Environmental Geology Study Questions -Review 1

Hydrology
What are the components of the hydrologic cycle? Write an equation defining a water budget for a lake.
Why causes rainfall? What are three typical causes for precipitation?
Discuss at least two methods for looking at time trends in climatic data such as precipitation or streamflow.
What are the three methods for determining rainfall distribution over an area? How do they work?
How can you measure channelized flow? How do you get V? Q?
What is a rating curve?
Be able to determine the probability and return period of a given rainfall event.
What are the factors which affect runoff.
Be able to discuss a hydrograph curve - its components, how it might be affected by different geology, different land use.
Discuss how a hydrograph would change from upstream to downstream as the result of an upstream event, if an area became urbanized. Include discussion of curve shape, peaks, baseflow, lag time
Be able to compare flow duration curves. What do they indicate?
What is a baseflow recession curve? What can it be used for?
What methods exist for estimating ET over an area? What factors are included?
The SCS curve method and the Rational equation are used for what purposes? How are they different? What variables do you need to calculate them? To what settings do they apply?
What are the components of the Manning equation? What do they mean?

Floods
What types of floods occur? What are their causes, characteristics? Examples of each type.
List five factors that govern the amount of damage that can occur from a flood.
What are the effects on floods of the following: channelization, dams, levees urbanization.
How does flood forecasting work?
The text describes what elements should be in a Risk Communication System. What are these?
Discuss the observed relationship of drainage basin characteristics and floods. How good have these correlations been?
Discuss three geomorphic techniques for evaluating paleoflood discharges. How do they work? Where would they be most useful?
Assume you are asked to develop an estimate of flood heights for a recent flood in an ungaged basin. What would you do?
What agency is in charge of development of flood maps?
What is the National Flood Insurance Program? How does it work?
How does the CRS work? What activities are creditable under the CRS?
For the following case studies, discuss why it happened, what were the effects and damages.
Mississippi River 1993
Big Thompson Canyon 1976
Houston area, 2001
Buffalo Creek, WV, 1972

Stormwater
How can stormwater be managed? Give examples.
Discuss the hydrologic effects (runoff volume, pollutant volume, pollutant concentration, on-site absorption of runoff, pollution) of high density versus low density land use.
What are some of the ideas behind smart growth?
BMPs have been grouped into the following three categories: pollution prevention practices, source controls, and treatment controls. Define these and give examples.
What four kinds of stormwater detention facilities exist? Discuss the pros and cons of each for economics, social implications, runoff and pollution control.
What is LID? What are the principles behind its application? What are the benefits? What are some LID design ideas and how do they work?
What kinds of pollutants are in stormwater? Where do these come from?
What is the concept of first flush? Does it always apply? What is the relationship between impervious cover and stormwater pollutant concentrations?
What laws regulate stormwater? What are the Phase I and II regulations governing stormwater? What is required? Who does it apply to?

Coastal Problems
What factors control shoreline development and what time scales do these operate at?
What processes generate waves? What controls the nature of waves?
Describe the path of water molecules in deep water? In shallow water?
What are the parts to a shoreline?
What is wave base and what is its significance?
Describe the process of wave refraction. What type of current is generated by wave refraction? How does it operate on a straight coastline? A jagged coastline?
What governs the velocity of the longshore current?
What forms of erosion occur on shorelines?
How do spits develop and why?
How do barrier islands originate? What controls whether barrier islands are regressive (progradational) or transgressive? Many barrier islands are migrating landward. What evidence do we have to support this statement?
The text discussed three scenarios for barrier island protection depending on development. What are these and what can be done?
You are in an area with a balanced sand budget. How would the following activities affect the sand budget?
Building a dam in the upper reaches of the river
Building a dam in the lower reaches of a river

Explain how a longshore current is generated and how it transports and deposits sand
How can coastal flooding be predicted?
How will sea level rise impact coastlines?
How have human activities impacted coastlines?
Develop a sediment budget for a shoreline.
What are some structural responses to coastal erosion? What are their pros and cons?
What are some non-structural responses to coastal erosion? What are their pros and cons?
What is the primary law covering coastlines? What does it require?
How has the Lucas case impacted shoreline regulation?

Groundwater
What are some of the unique advantages groundwater has for human use?
What is groundwater?
What do theses terms mean potentiometric surface, water table, aquifer, artesian aquifer, porosity, specific yield, specific retention, aquitard
How do aquifers recharge?
How can streams and groundwater interact? What is stream depeletion?
What are the impacts of groundwater overdrafts? How do theses problems occur?
Where is the Ogallala or High Plains aquifer? What is the nature of the aquifer? What are the problems?
What is a water conservation district and what does it do?
What factors affect groundwater vulnerability?
What is the fundamental principle governing riparian rights? prior appropriation?
List the six doctrines that groundwater can be managed under. Explain two of them - how they work?
How is groundwater managed under Texas Law? Are there exceptions?

Groundwater Protection/Water Conservation
What is karst? List three ways in which you could recognize a karst landscape.
Why is karst such a problem for management?
What is a sole source aquifer?
What is wellhead protection? How does it work?
What is delineation? What are the criteria? What are the methods for doing delineation?
What is a contaminant inventory? How is one done?
How do you develop a prioritization scheme for ranking risks?
What type of management activities can be done in a wellhead area?
How does source water protection differ from wellhead protection?