What Do You Know About Water?
Test Your H2O-Q
We drink it, bathe in it, and cook with it. We often take water for granted. How much do you really know about this vital substance? Some of the answers may surprise you.
The human body is approximately ____water.
35%
65%
95%The total amount of water on our planet is ____.
increasing
decreasing
remaining constantApproximately how much of the earth's surface is covered by water?
Less than 20%
50%
Over 70%How much of the water on earth is drinkable?
1%
5%
50%The line "water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink" comes from which poem?
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Sea Fever by John Masefield
To a Waterfowl by William Cullen BryantThe main reason we can't drink ocean water is that it is_____.
too salty
hard to find
pollutedMost of the fresh water in the world is found in _____.
lakes and streams
glaciers and polar ice caps
water-bottling plantsThe Caribbean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are considered part of the ____ Ocean.
Pacific
Indian
AtlanticMany states in the southwestern U.S. rely on ____ as a source of fresh water.
the Colorado River
underground wells
the Pacific OceanWater boils at _______.
120° F
212° F
300° FWhen water becomes colder than 39° F, it ____.
expands
contractsAll toilets sold in the U.S. since 1992 use no more than ___ of water per flush.
1.6 gallons
3.6 gallons
5.6 gallonsWhat is an aquifer?
A waterfall
A lake on a mountain
An underground rock formation
Answers:
The amount of water in the human body is considered to be approximately 65%. Babies have a higher percentage of water than adults, and men have a slightly higher percentage of water than women.
The total amount of water on our planet is remaining constant. Droughts and floods reflect an uneven distribution of water, but the total amount of water does not change.
Over 70% of the earth is covered by water. Most of this water is in the ocean.
Only 1% of the water on the earth is drinkable.
The line comes from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
The main reason we can't drink ocean water is that it is too salty. There are ways that ocean water can be made drinkable ("potable") through a desalination process that removes the salt. Most of the desalination plants can be found in countries with a scarcity of water, though some coastal areas of the U.S., Florida and California in particular, have begun to explore the use of this technology.
Most of the fresh water in the world is contained in glaciers and polar ice caps.
The Caribbean and Mediterranean seas are considered part of the Atlantic Ocean.
Many states in the southwestern U.S. rely on the Colorado River as a source of fresh water. The Colorado River supplies water to Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. As the population in these states has increased, so have the demands on the river.
Water boils at 212 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale. This is the same as 100 degrees on the Celsius scale. The Celsius scale is based on water boiling at 100 degrees and freezing at 0 degrees (which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit).
When water becomes colder than 39 degrees Fahrenheit, it expands. Water starts to expand at 39 degrees, on its way to becoming ice. Note how ice cubes take up more space in the ice tray than water.
Prior to 1992, toilets sold in the U.S. used more than 3.5 gallons of water per flush. Now they are required to use no more than 1.6 gallons.
An aquifer is a rock formation that holds water underground. This water feeds springs and wells. An aquifer is replenished through precipitation from rain and melting snow. If the water is used too rapidly, the aquifer becomes depleted.
For more information about water, go to ga.water.usgs.gov.