Earth Science – Earth’s Waters Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• Which feature forms when glaciers calve and break apart into the ocean?
• All fresh water on Earth comes from which source?
• Which energy is distributed by the global belt?
• Which term describes the movement of water upward through narrow tubes due to cohesion and adhesion?
• What are pieces of a glacier that have broken off and float in the sea?
• Which statement best defines porosity, permeability, and their combined role in groundwater movement?
• Which process causes higher surface salinity in warmer regions?
• Where is Earth's saltwater primarily found?
• In the typical treatment sequence, which step follows coagulation and precedes filtration?
• A layer of rock or sediment that holds water and can range in size from a small pond to several states is called?
• How does thermal expansion contribute to sea-level rise?
• It is a global belt of surface and density currents that distribute ____________ around earth.
• What is the term for water that flows over the ground surface after precipitation?
• Which process describes water moving through small pores due to attraction to surfaces and between molecules?
• Which ocean lies between Africa, Asia, and Australia?
• Which of the following is a common groundwater contamination source?
• Which of the following is NOT a main step in typical municipal drinking water treatment?
• The rest of Earth's precipitation that isn't evaporated or doesn't soak into the soil is ______.
• The pattern of temperature and precipitation typical of an area over a long period is called what?
• Which physical characteristics divide the oceans into zones?
• What primarily drives deep currents?
• What is the term for a hot spring that erupts due to heated gases and steam from below?
• Distinguish bedload and suspended load in sediment transport.
• What term describes water falling from clouds as rain, snow, or hail?
• What is a cone of depression?
• When Earth, the Moon, and the Sun align in a straight line, the tidal range is largest. What is this phenomenon called?
• What zone is known as the sunlight zone?
• Which two properties determine how much water a rock can store and how quickly groundwater can move?
• What term refers to water that comes from precipitation when it infiltrates the ground?
• Upwellings bring cold water to the surface along with nutrients.
• Explain eutrophication and its indicators.
• What are ecological impacts of dam construction on rivers?
• Which zone is identical to the epipelagic zone in some classifications?
• Why are wetlands considered important for hydrological cycles?
• What are the two types of coastal wetlands?
• In the Southern Hemisphere, which direction do gyres rotate?
• A river and all of its tributaries form what?
• What are indicators of groundwater depletion and how can they be mitigated?
• Which stage comes after secondary biological treatment in wastewater treatment?
• What zone is known as the bathypelagic zone?
• What is the typical sequence of main steps in municipal drinking water treatment?
• Area of land that is covered with a shallow layer of water during some or all of the year.
• Plants release water to the air through leaves in a process called?
• Which location contains Earth's saltwater?
• Which process describes water moving through materials with pores or narrow spaces due to its properties?
• What term describes water due to its ability to dissolve many substances?
• What term describes a huge mass of ice and snow that moves slowly over land?
• Which ocean is the second largest by area after the Pacific Ocean?
• The wave base is defined as half the wavelength.
• Ocean water is layered since cold water is denser that warm water and salt water is denser that fresh
• Where is most freshwater found, according to the material?
• Clouds form as water vapor undergoes which change of state?
• What zone is known as the abyss?
• What zone is known as the mesopelagic zone?
• Three common types of wetlands?
• Which process results when water vapor changes to a liquid, forming droplets on a cold surface?
• Oceans are divided into what general units?
• What is the distance from one crest to another, or from one trough to another called?
• What is the highest point of a wave?
• What term describes water's ability to change into all states of matter within Earth's temperature range?
• What is the term for where groundwater bubbles or flows out of cracks in rock?
• Which ocean is about half the size of the Pacific and covers roughly 20% of Earth’s surface?
• Where is most freshwater stored?
• Many organisms produce light using chemicals in a process called ____________.
• What is a consequence of glacier retreat for freshwater availability in river basins?
• What is the role of glaciers in the hydrologic cycle and freshwater storage?
• Some of Earth's precipitation ______ immediately or soaks into the soil.
• Which area of shallow seawater receives the most sunlight?
• The regular rise and fall of sea level caused by gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun is called?
• What is the hyporheic zone?
• Which process is described as a heating process?
• Which process is responsible for removing material from a river bank or bed?
• What is the typical salinity of seawater in ppt?
• What are wind-driven currents that affect water to a depth of several hundred meters and can move as fast as 100 km/day called?
• Which process mostly takes place over oceans?
• Water that flows over the ground surface is called
• What primarily drives surface currents in the oceans?
• In the Northern Hemisphere, which direction do gyres rotate?
