Question | Answer |
Absorption | Precipitation soaking into the ground |
Aquifer | Ground water stored in and between rocks; underground water storage |
Condensation | When water vapor turns into liquid water and becomes visible as a cloud, fog, or water droplets |
Evaporation | When liquid water turns into water vapor |
Groundwater | Water that is under the surface of the ground |
Humidity | Amount of water vapor in the air |
Precipitation | Water in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail |
Run off | Water that is not absorbed so flows downhill, usually into a body of water |
Surface Water | Water that is not absorbed and collects in ponds, lakes, streams, or rivers |
Transpiration | Water that 'sweats' and evaporates from a plant, mostly from the underside of the leaves |
Water Shortages | occur when people use water in an area faster than the water cycle can replace it |
Pollutants | *Some can make water unpleasant to drink or wash in
*Some can cause sickness or even death |
Sewage | The water and human wastes that are washed down sinks, toilets, showers, and laundry tubs |
Sediments | Particles of sand/rock/soil picked up by erosion |
Household Sewage | If sewage isn't treated to kill disease-causing organisms, the organisms quickly multiply
People become ill if they drink or swim in water containing these organisms |
Oil and Gasoline | *Oil spills can take many years for an area to recover from an oil spill
*Oil and gasoline can leak out of damaged underground storage tanks
*and be carried away by a leaking tank by groundwater |
Heat | Heated water from factories can have a negative effect by killing organisms living in the body of water into which it is released |
Agricultural Wastes | Rain can wash animal wastes and fertilizers into ponds, were they cause algae to grow blocking the sunlight from plants and killing them |
Industry and Mining | Chemicals and metal wastes can harm organisms that live in bodies of water or eat the organisms that live in them can also become ill |
Sediments | *Can cover up the food sources, nests, and eggs of organisms in bodies of water
*They also block sunlight preventing algae and plants from growing |
Federal, state and local laws regulate | The use and cleanup of water pollutions |
Sewage Treatment Plants | *Waste water is filtered to remove solid materials
*In tanks, heavy particles settle out
*Bacteria breaks down wastes
*Chlorine kills disease-causing organisms |
Reducing Pollutants | *Industries can recycle their wastes to recover useful materials
*Companies can change their processes to produce less waste or less harmful waste
*Farmers are finding alternatives to toxic pesticides and fertilizers |
Never pour common household | *Chemicals down the drain
*Save them for the next "Hazardous Waste Collection Day" |
Cleaning Oil Spills | *Oil is a pollutant that nature can handle in small amounts
* Bacteria in the ocean can break down oil
*But for large spills, bacteria can't clean up the spill fast enough
*Gasoline or oil that leaks from an underground tank is hard to clean up |
Cleaning Oil Spills (Part2) | Cleaning up spills can take many years |
Multiple solid waste | |
Three methods of handling m.s.w. | |
Incineration | |
Advantages of Incineration | |
Disadvantages of Incineration | |
Leachate | |
Sanitary Landfill | |
Advantage of Sanitary Landfill | |
Disadvantages of Sanitary Landfill | |
Recycling | |
Advantages for recycling | |
Biodegradable | |
Products that are not Biodegradable | |
Recyclable metals | |
Some recyclable plastics can be made into | |
Recyclable glass can be made into | |
Paper can be recycled only a few times because | |