Multiple Choice
1.) On a graph of average stream discharge (m3/sec) (y-axis) against watershed area (km2)
(x-axis) a series of streams ranging from 1st to 3rd order all lie directly on a line that has a
slope of 0.01m3/sec per km2. This means that
a) all of these streams have the same watershed area.
b) the r value for the small watersheds is much lower than the large ones.
c) the r value for all these watersheds is 0.95m/yr.
d) the r value for all these watershed is very similar and equal to 0.31m/yr
e) none of the above is true.
4.)In a report on stream flow you find the hydrological balance equation given as follows:
R=(P─ E)DA ─ S , with P and E in mm/d, DA in m2, S in m3/d, and R in m3/d.
You attempt to apply this equation to your study stream; however, you find a large
disparity between your measurements of stream flow (R in m3/d) and the estimates
derived from the equation even though you have checked your flow measurements and
the estimates for the parameters P, E,S, DA and found them to be accurate.
The most likely reason for this disparity is:
a) the time units are in days and not years and the hydrological balance equation will
not work on such a short time scale
b) the estimates of drainage area should be in km2.
c) the precipitation and evapotranspiration values need to be expressed as m/d for
the equation to balance.
d) the equation will not provide accurate predictions until the rain stops
e) the hydrological balance equation does not take into consideration changes in
watershed storage occurring during the time interval over which the
measurements were made.
5) To estimate the average flow in a stream you multiply the watershed area (m2) by the
runoff coefficient (r in m/yr) to obtain a flow estimate. The appropriate units for this
flow estimate are:
a) m/s
b) m3/s
c) m3/yr
d) m3/km2
e) m3/yr per km2 of watershed
7.)In general a stream of 3rd order is larger than a stream of 2nd order, but this need not
always be the case. The reason for this is
a) the 2nd order stream may come from a region with lower average runoff than the 3rd order
stream
b) some 2nd order streams may have larger watersheds than some 3rd order streams
c) some 2nd order streams have 3rd order tributaries
d) some 2nd order streams may have many 1st order tributaries, which together make them
larger than some 3rd order streams.
e) a, b and d are all correct
8.)A stream flowing from a region with high average runoff (r, m/yr) into a downstream
reach where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation will
a) tend to decrease in discharge (m3/t) in its downstream reach
b) will likely not have a forested watershed in its downstream reach
c) will tend to decrease in width, depth and velocity in its downstream reach
d) will likely have a very large watershed for its discharge
e) all of the above are likely to be correct.
9) The largest river in Alberta is
a) the Bow River downstream of Calgary
b) the South Saskatchewan River at Medicine Hat
c) the Athabasca River where it flows into Lake Athabasca
d) the Peace River where it flows into Lake Athabasca
e) the Slave River
10) Alberta has more lakes and ponds in its northern portion than in its southern region
because
a) only the northern half of the province was glaciated
b) much of the northern half of the province is underlain by clay sediments from
proglacial lakes, whereas such deposits are not common in the southern half of the
province
c) the southern half of the province is mostly agricultural and most of the lakes and
ponds have been drained
d) In the northern half of the province most areas receive much more precipitation and
have therefore more runoff than similar sized areas in the southern half of the
province
e) None of the above statements are true.
11) The lakes and ponds across most of Alberta tend to be much shallower than most of those
found in Ontario and Quebec, because
a) Alberta had fewer proglacial lakes than Ontario and Quebec
b) Alberta has much softer bedrock and deeper deposits of glacial till than Ontario and
Quebec and basins in such terrain tend to fill in with sediments than those found in
hard bedrock basin.
c) Alberta is much drier and has less runoff (except in the mountains) than most of
Ontario or Quebec
d) b and c are both true
e) a, b and c are all true
13) Many people are not easily convinced that rivers flow faster in their downstream reaches
than in their upstream tributaries because
a) rivers tend to be much wider downstream with their most rapid sections toward the
middle and away from shore, where most people stand and look at the river.
b) upstream tributaries tend to be more turbulent than downstream reaches and thus
appear to be flowing faster.
c) Downstream reaches tend to be flatter (less steep) and thus appear to flow slowly
d) All of these are likely true
14) Rivers that flow from mountainous regions tend to have most of their salmonid fry
(newly hatched fish) habitat in their 1st and 2nd order tributaries because
a) high elevation streams are generally cold year around and salmonid fry need cold
water
b) salmonids tend to spawn in the gravels of 1st and 2nd order streams and fry tend to
stay near their place of birth
c) stream velocities and depths tend to increase downstream and juvenile providing
better habitat for juveniles and adults which compete with fry.
d) a, b, and c are all true
e) none of these are true.
