Science & Environmental Issues Chapter 12

About how long have wastewater treatment plants been in existence?

ANSWER : 120 years. Wastewater treatment plants have been around since the late 1800s.

Once a groundwater supply is contaminated with marine water, how long will it remain contaminated?

ANSWER : Forever.

Which of the following is considered to be the safest drinking water source?

ANSWER : the groundwater

What percentage of Earth’s water is available for drinking and irrigation?

ANSWER : 0.025

Most of the productivity of the ocean occurs in or on the ___.

ANSWER : Uppermost layer of the ocean called the photic zone.

What is our primary consumptive (as opposed to non consumptive) use of water?

ANSWER : Irrigation

What is the direct cause of death for the aquatic animals during eutrophication?

ANSWER : A los of dissolved oxygen in the water.

Eutrophication

ANSWER : Occurs when excess nutrients cause a bloom of algal growth that then is decayed by bacteria, 

which use up all the oxygen, creating anoxic conditions.

___ percent of our annual fresh water is used in agriculture in order to irrigate crops.

ANSWER : 0.7

Because the upper layers of the ocean absorb the most ___, they are the most productive.

ANSWER : Sunlight

Only 2.5% of all water is considered fresh water because it has few dissolved salts. Even less is available 

for consumption because most of the fresh water is tied up in what?

ANSWER : Glaciers and icecaps.

Which of the following fishing methods would be most appropriate if a fisherman wants to catch benthic 

fish? A: Trawling in open water. B: Longline fishing. C: Driftnets D: Bottom-trawling.

ANSWER : D:Bottom-trawling.

Bottom-trawling

ANSWER : Involves dragging weighted nests across the ocean floor, catching fish that live in the benthic region.

Which of the following diseases has been all but eliminated from the United States because of 

wastewater treatment plants?

ANSWER : Cholera. Cholera is a waterborne disease. It has been virtually eliminated in the US because of 

the advent of wastewater treatment facilities.

You accidentally flush your cell phone. Where will it most likely be found at a wastewater treatment 

facility?

ANSWER : Bar Screen. Bar screens are designed to remove large items from waste water as it enters the 

plant. This is the most likely place your cell phone will be found.

Where does settling of solids occur at a wastewater treatment facility?

ANSWER : Clarifier

What does the Kanapaha Wastewater Treatment Facility use to disinfect the treated water?

ANSWER : Chlorine

Which of the following products of a wastewater treatment facility is often put on farm fields as a 

fertilizer? A: Grit B: Biosolids C: Methane Gas D:Ammonia E: Effluent

ANSWER : B: Biosolids, they contain valuable materials plants need.

Ocean currents can affect climate. One major downwelling specifically responsible for keeping Europe 

warmer than it would otherwise be is known as ___.

ANSWER : North Atlantic Deep Water

North Atlantic Deep Water

ANSWER : Is a specific type of thermohaline circulation that moves warmer surface water in the Gulf to 

the Atlantic and to Europe.

What type of farming has led to the destruction of mangroves?

ANSWER : Shrimp Farming

Maria wakes up in the morning and takes a shower, drinks a glass of water, washes her clothes in the 

laundry machine, and then goes to work. Which of the following describes Maria’s water use 

appropriately?

ANSWER : Maria’s water use is consumptive. When humans use water in a way that does not return the 

water to the environment without treatment, it is considered consumptive.

If oil accumulates in a body of water in small amounts over time as a result of leaks from boats and 

runoff from land, then this oil pollution is from ___.

ANSWER : Non-point Sources

Non-point Sources of Pollution

ANSWER : Are small cumulative inputs that occur from many different sources over a large area such as 

applying fertilizers and pesticides on lawns and salt on roads in the winter.

Which is true regarding marine reserves?

ANSWER : They tend to increase species diversity. Marine reserves have been documented to increase 

species diversity by 23% and in just 1-2 years after their establishment.

Louisiana’s vital coastal wetlands:

ANSWER : – Support biodiversity – Protect the coast from storms

Mississippi River sediments:

ANSWER : – Keep soil levels high, water stable, and plants healthy

Why are Louisiana’s wetlands disappearing?

ANSWER : Oil and gas extraction promote wetland losses. Withdrawal compacts land and lowers soil 

levels. Canals fragment wetlands and increase erosion. Oil spills destroy vegetation.

Fresh Water

ANSWER : Relatively pure, with few dissolved salts.

Water Percentages:

ANSWER : Ocean 97.5%, Fresh Water 2.5%, Of the 2.5% of fresh water, 79% Icecaps and glaciers, 20% 

groundwater, 1% Surface fresh water. Of surface fresh water: 52% lakes, 38% soil moisture, 8% 

atmospheric water vapor, 1% waters within organisms and 1% Rivers.

