NAEP Science Grade 12

Category - Earth Science

The High Plains Aquifer extends from South Dakota to central Texas. Since the early 1900s, the surface of the aquifer has dropped significantly in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. This change in the aquifer is primarily due to which of the following?
  1. A reduction in forest cover from logging that has increased evaporation rates from exposed soils overlying the aquifer.
  2. A shift in climate conditions during the past 100 years that has reduced the water available for aquifer recharge.
  3. The compaction of soils from mechanized farming that has reduced the permeability of soils overlying the aquifer.
  4. The withdrawal of water for agricultural use that has been greater than the aquifer's recharge rate from precipitation.
Explanation
Correct Response: D. The depletion of the High Plains Aquifer has been caused primarily by water withdrawals for agriculture in a geographic region that does not have sufficient precipitation to recharge the aquifer. Much of the water in the aquifer entered the aquifer during the last ice age when precipitation in the region was greater. There is limited forest cover in the semi-arid High Plains so changes in forest cover (A) are not responsible for the depletion of the aquifer. Although periods of drought have not benefited the aquifer in recent years (B), recent climate change is not the primary cause of the aquifer's depletion. Soil compaction (C) has likely played a very small role in reducing recharge rates in the area, but this is not a significant factor when compared with the tremendous water withdrawals for agriculture.
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