Exceedance probability (percentiles)
99.9
99
90
70
50
30 20
10
1
0.1
1.0
o
0.1
Runoff
coefficient
(r)
m/yr
o
o
o
o
0.01
11
Non-exceedence probability (percentiles)
A region has the above probability distribution for runoff. Based on this the discharge in
a stream with a 1km2 watershed should be expected have a discharge that exceeds 1 x 105
m3/yr once in
a) 4 yr
b) 10 yr
c) 20 yr
d) 100 yr
e) none of the above
Which of the following is not an important reason why river managers have traditionally
tried to constrain the seasonal variability of discharge?
a) flood events that occur during rainy periods can be very costly
b) storing the water from flood events can be very useful for agriculture
c) stable flow regimes are better for fish populations
d) stable flow regimes are better for assimilating pollutants such as sewage
e) stable flow regimes are better for shorebirds, dabbling ducks and amphibians
Two nearby streams have similar runoff values (Q/DA) and precipitation regimes, but
stream A has much more variable discharge, responding to precipitation events more
rapidly and with higher runoff peaks, followed by a sharper decline to a lower basefly
level. The most likely reason for this difference is
a) stream A has had its watershed clearcut whereas stream B has not
b) stream A flows out of a lake and stream B does not
c) stream A has more gravel in its streambed than stream B
d) all three are equally likely
e) b and c are both likely.
Two nearby streams had similar long-term mean runoff values and precipitation regimes,
but recently stream A has had higher and more variable discharge, responding to
precipitation events more rapidly and with higher runoff peaks, followed by a sharper
decline to a lower base level. Winter flows in this stream are much lower than they were
in the past. Stream B has not changed. The most likely reason for this difference is
a) stream A has had its watershed clearcut whereas stream B has not
b) stream A has been dammed in its upper reaches
c) Stream A has recently had more rain
d) A ski-hill in a neighboring watershed has been drawing water from Stream A for
snow-making
e) All of these are likely
Increased algal growth is often seen in streams whose watershed have been clearcut
because
a) the temperature tends to rise
b) the water has become more turbid and coloured
c) export of nutrients from the clearcut watershed to the stream has increased
d) the clearcutting has reduced shading so more sunlight strikes the stream bed
e) both c and d are correct
Siltation is a problem for fish eggs in the gravel because
a) silt is toxic to the eggs
b) silt stimulates algal and fungal growth on the eggs
c) silt plugs up interstitial spaces in the gravel so that throughflow of oxygenated
water is impaired
d) silt accumulation provides an excellent environment for certain benthic
invertebrates which eat the eggs
e) silt stimulates bacterial growth which depletes oxygen and produces toxic
substances.
Temporary ponds and swamps are very suitable habitats for aquatic insects and some
other invertebrates because
a) the habitat persists long enough to allow such organisms to complete their life
cycle
b) many of the larger animals that prey on or compete with these invertebrates are
not able to invade and complete their life-cycles in temporary water bodies.
c) Temporary ponds are warm and nutrient rich and algal growth is very rapid
d) a and b are both true
e) a, b, and c are all true
Damming of rivers often reduces flood plain habitat in downstream reaches because
a) peak flood waters are generally held back in reservoirs and not immediately
released to the downstream reaches
b) seasonal variation in the discharge to downstream reaches is reduced
c) damming is often accompanied by levees and other channel alterations aimed at
flood control or improving navigability.
d) damming is often accompanied by river diversion for irrigation and other
domestic or industrial purposes, which reduces the downstream discharge.
e) All of these are true
Which of the following is not a reason why floodplain restoration projects are becoming
very common in the United States.
a) Floodplain restoration is often linked to removal of old dams and levees that often
fail and governments are becoming increasingly liability conscious.
b) The public is becoming increasingly interested in floodplain conservation and in
the use of floodplain habitats as natural areas for hiking, bird-watching and other
forms of outdoor recreation.
