EES 120 Final Exam REVIEW EXAM
QUESTIONS AND VERIFED CORRECT
ANSWERS GRADED A+ [LATEST] 100%
GUARANTEED PASS
How are "modern" groundwater resources distributed globally? - CORRECT ANSWER-Most
modern groundwater (<50 years old) is found in tropical and mountainous regions (Amazon
basin, the Congo, Indonesia)
Areas with the least amount of groundwater include arid regions) (Sahara and Gobi Deserts,
southwestern US)
What are the top three uses of water in the US? - CORRECT ANSWER-Thermoelectric power:
41%
Irrigation: 37%
Public supply: 12%
Industry: 5%
Other: 4%
Surface water vs. groundwater in the US: which is used more? which is generally cleaner? -
CORRECT ANSWER-Surface water withdrawals far exceed groundwater withdrawals, however,
50% of drinking water comes from groundwater; there is 130x as much GW (26%) as SW (0.2%);
GW is generally cleaner
How has water use changed in the US over the past few decades? Are we using it more or less
efficiently, and what are the main reasons for these trends? - CORRECT ANSWER-We have used
water more efficiently since the 1980s; total withdrawals have been decreasing since the 1980s;
government regulations have caused us to use water more efficiently in consumer products;
manufacturing in the US has declined since the 1980s, so we do not use as much water for
, industry uses; power plants used to have an open loop system, but now they have a closed loop
system that reuses water and is more efficient
What is the difference between porosity and permeability? - CORRECT ANSWER-Porosity: void
space; inter granular voids, fractures, caves
Permeability: connections between the pore spaces that let water flow through pores
What are some high/low permeability materials? - CORRECT ANSWER-High permeability: soil,
sandstone, conglomerate (gravels), limestone, any fractured rock, unconsolidated sediments
(sand)
Low permeability: shale, unfractured igneous or metamorphic rock; shale made of clay
minerals-made of mud->hydrophobic; granite, gneiss, schist
What is an aquifer? - CORRECT ANSWER-Rock units that transmit water relatively easily
What is the difference between an unconfined aquifer and a confined aquifer? - CORRECT
ANSWER-Unconfined: pore space open to the ground surface; may be subject to infiltration
Confined: trapped below an impermeable unit; water is usually under more pressure
What is the water table and how does it respond to weather changes? - CORRECT ANSWER-The
level below which the ground is saturated with water; top of where the water is; responds to
weather changes by having deposits and withdrawals from the environment; deposits lead to
recharge and more water in the aquifer->increased water table, wet season; withdrawals lead to
a drop in the water table, dry season, and discharge
What controls how fast and in which direction groundwater will flow? - CORRECT ANSWER-
Water flows down the hydraulic gradient (slope on the water table); the water table is not flat;
flow velocity depends on how steep the hydraulic gradient is, as well as the material it is flowing
through
QUESTIONS AND VERIFED CORRECT
ANSWERS GRADED A+ [LATEST] 100%
GUARANTEED PASS
How are "modern" groundwater resources distributed globally? - CORRECT ANSWER-Most
modern groundwater (<50 years old) is found in tropical and mountainous regions (Amazon
basin, the Congo, Indonesia)
Areas with the least amount of groundwater include arid regions) (Sahara and Gobi Deserts,
southwestern US)
What are the top three uses of water in the US? - CORRECT ANSWER-Thermoelectric power:
41%
Irrigation: 37%
Public supply: 12%
Industry: 5%
Other: 4%
Surface water vs. groundwater in the US: which is used more? which is generally cleaner? -
CORRECT ANSWER-Surface water withdrawals far exceed groundwater withdrawals, however,
50% of drinking water comes from groundwater; there is 130x as much GW (26%) as SW (0.2%);
GW is generally cleaner
How has water use changed in the US over the past few decades? Are we using it more or less
efficiently, and what are the main reasons for these trends? - CORRECT ANSWER-We have used
water more efficiently since the 1980s; total withdrawals have been decreasing since the 1980s;
government regulations have caused us to use water more efficiently in consumer products;
manufacturing in the US has declined since the 1980s, so we do not use as much water for
, industry uses; power plants used to have an open loop system, but now they have a closed loop
system that reuses water and is more efficient
What is the difference between porosity and permeability? - CORRECT ANSWER-Porosity: void
space; inter granular voids, fractures, caves
Permeability: connections between the pore spaces that let water flow through pores
What are some high/low permeability materials? - CORRECT ANSWER-High permeability: soil,
sandstone, conglomerate (gravels), limestone, any fractured rock, unconsolidated sediments
(sand)
Low permeability: shale, unfractured igneous or metamorphic rock; shale made of clay
minerals-made of mud->hydrophobic; granite, gneiss, schist
What is an aquifer? - CORRECT ANSWER-Rock units that transmit water relatively easily
What is the difference between an unconfined aquifer and a confined aquifer? - CORRECT
ANSWER-Unconfined: pore space open to the ground surface; may be subject to infiltration
Confined: trapped below an impermeable unit; water is usually under more pressure
What is the water table and how does it respond to weather changes? - CORRECT ANSWER-The
level below which the ground is saturated with water; top of where the water is; responds to
weather changes by having deposits and withdrawals from the environment; deposits lead to
recharge and more water in the aquifer->increased water table, wet season; withdrawals lead to
a drop in the water table, dry season, and discharge
What controls how fast and in which direction groundwater will flow? - CORRECT ANSWER-
Water flows down the hydraulic gradient (slope on the water table); the water table is not flat;
flow velocity depends on how steep the hydraulic gradient is, as well as the material it is flowing
through
