Water Systems Unit Test

Study Notes

Earth's Supply of Water

97% of Earth's water supply is saltwater, which is undrinkable.
3% of Earth's water supply is freshwater, which is the only water suitable for drinking.

Three States of Water

Water exists in three states: solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (water vapor).
When water changes from one state to another, it requires a transfer of energy.

Groundwater

Most of Canada's freshwater exists underground rather than on the surface.
Scientists estimate that one-third of the world's freshwater lies underground.
The groundwater zone is the area where water fills all the air spaces in the soil and rock.
The upper surface of the groundwater zone is called the water table.
An aquifer is an underground freshwater reservoir that stores large amounts of water.
Groundwater is constantly moving and eventually reaches the surface, forming wetlands, rivers, lakes, or oceans.

Ice Sheets and Ice Caps

An ice sheet is a large glacier that covers the land, with only two existing on Earth (in Greenland and Antarctica).
Ice sheets are formed on a larger scale, similar to a mountain glacier.
The term "Polar Icecap" is sometimes used to refer to these large ice masses at the poles.

The Water Cycle

The water cycle is a continuous process with no beginning or end.
The sun provides thermal energy that drives the water cycle.
Water is constantly changing states as it moves from Earth's surface into the atmosphere and back into the Earth again.
The sun's heat energy drives the water cycle, causing water to change states through evaporation, melting, freezing, sublimation, condensation, and deposition.

Water Cycle Processes

Evaporation: the process of water changing from a liquid into water vapor.
Melting: the process of solid ice becoming liquid by adding heat.
Freezing: the process of becoming ice by losing heat.
Sublimation: the process of going from solid ice to water vapor without first becoming liquid.
Condensation: the process of water vapor turning into liquid by cooling.
Deposition: the process of water vapor changing directly into a solid without becoming a liquid first.

Water Table and Watersheds

A watershed is an area of land where all the water eventually drains into one main water body, such as a stream, river, wetland, lake, or ocean.
Activities that affect water in one part of the watershed have an effect downstream in the watershed.
Small watersheds connect to larger watersheds, forming a network of water systems.

Description

This quiz assesses your understanding of Earth's water supply, including the distribution of freshwater and saltwater. Topics include the concentration of dissolved salts in ocean water and the availability of freshwater for human consumption.