c) The powerful US Endangered Species Act dictates that it be done wherever there
are endangered floodplain species present.
d) Many illegal immigrants and terrorists enter the US by crossing rivers and
restoring the floodplain habitats will make such crossings more difficult
Silt and mud tends to accumulate on the inside of meander loops because
a) this is where most of the stream bank erosion takes place
b) this is where stream velocities are slowest and thus fine particles, which are
usually eroded from the stream bank on the outside of meander loops, are able to
settle out and not be resuspended
c) material eroded from riffles tend to settle in pools
d) Cross-sectional flow is generally strongest at a bend causing fine particles to settle
out by centrifugal force
e) None of these are true.
Oxbow lakes are important to the biodiversity of a river because
a) they are a stable source of standing water on the flood plain and many species in
the river ecosystem thrive better there than in the mainstream
b) many fish and other species are trapped in the oxbow basin and can only get back
into the river during flood events
c) these lakes are usually warm, shallow and productive, and many fish, amphibians
and insects are produced in them.
d) a, b and c are all true
e) a and c are true.
Which of the following features of rivers are not indicative of past changes in course
over the years
a) the presence of many intersecting dried up channels
b) the presence of oxbows, beaverdams and wetlands in the river flood plain
c) the presence of braided sections in the river bed
d) the presence of steep canyons along the river
e) none of these
A road with a bridge crossing a river can significantly alter the long-term course of the
river’s meander, even without obstructing its present pattern of flow because
a) pilings and other physical structures placed along the river bank may deflect water
during floods and affect the pattern of scouring
b) bridge pilings are strongly reinforced to stabilize the bridge, and can preventing the
river from shifting at the bridge crossing.
c) old river channels can be blocked by the roadbed leading up to the bridge, and this can
prevent the river from occupying these old channels in the future.
d) a, b and c are all true
e) on a and b are true.
Feedlots located within a river flood plain or along its terraces can dramatically affect it
because
a) river bed gravels are very permeable and nutrients from livestock will seep into
the bank and find their way into the river
b) pathogenic bacteria growing in the soil under the feedlot can find their way into
the river.
c) The smells from the feedlot can influence animals and/or people using riparian
woodlands along the river
Which of the following is not a way in which glaciation has contributed to lake
formation
a) glaciers can impound and divert the flow of rivers and produce large proglacial
lakes
b) moraines or glacial till pushed along by advancing glaciers can impound water
courses and produce lakes
c) mountain glaciers can scour out deep basins that will later be occupied by lakes
d) large blocks of ice in thick till deposits can produce “kettle” basins when they
melt
e) tectonic basins (grabens) can be created when the heavy weight of glaciers
produce faults in the earth’s crust.
The lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is believed to have evolved in glaciated North
America during the ice age because
a) its natural range consist mostly of deep, thermally stratified lakes that are either
remnants of proglacial lakes or easily accessible from them.
b) It is one of the few salmonids that has no tendency to run to the sea and is found
only in North America.
c) Its distribution south of the glacial boundary has resulted entirely from human
introductions
d) it is our most coldwater adapted fish species
e) all of these reasons are important contributors to this idea
Glacial relicts such as mysid shrimp are found in very few Alberta lakes because
a) Most Alberta lakes tend to be too shallow to form thermoclines
b) Many Alberta lakes are too productive to maintain high oxygen levels in their
hypolimnia
c) Mysids were present, but have mostly been eliminated by fish predators
d) a, b and c are all true
e) only a and b are true.
Although mysid shrimps are an important source of food for young lake trout in many
Canadian lakes, their introduction beyond their native range has proved disastrous to the
fisheries in many lakes because
a) mysids feed on larval stages of many fish species
b) mysids compete for the zooplankton food sources that many fish require
c) mysids carry diseases that have proved lethal for many fish species
d) mysids carry on vertical migrations that provide them with a refuge from
predation from many epilimnetic fishes
e) b and d are both correct
Tectonic lakes like Baikal and the Rift Valley lakes in Africa contain more species than
glacial lakes because
a) their basins are deeper and thus have more habitat diversity
b) they have survived uninterrupted for millions of years old and have had time to
develop rich endemic faunas
c) they are remnants of inland seas and thus contain many ancient marine lineages
d) b and c are both true
e) a and b are both true
Cirque lakes are often milky or pale blue in colour because
a) The water frequently contains a great deal of suspended glacial clay which
scatters light
b) The unique phytoplankton found in these lakes imparts this milky appearance to
the water
c) They reflect ultraviolet light
d) The waters are rich in organic matter from the watershed
e) None of these are true.