• What is the water-budget equation for a watershed?
• What term describes water that fills the spaces in soil and rock layers?
• What is the typical pH range of natural freshwater?
• Surface currents __________ the air above it, influencing the climate of the land near the coast.
• What is the process by which a liquid changes to a gas at the surface?
• What is the term for the difference in water levels between a high tide and a low tide?
• Which mitigation technique involves enhancing infiltration to replenish aquifers?
• Deposition forms such as bars, point bars, and deltas form under what condition?
• Which term describes the lowest point of a wave?
• What is the effect of dam construction on sediment transport?
• ____________ changes from surface to about 1000m depending on if located in polar or tropical regions
• What zone is commonly called the twilight zone?
• Which ocean is the deepest?
• Daily rise and fall of earth's waters on its coastline caused by gravitational interaction is called what?
• A man-made hole drilled below the water table to obtain groundwater from an aquifer is called a?
• Which process changes a solid to a liquid when heat is added called?
• What does a watershed water budget account for?
• Explain the concept of groundwater recharge and factors that influence it.
• What is the process called when a solid becomes a gas?
• What zone is known as the abyssopelagic zone?
• Which ocean zone is characterized by sunlight and supports photosynthesis?
• What percent of Earth's water is saltwater?
• Which ocean is the largest and deepest?
• Which ocean is the smallest and shallowest and is located near the North Pole?
• When Earth, the Moon, and the Sun form a right angle, the tidal range is smallest. What is this called?
• In which zone are plants that photosynthesize not found due to lack of light?
• Which regions typically face freshwater scarcity?
• Which property allows objects to float on the surface of water?
• _________ form when water collects in hollows and low lying areas.
• Which statement about upwelling is true?
• Where is the majority of Earth's freshwater stored?
• Which statement best differentiates a confined aquifer from an unconfined aquifer?
• Which statement best describes reverse osmosis in desalination?
• What is the term for the amount of energy a wave carries?
• What are hydrologic extremes and how might they change with climate change?
• What zone is know as the hadopelagic zone?
• The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt as a global belt circulates water and affects climate. Which statement best describes it?
• Which ocean is the third largest and lies between India, Africa, and the Indonesian islands?
• Which process is the solid turning into a liquid when heat is applied?
• Distinguish point-source pollution from nonpoint-source pollution with examples.
• What causes deep currents?
• Which ocean is the third largest by area?
• What is the term for the permeable rock or soil area that is totally filled with water?
• What is the typical residence time of water in the ocean?
• Movement of cold water to the surface to replace warmer water and bring tiny organisms, minerals, and other nutrients from deep ocean layers is called what?
• What term describes the measure of the mass of dissolved solids in a mass of water?
• Which process describes gas changing into a liquid?
• Which statement accurately describes tides?
• Which factors contribute to sea level rise?
• Which term refers to the deepest layer commonly called the abyss?
• Which zone lies above the water table and contains air as well as water, not fully saturated?
• Which mechanism explains ocean acidification due to atmospheric CO2?
• Water droplets in clouds become heavy and fall back to Earth as?
• Which process occurs when water vapor cools and condenses to form clouds?
• Small streams together with the watershed are called?
• An unconfined aquifer has which feature?
• Which process describes the release of water from plant leaves into the atmosphere?
• Which zone would you expect to find the majority of photosynthetic organisms such as phytoplankton?
• Capillary action primarily relates to which concept?
• Which term describes water's ability to dissolve many substances?
• What is the lowest point of a wave?
• The daily rise and fall of sea level on coastlines due to gravity is called what?
• Which statement correctly describes the typical residence times of surface water and groundwater?
• Condensation is a ______ process.
• Which zone receives very little sunlight and only blue-green wavelengths?
• What happens to wave energy as depth decreases toward shore?
• What is the name of the global belt of surface and density currents that distribute thermal energy around the Earth?
• Which zone is described as receiving little light and blue-green wavelengths?
• What is the water table?
• How do coral reefs respond to changing water quality?
• Groundwater residence time varies with the aquifer. Which statement is correct?
• Which zone is commonly called the Twilight Zone?
• Deep currents are driven by differences in ________ of ocean water.
• Which hemisphere contains gyres that rotate clockwise?
• Which factor promotes delta growth?
• Which statement best describes Darcy's Law for groundwater flow?
• Which statement about downwelling is true?
• Which of the following is NOT a major flux in the water cycle?
• The top boundary of saturated zones is called the?
• Which feature usually contains a mixture of fresh water and saltwater?
• Which term refers to the highest point of a wave?
