The large lake near the left-hand side of the image is bordered
by Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, and has several names.
Lake Constance (also written as Konstanz and "Lac de Constance")
and Bodensee are the most common names. Another, used by the
German residents of the lake, is "Schwäbisches Meer" (Swabian
Sea). The lake's basin was formed by glacial activities.
The answers to this quiz appear in blue below each question.
1. The lake has two commonly used names. What are they?
The large lake near the left-hand side of the image is bordered by
Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, and has several names. Lake
Constance (also written as Konstanz and "Lac de Constance") and
Bodensee are the most common names. Another, used by the German
residents of the lake, is "Schwäbisches Meer" (Swabian Sea).
2. What process formed the lake's basin?
A. Meteor impact
B. Human excavation
C. Glacial erosion
D. Volcanic activity.
Answer: (C)
The lake's basin was formed by glacial activities.
3. Which one of the following statements about the lake is false?
A. There is an international airport within 100 kilometers
B. Remedial efforts to mitigate eutrophication were first initiated in the 1990's
C. Millions of people rely on the lake for drinking water
D. A lakeside town hosts an annual celebration of Celtic music
Answer: (B)
Lake Constance provides drinking water for about 4 million people. Zurich
International Airport is about 70 kilometers from the lakeside town of
Konstanz, Germany. An annual Celtic music festival is hosted on the
Swiss shores of Lake Constance at the town of Rorschach.
Eutrophication, or the process of nutrient enrichment, is rapidly
accelerated when excess phosphorous and nitrogen is discharged
to a water body from wastewater and fertilizers. This leads to
overproduction of algae and aquatic plants, exhaustion of available
oxygen, loss of some fish species, and the multiplication of anaerobic
bacteria. In recognition of the value of Lake Constance, efforts to
mitigate eutrophication were initiated in the 1970's.
MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The
Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of
Technology.