Crater lake is very unique in comparison to other lakes because
a) it has almost no watershed and any nutrient input that it has comes from rain.
b) its waters are among the least turbid and lowest in dissolved organic matter
content of any known lakes
c) it has no rooted plants and almost no plankton growing in it
d) sediments don’t start to accumulate in it until depths > 90 m are reached
e) all of the above are true.
Lake trout from all over western Canada, as far east as Manitoba and western Ontario,
share genetic similarities with those from Waterton Lakes, because
a) lake trout can disperse down rivers and find their way into other lakes
b) lake trout from Waterton Lakes have been raised in hatcheries and introduced to
many other lakes
c) Waterton lake is a remnant of a large lake that was formed when mountain glacier
runoff was impounded by a continental glacier. This lake shifted toward the north
and east gradually as the glacier receded, dispersing lake trout widely.
d) Waterton Lake habitat is very similar to that found in other Canadian lakes.
e) None of these are true.
How much water flows into a lake from its watershed if the drainage area is 6 km2 and
the runoff coefficient is 0.2 m/yr. The area of the lake is 2.5 km2, and evaporation
exceeds precipitation on the lake by 0.085 m.
a) 1.2 x 106 m3/yr
b) 1.2 x 103 m3/yr
c) 9.9 x 105 m3/yr
d) 5.88 x 106 m3/yr
e) none of the above
What would you expect the mean flushing rate to a lake to be if it had a drainage area is 6
km2 and the runoff coefficient is 0.2 m/yr. The area of the lake is 2.5 km2, its mean depth
is 15 m and evaporation exceeds precipitation on the lake by 0.085 m.
a) 0.032 /yr
b) 0.032 yr
c) 3.9 yr
d) 0.028/yr
e) 0.32/yr
A lake has a drainage area is 6 km2 and the runoff coefficient is 0.2 m/yr. The area of the
lake is 2.5 km2, its mean depth is 15 m and evaporation exceeds precipitation on the lake
by 0.085 m. How much of the water flowing into this lake could be allocated for
irrigation before its water level would be expected to decline?
a) 82.5 %
b) 92 %
c) 8.25%
d) 51%
e) none of these
The sea of Aral in the former Soviet Union has nearly dried up over the last 50 yr.
because
a) all of the inflowing water has been allocated to irrigating cotton farms
b) evaporation from the lake was not properly factored into the allocation for
irrigation
c) climate change has resulted in a series of excessively dry years
d) the increasing salinity of the lake has increased its evaporation rate
e) none of these are true.
The area under the hypsographic curve of a lake represents its
a) mean depth
b) the surface area of the lake minus the area of its islands
c) volume
d) the depth ratio
e) none of the above
A lake with a surface area of 3.5 km2 and a mean depth of 10 m will have a volume of
a) 0.035 km3
b) 0.35 km3
c) 3.5 x 106 m3
d) 3.5 x 108 m3
e) none of the above
The depositional boundary for mud in a lake with a large surface area lake will usually be
found at greater depth than in a lake with small surface area because
a) lakes with large surface area are usually deeper
b) lakes with large surface area have more steeply sloped shorelines
c) lakes with large surface area have larger waves, and therefore wind induced currents
move water and resuspend particles at greater depths
d) suspended sediment particles sink faster in larger lakes
e) larger lakes have less suspended sediment particles.
If two lakes have the same surface area, the depositional boundary for mud will tend to
be deeper in the one with a more steeply sloped basin because
a) lakes with steep shores will tend to have larger waves
b) wind induced current will not attenuate with depth as rapidly in steep lakes
c) sediments that have settled on steeper shores are less stable and more easily
resuspended
d) particles sink faster in lakes with steep basins
e) none of the above explanations are likely to be true.
