Wandering...
A lot of the tropes listed are marked as spoilers, and it's my understanding that when that happens, the tropes should be split into a "spoiler" folder. I'm not sure where the consensus came from, but that's what happened for The Cabin in the Woods, so should we do that for this film?
I don't think there are any "Scav" aliens. The alien invasion was by a robot spacefaring construct called the Tet which came here to strip mine the earth. It's AI, there are no aliens inside. "Scavenger aliens" are just a story made up to explain the devastation of Earth to Jack and keep him under control. The Scavs themselves are just the human resistance.
I think the article should be altered to reflect this.
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I think it was made clear at some point at the film - I think by Morgan Freeman - that the Tet is an alien construct used as a power-harvester for the main alien civilization. The Tet has no reason to strip mine earth (particularly taking its water) unless its working for some greater authority (the alien civilization proper). This is why the film has Fridge Horror. Because what's going to happen when the aliens realise their power source has been destroyed?
^That's really up to Wild Mass Guessing, since there's no In-Universe answer. The Tet could easily be similar to Galactus—stripping world's resources to fuel itself. (Similar to, but not the same, obviously.)
Artist License: Physics. I need to watch film, but it is possible for low-orbital vehicle to be unseen for a long time from some location. Yes, ISS orbits in about 90 minutes. It flies over same location about once per ten days.