How people are changing Earth's systems

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Where rain goes as land is paved (USGS, from FISRWG 1998)

   Ground cover	Evapotranspiration	Runoff	Shallow infiltration	Deep infiltration
   Natural ground cover	40%	10%	25%	25%
   10–20% impervious	38%	20%	21%	21%
   35–50% impervious	35%	30%	20%	15%
   75–100% impervious	30%	55%	10%	5%

2. 1.

   Model data: 2 inches of rain fall on 50 acres (1 acre-inch is 1 inch over 1 acre). How much more runs off at 35–50% impervious cover than on natural ground, by Esme's math?

   • About 2 acre-inches more
   • About 20 acre-inches more
   • About 30 acre-inches more
   • About 40 acre-inches more
3. 2.

   EPA says a city block makes more than 5 times the runoff of woodland. Does the USGS table fit that, by Jun's math?

   • Yes; 30% ÷ 10% is 3 times, which fits more than 5 times
   • No; 55% − 10% is 45 times, which is far above 5 times
   • No; the table shows less runoff on paved ground than on woodland
   • Yes; 55% ÷ 10% is about 5.5 times, which fits more than 5 times
4. 3.

   Paving cuts infiltration and raises runoff. Runoff from sewers gains speed and erosional power. A new parking lot drains to a creek. Which chain of changes fits, by Kira's reasoning?

   • More soaking in, less runoff, a slower stream rise and less bank erosion
   • Less soaking in, more runoff, a faster stream rise and more bank erosion
   • More runoff, a slower stream rise, then more sediment dropped on the banks
   • The pavement changes, but the creek stays the same
5. 4.

   The ocean absorbs about 30% of released CO₂, surface pH has fallen 0.1, and shell builders find fewer carbonate ions. Fuel burning adds CO₂ to the air. Which chain across systems fits NOAA, by Milo's reasoning?

   • The air gains CO₂, the ocean absorbs about 30% and turns more acidic, and shell builders find fewer carbonate ions
   • The air gains CO₂ and the ocean is unaffected, since the CO₂ stays in the atmosphere
   • The air gains CO₂, the ocean absorbs about 30% and turns less acidic, and shell builders gain carbonate ions
   • The ocean releases 30% of its CO₂ into the air, so the air and the ocean both turn more acidic

6. Card (NASA)

   Land use adds just under 1 billion tons of carbon a year. Model data: 1 billion tons from land use, 9 billion tons from fuel burning.

7. 5.

   Model data: land use adds 1 billion tons of carbon a year and fuel burning adds 9 billion. What share of the total comes from land use, by Noah's math?

   • About 90%
   • About 10%
   • About 11%
   • About 1%
8. 6.

   pH is a logarithmic scale, so each drop of 1.0 means 10 times more acidic. 10^0.1 is about 1.26. Surface pH fell by 0.1, which NOAA calls about 30% more acidic. Why does a 0.1 drop mean so large a rise, by Pia's reasoning?

   • A 0.1 drop makes seawater about 26% more acidic, near NOAA's 30%
   • pH is linear, so a drop of 0.1 out of about 8 is about 1% more acidic
   • A lower pH means seawater turns more basic, so acidity falls by about 26%
   • A drop of 0.1 makes seawater 10 times more acidic, since pH counts tens
9. 7.

   The ocean absorbs about 30% of released CO₂. Surface pH has fallen 0.1. The ocean takes up CO₂ from the air. Which statement describes both effects, by Ren's reasoning?

   • The ocean speeds up the rise of CO₂ in the air and becomes more acidic
   • The ocean slows the rise of CO₂ in the air and becomes less acidic
   • The ocean slows the rise of CO₂ in the air but becomes more acidic
   • The ocean slows the rise of CO₂ in the air and stays at the same pH

10. Card (USGS)

    Reservoir water moves too slowly to keep sediment suspended, so reservoirs slowly fill. Model data: capacity 50 million m³; sediment arriving 0.5 million m³ a year; 90% trapped.

11. 8.

    Model data: a reservoir holds 50 million m³. A river brings 0.5 million m³ of sediment a year and the dam traps 90% of it. About how long until the reservoir fills, by Tala's math?

    • About 1,100 years
    • About 110 years
    • About 100 years
    • About 10 years

12. Card (example)

    Sediment settles in the reservoir. The river below the dam carries little sediment but still has the energy to pick more up.

13. 9.

    Water leaving a reservoir carries little sediment. What may happen to the river bed and banks just below the dam, by Zee's reasoning?

    • They may erode, since the river can pick up more sediment than it carries
    • They stay the same, since the dam changes just the water above it
    • They harden, since clear water cannot move any rock
    • They may build up, since the river drops extra sediment below the dam

14. Card (USGS)

    Reservoir water moves too slowly to keep sediment suspended, so reservoirs slowly fill. Floodplain sediment makes farmland. A reservoir stores water (example).

15. 10.

    Which statement fairly states one benefit and one cost of a reservoir, by Ari's reading?

    • It stores water, but it adds fresh sediment to the floodplain soils and does not fill up
    • It stores water, but it traps sediment that builds floodplain soils and slowly fills
    • It traps sediment and slowly fills, but it has no benefit to people who live nearby
    • It stores water and sediment, and both pass freely on to the downstream floodplain