Varved sediments commonly occur in glacial lakes because
a) streams flowing off glaciers carry a great deal of clay during the summer months
which appears whitish compared to organic sediments.
b) Glacial lakes have more calcium carbonate precipitates during summer which
imparts a whitish layer to the sediment
c) Glacial lakes have more diatoms which settle during spring and give a banded
appearance to the sediment core
d)
e) none of the above are true.
Lead-210 is less abundant farther down in a sediment core because
a) it is produced from the decay of Uranium-238 which is not abundant deep in
sediments
b) lead-210 fallout from the atmosphere did not occur prior to the nuclear age
c) lead-210 decays to lead-206 with a half-life of 22 yr so that deeper sediments tend
to lose their lead-210.
d) Lead-210 is not well attached to particles and tends to be upwardly mobile in
sediments
e) None of the above are true.
Cesium-137 cannot be used to date old sediments in the manner that lead-210 can
because
a) this isotope has a short half-life and will be depleted from deep sediment layers
b) this isotope did not exist prior to the nuclear age and is therefore absent from deep
sediment layers
c) this isotope was produced in large amounts from volcanic ash and this old
sediment layers contain large cesium peaks
d) it is not well attached to particles and in some sediments tends to diffuse within
the sediment core
e) b and d are both correct
In a lake with a Secchi disk transparency of 4m we would expect the 1% light level to be
at which depth contour
a) 8.1
b) 10.8 m
c) 1.1
d) 9.5
e) none of these
The outer boundary of the littoral zone is determined by
a) the 1% light level
b) the depth at which fine sediments begin to accumulate
c) the position of the thermocline
d) the amount of convective circulation in the water column
e) the depth at which sufficient light reaches the substrate for aquatic macrophytes to
begin growing
Water in a deep lake with very little dissolved organic matter is blue because
a) blue wavelengths are absorbed preferentially by this water
b) the red end of the visible spectrum is preferentially absorbed by water, and thus
backscattered light from deep in the lake is nearly all blue.
c) The colour of the sky is reflected back from the lake making it appear blue
d) The phycocyanin pigment of cyanobacteria imparts a blue colour to the water
e) None of these is true
Water with high dissolved organic matter content appears to have a yellow-brown colour
a) water absorbs red wavelengths the most, and the organic matter absorbs mainly
the blue and green wavelengths allowing the yellowish part of the spectrum to
penetrate the farthest into the water
b) yellowish wavelengths are absorbed preferentially by the organic matter
c) many of the chrysophyte algae that live in these lakes have carotenoid accessory
pigments that impart a yellowish tinge to the water.
d) Suspended soil particles scatter mainly the long and short end of the visible
spectrum causing the water to look yellowish.
e) None of the above.
Plant growth at the lower photic zone boundary of the littoral is very poor in brownish
coloured lakes because
a) the dissolved humic matter is toxic to plants
b) the most photosynthetically active wave lengths cancel each other out
c) the coloured water absorbs mainly the red and blue end of the spectrum which are
the most photosynthetically active, leaving less active wave lengths to penetrate
the deepest
d) soil humic particles tend to settle out in deep water on top of the plants covering
them with sediment
e) none of the above.
Gross Primary productivity during a measurement time interval can be estimated by
a) the increase in O2 that takes place in the light bottle because photosynthesis
exceeds respiration, plus the decrease in dissolved oxygen that takes place in the
dark bottle due to respiration.
b) The increase in O2 that takes place in the light bottle because photosynthesis
exceeds respiration.
c) The increase in O2 that takes place in the light bottle minus the decrease that takes
place in the dark bottle
d) The increase in O2 that takes place in the light bottle plus twice the decrease that
take place in the dark bottle
e) None of the above
The carbon-14 method of measuring primary productivity works on the principle that
a) all of the C taken up by the phytoplankton in the sample bottle is radioactive
b) the same proportion of radioactive C is taken up as non-radioactive C, and that all
of this is retained by the Millipore filter.
c) that none of the radioactive C incorporated is released in respiration during the
experiment
d) that each molecule of radioactive C produces causes a photon to be released by
the fluorescent medium that the algae are dissolved in.
e) inorganic C will be taken up by all organisms present in the sample bottle.
