Water quiz

1. One of the most important greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide (CO2). Do you know which one of these processes does not produce CO2 ?

□	photosynthesis by plants
□	burning of fossil fuel
□	volcanic eruptions
□	respiration by animals

Hint: It does not produce CO2 but it consummes CO2. By absorbing a large amount of the surplus CO2 generated by human activity, this process helps mitigating the greenhouse effect.

2. What is a coral ?

□	an algae
□	a plant
□	an animal
□	a rock

3. What is an atoll ?

□	an artificial island
□	an island with a lagoon
□	a ring-shaped coral reef surrounding a lagoon
□	a corallian island 

4. Which of these is false ?

□	healthy reefs are growing continuously because live coral grows on the accumulated skeletons of dead coral
□	coral colour comes from associated species of algae living together with coral polyps
□	slight changes in water temperatures, low salinity and high sunlight levels do not cause coral bleaching
□	coral bleaching occurs when associated algae is expelled from the coral tissue, which loses its colour and eventually dies

5. This Formosat image shows the ice fragments issued from the disintegration of the Wilkins Ice Shelf in Antartica. 
Go to „Ice melting“ page for a detailed view.

Can you estimate the size of the longest berg (or longest part of berg) you can see in this image ?
□	250 m
□	500 m
□	750 m
□	1000 m

Wilkins shelf disintegration, Antartica (08/03/08). 
Source: National Cheng-Kung University and National Space Organization (Taiwan).

6. What is the Gulf stream ?

□	a warm ocean current in the North Atlantic ocean
□	a cold ocean current in the North Atlantic ocean
□	a warm ocean current in the North Pacific ocean
□	a cold ocean current in the North Pacific ocean

7. Why do you think delta areas expand continuously ?

□	because sediments carried by river water tend to deposit at the end of the waterways 
□	because people keep building artificial islands by land reclamation
□	because sea level is lowering due to climate change
□	none of the above is correct

Hint: Check out the Lena delta (Biodiversity page) and the delta formed by the Ganges River and the Brahmaputra River (Coastal zones page). 

8. Why do phytoplankton blooms often form in upwelling 
 areas ?

□	because deep water coming to the surface is particularly rich in nutrients
□	because deep water coming to the surface is particularly clean
□	because deep water coming to the surface is particularly cold 
□	because typical coastal deserts tend to develop inland

9. Have a closer look at the image below. 
Go to the „Oil spill“ page for a detailed view.

Oil spill in La Coruña, Spain (13/12/92 and 2/01/93). Source: ESA.

The full extent of the marine pollution - on 13 December 1992 - is shown in dark green. What was still left three weeks later is in lighter colour. 

What can you say ?
□	after 3 weeks, the oil spill looks like it has almost disappeared compared to 13 december 1992
□	after 3 weeks, the extend of the oil spill looks reduced and some of the oil has moved South
□	after 3 weeks, the extend of the oil spill looks bigger than on 13 December 1992
□	after 3 weeks, the oil spill has moved away from the coast

10. Compare both images of the White River of Arkansas.
Go to the „Floods“ page for a detailed view.

In April 2006, water levels were closer to normal. Highway 79 forms a thin white line through the forest (bright green area) and across the river into the small city of Clarendon. In April 2008, severe floods struck the region (dark blue and grey). 

Details of the White River, USA (14/04/06 and 07/04/08). 
Source: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS/ASTER Science Team.

Look at the detailed image. Help the authorities and the insurance companies by telling them which parts are flooded : What can you see ?
□	the forest and the city of Clarendon are flooded 
□	the city of Clarendon is safe but the bridges of the US 79 are flooded
□	the forest is flooded but the city of Clarendon is safe
□	the city of Clarendon is flooded but the bridges of the US 79 are not 

11. What is phytoplankton ?

□	microscopic algae that can be toxic
□	the most abundant type of life found in the ocean
□	microscopic marine plants
□	all of the above

12. Under which conditions can a phytoplankton bloom occur ?

□	only under favourable light conditions 
□	only under massive nutrients arrival
□	under favourable light conditions or under massive nutrients arrival
□	none of the above

13. Very high resolution satellites have a ground resolution of around a meter per pixel. Which of the following is not a very resolution satellite ?

□	IKONOS
□	Quickbird
□	ASTER/Terra
□	Kompsat