• What is water from a sea or ocean with an average salinity of 35 ppt called?
• What are the three states of matter?
• What zone is know as the trenches?
• Another large system of ocean currents that affect weather and climate is known as what?
• What term describes the large, looped systems of surface currents in Earth's oceans?
• What are water rights and allocation issues?
• Which ocean encircles the Antarctic region and is often referred to by a specific name?
• How do hydrologic cycle timescales vary from seasonal to millennial?
• Top 500m of water are saltier in warmer than polar water since it evaporates faster leaving behind salt at surface
• Salinity is commonly measured in which units?
• Which term describes a landscape area that includes marshes and swamps and is regularly saturated with water?
• Which statement best describes the sequence of processes that shape sediment in a river?
• Which term describes the distance from one crest to the next?
• What is the term for the number of waves that pass a point in a certain amount of time?
• Longshore drift contributes to the formation of which coastal features?
• In the water-budget equation P = ET + R + ΔS, what does ΔS represent?
• Which option is NOT typically considered a factor influencing groundwater recharge?
• Which trio of water quality parameters indicates aquatic life support, acidity/alkalinity, and cloudiness?
• What energy source drives the water cycle?
• Which pair consists of heating processes?
• What are large streams of moving water that flow through the oceans called?
• The zone above the water table, containing air and water but not fully saturated, is called?
• River discharge is defined as Q = velocity × cross-sectional area. What does discharge indicate?
• The positive hydrogen end of one water molecule attracts the __ ends of neighboring water molecules.
• Define evapotranspiration and potential evapotranspiration.
• Which statement correctly describes greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs?
• What is the name of the movement of wind and water to the right or left caused by Earth's rotation?
• The boundary at the top of a saturated zone is known as the?
• Which layer holds water and can range in size from small ponds to large regions?
• Which substance is essential for living things to grow, reproduce, and carry out important processes?
• How does atmospheric moisture transport influence regional hydrology?
• What process causes sea level to rise when the water is warmer?
• Solar energy drives which process in the ocean?
• What is the role of coliform bacteria in water quality testing?
• What type of well experiences rising water due to pressure within a confined aquifer?
• Which term is used for the number of wave cycles per unit time?
• Which term describes groundwater that fills a permeable rock layer?
• Which term describes water stored in the spaces of soil and rock layers?
• Which process is driven by solar energy and powers the cycling of water through evaporation and precipitation?
• The epipelagic zone is also referred to as which of the following?
• What surface property gives water its characteristic 'skin'?
• Which zone is known for having no sunlight and supporting no photosynthesis?
• Which currents move and mix around the earth, moving slower than surface currents, carrying cold water from poles to equator?
• How many hydrogen atoms are in a single molecule of water?
• Tides occur during the gravitational pull between the __________?
• What drives thermohaline circulation?
• In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis effect causes moving air and water to turn toward which direction?
• Which sequence correctly lists typical stages of wastewater treatment before discharge?
• Why is the ocean conveyor belt important?
• Which phenomenon do the bulges in ocean water levels represent?
• What best describes the energy-water nexus in desalination and water treatment?
• Sublimation is a ________ process.
• What percent of Earth's water is freshwater?
• Which option lists the five oceans correctly?
• What percentage of Earth's water is seawater?
• In Darcy's Law, what happens to flow when the hydraulic gradient increases while permeability stays the same?
• What are the parts of a wave?
• Which combination of factors creates ocean layering?
• Water is a polar molecule because of what property?
• Upwellings bring nutrients from deep layers to the surface, supporting marine life. Which statement best describes their effect?
• Which ocean surrounds the Antarctica continent and is ice-covered part of the year?
• What continuous process involves water moving through living and nonliving parts of the environment?
• All fresh water on Earth ultimately comes from
• What does the global deep-ocean circulation, or the 'ocean conveyor belt', do?
• Where do deltas form, and what factors promote delta growth or subsidence?
• What causes ocean acidification?
• Which is NOT listed as a common groundwater contamination source?
• The movement of energy through a body of water usually formed when winds blow across the surface transferring energy is called what?
• The gravitational pull between the earth and the moon produces __________?
• Which description matches longshore drift and its effect on coastlines?
• Which zone is associated with trenches?
• Which term describes the middle-depth zone in some classifications?
• The water cycle transports which substance?
• What zone is known as the midnight zone?
• What is the chemical formula used to represent water's molecular structure?
• Which phrase lists three common types of wetlands?
• Which ocean zone lacks light?
• Evaporation is a ______ process.
• Which two elements make up a molecule of water?