Understanding Watersheds and Drainage Basins

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Questions and Answers

What defines watersheds?

  • Drainage basins
  • Boundaries called drainage divides (correct)
  • Integrated watershed management
  • Micro-watersheds

Where are drainage divides drawn in watersheds?

  • At the boundaries
  • Lowest points
  • Around wetlands
  • Highest ridgelines (correct)

What is a characteristic of larger drainage basins?

  • Nesting of micro-watersheds (correct)
  • Only wetlands within them
  • No smaller sub-basins
  • No micro-watersheds

How does non-point source pollution affect water quality in watersheds?

<p>It becomes concentrated as water funnels into the basin (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What benefits can integrated watershed management provide?

<p>Improvement in water quality and control of flooding (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What zone of the ocean has ecosystems collecting around hydrothermal vents?

<p>Aphotic zone (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where do plants and algae predominantly grow in the ocean?

<p>Photic zone (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is it essential to take a holistic approach in watershed management?

<p>To improve water quality and control flooding effectively (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is salinity in relation to ocean water?

<p>The amount of salt dissolved in the water (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which ocean is home to the Marianas Trench?

<p>Pacific Ocean (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What drives thermohaline circulation that affects global climate?

<p>Difference in temperature and salinity (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In which hemisphere do gyres rotate clockwise due to the Coriolis effect?

<p>Northern Hemisphere (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary factor influencing deepwater currents?

<p>Density variations (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?

<p>Stratosphere (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where does most human flight activity occur in the atmosphere?

<p>Stratosphere (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the thermosphere in relation to space?

<p>It extends into outer space. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of Earth's atmosphere is made up of nitrogen gas?

<p>78% (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which gas acts as Earth's sunscreen by blocking harmful ultraviolet light?

<p>Ozone (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide do in Earth's atmosphere?

<p>Allow sunlight to enter but prevent infrared light from escaping (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main driving force behind convection cells in the atmosphere?

<p>Differences in air pressure, temperature, and density (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How are air pressure, temperature, and density related to one another?

<p>Changes in temperature affect air pressure and density (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What causes clouds to form in the atmosphere?

<p>Rising warm, moist air (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to air as it rises up the windward side of a mountain?

<p>It expands and cools down (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What defines a watershed?

<p>The drainage divide boundaries (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why are watersheds important according to the text?

<p>To affect downstream water quality and streamflow (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of integrated watershed management?

<p>Improving water quality and controlling flooding (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what way can non-point source pollution impact watersheds?

<p>It leads to the concentration of contaminants in water (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes the twilight zone in the ocean from the other zones?

<p>Lack of plants and fewer animals (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which zone of the ocean supports plant and algae growth?

<p>Photic zone (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of drainage basins in watersheds?

<p>To feed larger bodies of water like rivers and seas (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does a watershed differ from a drainage basin?

<p>Drainage basins collect water that eventually reaches a larger body (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What primarily influences deepwater currents in the ocean?

<p>Density variations (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which ocean is the smallest and shallowest according to the text?

<p>Arctic Ocean (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In which layer of the atmosphere does the International Space Station orbit?

<p>Thermosphere (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary factor that drives thermohaline circulation impacting global climate?

<p>Salinity levels (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which ocean is described as relatively shallow and located between the Americas, Europe, and Africa?

<p>Atlantic Ocean (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What causes gyres in the ocean to rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere according to the text?

<p>Coriolis effect (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where is the least explored place on Earth located according to the text?

<p>Indian Ocean (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What forms one global ocean despite there being five separate oceans?

<p>Thermohaline circulation (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of ozone in the stratosphere?

<p>Blocking harmful ultraviolet light (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide affect Earth's atmosphere?

<p>Trap infrared light from escaping (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary factor influencing the formation of clouds in the atmosphere?

<p>Rising warm, moist air (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does air pressure affect temperature in the atmosphere?

<p>Higher pressure leads to higher temperature (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which atmospheric phenomenon is responsible for producing wind, clouds, rain, and thunderstorms?

<p>Convection cells (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens when air rises up the windward side of a mountain?

<p>It expands and cools down (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which variable is responsible for creating differences in air pressure and generating wind?

<p>Temperature (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the movement within a fluid that occurs when hotter material rises and colder material sinks?

<p>Convection cells (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do air parcel temperature changes occur without adding or removing external heat?

<p>Through adiabatic processes (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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