Chapter Questions
What are the factors contributing to the shortage of water in California?
Give examples of the infrastructure that has been fashioned to manage water resources. What are the challenges related to developing countries?
What are the two processes that result in natural water purification? State the difference between them. Distinguish between green water and blue water.
Describe how a Hadley cell works, and explain how Earth's rotation creates the trade winds.
Why do different regions receive different amounts of precipitation?
Define precipitation, infiltration, runoff, capillary water, transpiration, evapotranspiration, percolation, gravitational water, groundwater, water table, aquifer, recharge area, seep, and spring.
Use the terms defined in Question 6 to give a full description of the hydrologic cycle, including each of its three loopsnamely, the evapotranspiration, surface runoff, and groundwater loops. What is the water quality (purity) at different points in the cycle? Explain the reasons for the differences.
How does changing Earth's surface (for example, by deforestation) change the pathway of water? How does it affect streams and rivers? Humans? Natural ecology?
Explain how climate change and atmospheric pollution can affect the hydrologic cycle.
What are the three major uses of water? What are the major sources of water to match these uses?
How do dams facilitate the control of surface waters? What kinds of impacts do they have?
Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable groundwater resources. What are the consequences of overdrawing these two kinds of groundwater?
What are the five options for meeting existing water scarcity needs and growing demands?
Describe how water demands might be reduced in agriculture, industry, and households.
What is the status of water policy in the United States? Cite some key issues that should be addressed by any new initiatives to establish a national water policy.