Diurnal changes in O2 within the water column of a lake
a) will tend to make the O2concentration supersaturated at night
b) will tend to make the O2 concentration supersaturated in the deep waters below
the photic zone
c) result only from photosynthesis in the water column
d) will reflect the combined effects of photosynthesis, respiration and atmospheric
exchange with the lakewater
e) are solely a result of the diurnal changes in temperature and its effect on O2
solubility
Three species of algae found in the phytoplankton community of a lake have the
photosynthesis/irradiance curves designated A, B, and C
A
GPP/t
per unit of
biomass
B
C
Light
intensity
Assuming that A and B are equal in all respects other than their P/I curves, under what
conditions would you expect B to outperform A?
a) in the epilimnion of a clear stratified lake
b) in the well-mixed water column of a deep lake
c) in the hypolimnion of a clear stratified lake
d) growing on the subsrate near shore in the littoral zone of a clear lake
e) a and d are both true
f) b and c are both true.
Assuming that A, B and C are similar in all respects other than their P/I curves, which of
these species would you expect to perform best in the well mixed water column of a deep
lake
a) A
b) B
c) C
d) A and B would do equally well
e) A and C would do equally well
You find that C outperforms both A and B during the summer months but not in the early
spring. Assuming that all three species have similar temperature optima and nutrient
uptake affinities, which of the following explanations is most plausible
a) C is the least palatable species to herbivorous zooplankton
b) B does best at low light intensity, and A does best at high light intensity, but C
does best under fluctuating light intensities
c) C has the most eccentric shape
d) a and b are both plausible
e) a and c are both plausible
Consider the following diurnal oxygen cycles in a river, C represents the 100% saturation
level
A
B
O2
mg/L
C
Day
Night
A and B are recorded at two sites: (1) is at the outlet of a sewage plant where microbial
treatment breaks down all organic matter in the sewage to mineralized nutrients (eg N, P
and CO2), (2) is at an untreated sewage outlet.
a) Curve A most likely represents site 1 because mineralized nutrients will contribute to
higher photosynthetic rates and lower respiration rates.
b) Curve A most likely represents site 2 because untreated sewage will likely lead to
higher respiration rates.
c) Curve B most likely represents 1 because mineralized nutrients will likely lead to
higher respiration rates
d) Curve B most likely represents 2 because the saturation level of oxygen will likely be
lower in the presence of untreated sewage.
e) none of these are true.
In situations where light can reach the substrate,
a) macrophytes and benthic algae will be the dominant 1o producers, since the
substrate will generally provide more nutrients than the water column
b) the phytoplankton will be the dominant 1o producers since they will have first
access to light
c) macrophytes and benthic algae will be the dominant 1o producers because they
will have first access to light.
d) Phytoplankton will be the dominant 1o producers because they will use up all the
nutrients in the water column.
e) None of these are true.
Which of the following is not a plausible reason why macrophyte beds constitute
excellent habitat for many species of fish?
a) they provide abundant refuges for small fish from predators
b) they provide enough primary productivity to support a rich community of
invertebrates and fish
c) they provide a continuous supply of dissolved oxygen
d) they provide many ambush sites for predators
e) they attenuate waves and enhance sedimentation rates, leading to enhanced
nutrient accumulation in sediments.
High benthic algal biomass and productivity below hypolimnion release dams can be
expected because
a) hypolimnic waters in the reservoir are usually nutrient rich as a result of
sedimentation of phytoplankton and inorganic particles.
b) year-round ice free conditions will be present below the dam
c) the watershed will likely provide a rich supply of organic matter.
d) a and b are both true
e) b and c are both true
The density vs temperature graph of fresh water is
For each of the following properties or observations indicate yes, if it can be reasonably
inferred from the above graph, and no if it cannot be.
a) ice will always float on water
b) The thermocline will become less stable as the surface waters cool from 20oC
down to 10oC.
c) under ice cover colder water will float on top of warmer water
d)
e)
f)
g)
ice will tend to crack on very cold days
plankton will sink more slowly at 4oC than they will at 20oC
in a small pond convection currents can be very strong during summer
The mud layer under the lake will tend to warm and cool more slowly than the
water
h) The diffusion rate of heat through the thermocline will be greater in a large than a
small lake.
i) River water flowing into a lake during the spring and early summer will tend to
form a thermal bar rather than mix with the lakewater.