Groundwater

ANSWER : Water beneath the surface held in pores in soil or rock. 20% of the Earth’s supply of fresh 

water.

Aquifers

ANSWER : Porous formations of rock, sand, or gravel that hold water.

Zone of Aeration

ANSWER : Pore spaces are partly filled with water

Zone of Saturation

ANSWER : Spaces are filled with water.

Water Table

ANSWER : Boundary between two zones.

Surface Water

ANSWER : Water on Earth’s surface. 1% of freshwater. Vital for survival, becomes groundwater by 

infiltration.

Runoff

ANSWER : Water that flows over land, water merges in rivers and ends up in a lake or ocean.

Tributary

ANSWER : A smaller river flowing into a larger one.

Watershed

ANSWER : The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.

Floodplain

ANSWER : Area nearest to the river’s course that are flooded periodically, good for agriculture.

Zones of lakes and ponds:

ANSWER : Littoral Zone: Nutrient rich edge of a water body. Shallow. Benthic Zone: Very bottom the 

lake/pond, home to invertebrates. Limnetic Zone: Open part where sunlight allows photosynthesis.

Oligotrophic Lakes/Ponds

ANSWER : Low nutrient and high oxygen conditions.

Eutrophic Lakes/Ponds

ANSWER : High nutrient and low oxygen conditions.

Wetlands

ANSWER : The soil is saturated with shallow standing water.

Freshwater Marshes

ANSWER : Shallow, plants grow above the surface.

Swamps

ANSWER : Shallow water in forested areas.

Bogs

ANSWER : Ponds covered in thick floating mates of vegetation.

The US has lost over ___ of its wetlands.

ANSWER : Half

Oceans cover ___% of the Earth’s surface.

ANSWER : 0.71

Currents

ANSWER : Vast riverlike flows un the upper 1,300 feet, driven by wind, heating/cooling, gravity, density 

differences, and the Coriolis effect.

Upwelling

ANSWER : The rising of cold, deep water to the surface.

Downwelling

ANSWER : The sinking of warm, oxygen-rich water.

Seafloor Topography

ANSWER : Underwater volcanoes, steep canyons and deep trenches. The planet’s longest mountain 

range is underwater.

Thermohaline Circulation

ANSWER : A worldwide current system. Interrupting it can trigger rapid climate change.

El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

ANSWER : A shift in atmospheric pressure, sea surface temperature, and ocean circulation.

67% of all people live within ___ miles of the ocean.

ANSWER : 100

Estuaries

ANSWER : Water bodies where rivers flow into the ocean.

Salt Marshes

ANSWER : Occur along coasts at temperate latitude. Provides habitat for birds, fish, and shellfish.

Mangroves

ANSWER : Provides habitats for marine life. Protects coastlines, filters pollutants.

__% of mangroves have been destroyed for resorts or shrimp farms.

ANSWER : 0.5

Intertidal (littoral) Zones

ANSWER : Where the ocean meets the land.

Tides

ANSWER : Periodic rising and falling of the ocean’s height due to the gravitational pull of the moon and 

sun.

Kelp

ANSWER : Large brown algae growing from the floor of continental shelves along temperate coasts.

Coral Reef

ANSWER : A mass of calcium carbonate composed of the skeletons of millions of tiny corals. Protects 

shorelines. Valuable ecotourism.

Ocean Zones:

ANSWER : Photic Zone: Top layer, warm shallow waters. Pelagic Zone: Habitats and ecosystems occurring 

between the ocean’s surface and floor. Benthic Zone: Habitats and ecosystems occurring on the ocean 

floor.

Water Usage:

ANSWER : 70% to agriculture, 20% to industry, 10% for residential use.

Consumptive Use

ANSWER : Water is removed from an aquifer or surface water body and is not returned.

Non-consumptive Use

ANSWER : Does not remove, or only temporarily removes water. Ex. Electricity generation at 

hydroelectric dams.

About ___ of water withdrawals for irrigation are thought to be unsustainable.

ANSWER : 15-35%

Sinkholes

ANSWER : Occur when aquifers lose water; the land above can’t support strata, and the surface sinks

Energy costs of bottled water are ____ times more than those of tap water.

ANSWER : 1000 to 2000

___ of bottles (30-40 billion/yr) are thrown away and not recycles.

ANSWER : 0.75

Flooding

ANSWER : A normal, natural process in which water spills over a river’s banks. Spreads nutrient rich 

sediments over large areas.

Dikes/Levees

ANSWER : Long raised mounds of earth along the banks of rivers hold water in channels. Makes floods 

worse by forcing water to stay in channels, which then overflow.

