the day and –200 °F at night. Why is the climate of Earth so relatively benign (smaller swings in temperature)?
56. The American Everglades history involves what major aspects of human planetary engineering?
57. The hydrogeology (form of water flow) of the Everglades wetlands that make it so vast and unique is:
58. Who is paying for the bulk of cost for restoration of the Everglades system?
59. The VICE video demonstrated what about the impacts of global warming?
60. The consequence of the effect in question 40 for humans will be...
61. The best way to control damaging flooding in a water drainage basin is...
62. What are ecosystem services?
63. What are some specific ecosystem services of floodplains?
64. Solomon spoke of “the coming age of...” what?
65. What form of energy development is increasingly limited by lack of water?
66. What proportion of US water use is for energy production?
67. What volume of water is the average citizen responsible for consuming in a day
68. Water, said Solomon, will more and more frequently be the resource driving warfare to the point of displacing what other commodity in this role?
69. Which list of three countries would be considered water superpowers?
70. What were the 5 critical primary uses of water in Solomon’s schema?
71. What percent of water re-use is typical in the US versus Japan?
72. What national policy regarding water did Secretary Clinton impose and why? 73. From class discussion (and of course the news), what water crisis is California facing now, after over a decade of drought?
74. Make two arguments, one moral and one pragmatic, for wetland conservation.