<p> 2017 BESC 320 Exam 1</p><p>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?</p><p>2. Water derives its solvent properties from what mechanism?</p><p>3. One can tell if there is life on distant planets by...</p><p>4. How was the chemical composition of water discerned?</p><p>5. Water is being created and destroyed on our planet by what major processes?</p><p>6. What are some global consequences of water’s high latent heat properties?</p><p>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)</p><p>8. How did organisms evolve to live on land, instead of water, if water is so vital to life?</p><p>9. How is it that solid objects (e.g. paperclip, water-strider) can rest on the surface of water? </p><p>10. Which of the following is a graph of water’s density over the temperatures given </p><p>11. In which nutrient cycle does water play no role?</p><p>12. Water’s hydrogen bonds give it which unique property below?</p><p>13. How much of the global water pool is readily accessible for traditional agriculture?</p><p>14. Of the world’s fresh water, how much of it is effectively inaccessible to humans because it is in glaciers and ice caps?</p><p>15. What is the geomorpholgy and dynamics of groundwater?</p><p>16. How is it that some groundwater sources are pressurized and some are not?</p><p>17. How is it that rivers can flow all year, even in weeks when there is no rain?</p><p>18. When air changes temperature, how are humidity and saturation point changed?</p><p>19. How are clouds formed?</p><p>20. Global precipitation is common in what global band?</p><p>21. Severe storms with large amounds of precipitation are typical of what frontal weather scenario?</p><p>22. Why are trees so important in the global hydrologic cycle?</p><p>23. With respect to the hydrologic cycle, runoff is</p><p>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... </p><p>26. A lowland (e.g. 4th order) river is likely to be characterized by...</p><p>27. Oligotrophic waters feature what characteristics? </p><p>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?</p><p>29. Why is developing adjacent to lowland rivers so attractive?</p><p>30. How are oxbow lakes formed?</p><p>31. What are ecosystem services?</p><p>32. What is the typical geomorphology of groundwater?</p><p>33. Upon what factors does recharge rate of groundwater depend?</p><p>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?</p><p>35. What explains the major patterns of wetlands loss in the US states over the last century?</p><p>36. Ecosystem services of wetlands include…</p><p>37. What are the typical habitat characteristics of estuaries?</p><p>38. A dead zone forms in coastal environments where…</p><p>39. How does a floodplain or reservoir remove sediment from a river?</p><p>40. How many dead zones exist (order of magnitude) and where do they concentrate?</p><p>41. Clouds can be expected to form when…</p><p>42. A rain shadow results from what process?</p><p>43. What is a cold front?</p><p>44. Explain the geophysical phenomenon of doldrums</p><p>45. Rising moist air will ultimately do what? </p><p>46. The horse latitudes reflect what type of wind patterns?</p><p>47. The global latitudinal gradient in water shortage noted (in notes and in the Atlas), through Northern Africa and Arab states, is due to...</p><p>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</p><p>50. Why are ocean currents referred to as global thermal conveyors?</p><p>51. Look at the ocean currents figure. Apply your knowledge of global fluid dynamics. Explain the Atlantic current paths in the N. hemisphere.</p><p>52. What would be the consequence of significant disturbance to ocean currents?</p><p>53. What is planetary albedo and what consequences does it have for global heat energy?</p><p>54. At what locations are you likely to find forests on the planet (think both within the US as well as worldwide) and why?</p><p>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)?</p><p>56. The American Everglades history involves what major aspects of human planetary engineering?</p><p>57. The hydrogeology (form of water flow) of the Everglades wetlands that make it so vast and unique is:</p><p>58. Who is paying for the bulk of cost for restoration of the Everglades system?</p><p>59. The VICE video demonstrated what about the impacts of global warming?</p><p>60. The consequence of the effect in question 40 for humans will be...</p><p>61. The best way to control damaging flooding in a water drainage basin is...</p><p>62. What are ecosystem services?</p><p>63. What are some specific ecosystem services of floodplains?</p><p>64. Solomon spoke of “the coming age of...” what?</p><p>65. What form of energy development is increasingly limited by lack of water?</p><p>66. What proportion of US water use is for energy production?</p><p>67. What volume of water is the average citizen responsible for consuming in a day</p><p>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?</p><p>69. Which list of three countries would be considered water superpowers?</p><p>70. What were the 5 critical primary uses of water in Solomon’s schema?</p><p>71. What percent of water re-use is typical in the US versus Japan?</p><p>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?</p><p>74. Make two arguments, one moral and one pragmatic, for wetland conservation.</p>