Dam

ANSWER : Any obstruction placed in a river or stream to block the flow of water. Erected to prevent 

floods, provide drinking water, allow irrigation, and generate electricity, 45,000 dams have been built in 

more than 140 nations.

Reservoirs

ANSWER : Artificial lakes created by dams.

China’s Three Gorges Dam

ANSWER : World’s largest dam, it is on the Yangtze River, $39 billion to build, flooded 22 cities, displaced 

1.24 million people, submerged farmland, wildlife habitat, and 10,000 year old archaeological sites.

Desalination

ANSWER : Removal of salt from seawater. Drawbacks: Expensive, kills aquatic life, large inputs of energy. 

Mostly found in wealth oil rich nations where water is extremely scarce.

Reducing Water Demand

ANSWER : From 1980 to 2005 the US population grew 31% but water consumption decreased 5%.

Xeriscaping

ANSWER : Replacing exotic plants with native plants adapted to local precipitation patterns.

Depletion of fresh water leads to shortages, which can lead to conflict. ___ major rivers cross national 

borders.

ANSWER : 261

Pollution

ANSWER : The release of matter or energy that causes undesirable impacts on health and well being of 

humans or other organisms.

Water Pollution

ANSWER : Has many forms and can cause diverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health.

Chemical Indicators of Pollution

ANSWER : pH, nutrient concentrations, dissolved oxygen concentration

Physical Indicators of Pollution

ANSWER : Temperature, turbidity (density of suspended particles in water)

Biological Indicators of Pollution

ANSWER : Presence of harmful microorganisms, species diversty

Point Sources

ANSWER : Discrete locations of water pollution, factories, sewer pips, oil tanker

Non-point Sources

ANSWER : Multiple inputs of pollution over larger areas. Farms, city streets)

___ pollution causes more human health problems than any other type of water pollution.

ANSWER : Biological

___ people don’t have safe water.

ANSWER : 1 Billion

Nutrient pollution causes:

ANSWER : Eutrophication and hypoxia

Harmful algal blooms (red tides)

ANSWER : Excessive nutrients increase marine algae, which release powerful toxins, kill 

organisms/people

Wastewater

ANSWER : Humans release biodegradable wastes, from toilets, showers, sinks, etc.

Oil Spills

ANSWER : 1989 Exxon Valdez ran aground. 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded.

The US Oil Pollution Act of 1990

ANSWER : $1 Billion in prevention and cleanup fund. All ships must have double hulls by 2015.

Gyres

ANSWER : Ocean regions where currents converge, they accumulate plastic trash.

Thermal Pollution

ANSWER : Water that is too warm that causes problems. Also water that is too cold.

Groundwater Pollution:

ANSWER : Hard to detect, retains pollutants for decades, breakdown slowly because of lower levels of 

sunlight, microbes, and oxygen.

What toxic chemicals occur naturally?

ANSWER : Aluminum, fluoride, sulfates.

What causes “Blue Baby Syndrome?”

ANSWER : Agricultural nitrates, caused by leaking underground storage tanks, improperly designed wells, 

improper storage of hazardous wastes.

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1972)

ANSWER : Renamed Clean Water Act in 1977, made it illegal to discharge pollution without a permit. Set 

standards for wastewater.

The ___ sets standards for over 90 drinking water contaminants.

ANSWER : EPA

Wastewater Treatment Plants:

ANSWER : Primary Treatment- Removes suspended solids Secondary Treatment- Water is stirred and 

aerated

What is clarified water treated with?

ANSWER : Chlorine or ultraviolet light.

Effluent

ANSWER : Treated wastewater

Sludge

ANSWER : Solid material resulting from treatment.

___ of the world’s marine fish populations are fully exploited.

ANSWER : Half

___ of fish populations are overexploited and heading to extinction.

ANSWER : 0.28

With current trends, populations of ___ ocean species we fish for will collapse by 2048.

ANSWER : All

Driftnets

ANSWER : Transparent, nylon notes that span large expanses of water to capture passing fish.

Longline Fishing

ANSWER : Uses extremely long lines with thousands of hooks.

Bottom-Trawling

ANSWER : Entails dragoni immense nets through the water or on the ocean floor.

Bycatch

ANSWER : The accidental capture on non target animals.

Oceans only contain ___ of the large-bodied animals they once held.

ANSWER : One-tenth

Maximum Sustained Yield

ANSWER : Number of fish that can be harvested without reducing future catches.

Ecosystem- based management

ANSWER : Shift the focus away from species and toward the larger ecosystem.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

ANSWER : Establish along the coastlines of developed countries, but you can still fish or other extractive 

activities.

Marine Reserves

ANSWER : Areas where fishing is prohibited, leaves ecosystems intact.

Reserves Work

ANSWER : Species density, biomass, size, and diversity all increased 1-2 years after establishment.