WATERSHED NOTES SOL 6.7, 6.9, 6.5
Videos:Nye Rivers and Streams, Erosion;
Schlessinger Media “All About Land Formations Chap5 and 6
A watershed is the land that
water flows across, under, or
through on its way to a stream,
river, lake, wetland, or other
body of water.
http://www.unesco.org/water/
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
http://gomex.erma.noaa.gov/erma.html#x=89.51660&y=24.64702&z=5&layers=1613+
1759+3023+3582+3575+497 Gulf oil leak
http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/whatis.
cfm Federal Govt. website
A watershed is an area of land where all the water including rain, snowmelt and groundwater
flows into the same stream, lake, river or bay. The boundary of a watershed is not tied to
any political boundaries, but to the topography of the land. A ridgeline, or high area,
separates one watershed from another. Water flows from the ridgeline down, often to an
elevated plain or plateau. A steep slone, called a fall line, often connects the plateau to the
low plains. At the water's edge is the riparian buffer, a crucial area because it is the last
section of land before the water begins.
Small watersheds encompass small land areas and
typically drain into small bodies of water. The runoff
from small watersheds characteristically joins
together with that from other small watersheds to
form a larger watershed.
Usually, the larger the body of water, the larger its
watershed.
http://multimedia.wri.org/watersheds_2003/index.html (Watersheds of the world)
Areas of higher elevations, such as ridgelines
and divides, separate watersheds.
http://www.recyclebank.com/recycling
The Virginia Department Virginia. of Game and
Inland Fisheries defines 12 major watersheds in
Virginia.
http://va.water.usgs.gov/projects/wshed_model.html (multi-state regional watershed map)
www.cnr.vt.edu/PLT/watersheds.html
maps (VA 12
watersheds)
http://va.water.usgs.gov/ (data site for ground water
and various/real time)
http://www.vims.edu/bridge/archive0203.html (nice watershed notes)
http://www2.ctic.purdue.edu/kyw/Quizzes.html
ONLINE QUIZZES and other information links
http:/ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/ ( many links for watershed and use)
http://water.usgs.gov/education.html
GREAT GENERAL RESOURCE SITE
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wateruse.html
WATER USE INFO
http://www.conservationinformation.com/?action=learningcenter_kyw_whatisawatershed
watershed vocabulary worksheet (see this file pg 24)
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/dictionary.html
http://earthtrends.wri.org/maps_spatial/watersheds/ncamerica.php
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/science/webquest/content/virginiawatershed.shtml
WEBQUEST SITE
The 3 major regional watershed systems in
Virginia lead to the Chesapeake Bay, the North
Carolina sounds, or the Gulf of Mexico.
60% of Virginia is part of the Chesapeake
Bay watershed, which covers 64,000 square miles
in six states.
This includes five watersheds in Virginia: the
James River, York River, Rappahannock
River, Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, and
the Eastern Shore.
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Two of Virginia’s watersheds empty into the
Albemarle Sound in North Carolina; they
include the Chowan River (containing the southern
portion of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake) and the
Roanoke River.
************************************************************************
The Big Sandy River and the New River
eventually empty into the Ohio River. The Clinch,
Powell, and Holston Rivers empty into the
Tennessee River, which meets the Ohio River just
before it empties into the Mississippi River.
River systems are made up of tributaries of
smaller streams that join along their courses. Rivers
and streams generally have wide, flat, border areas,
called flood plains, onto which water spills out at
times of high flow.
Virginia has 497 sub-watersheds, which are
made up of small creeks and streams that filter into
larger ones before merging into rivers.
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/education/sol/watersheds.asp
Virginia’s Watersheds
Virginia Watersheds
USGS Hydrologic Unit River
Systems
For use with Science SOLs – 4.8,
6.7, ES9, Bio9
Chesapeake Bay and MidAtlantic Region:
Eastern Shore Drainage:
Pocomoke River
Machipongo River
Chincoteague River
Potomac Drainage:
Potomac River
Shenandoah River
Occoquan River
North River
Middle River
Little Wicomico River
Dry River
York Drainiage:
South River
South Anna River
Po River
Pamunkey River
North Anna River
Ni River
New Found River
Mattaponi River
Little River
Rappahannock Drainage:
Western Branch
Corrotoman River
Ware River
Thorton River
Robinson River
Rappahannock River
Rapidan River
Portobago Creek
Pankatank River
North Fork Thorton River
Massaponax River
Hazel River
Great Wicomico River
James Drainage:
James River
Rivanna River
Maury River
Cowpasture River
Jackson River
Buffalo River
Piney River
Appomattox River
Chickahominy River
Lynch River
Roach River
Rockfish River
Tye River
Pedlar River
Nansemond River
Hardware River
Bullpasture River
South Atlantic Region
Chowan Drainage:
Warwick Branch
South Meherrin River
Nottoway River
North Meherrin River
Middle Meherrin River
Meherrin River
Little Nottoway River
Chowan River
Blackwater Swamp
Blackwater River
Assomoosick Swamp
Roanoke Drainage:
Banister River
Big Otter River
Blackwater River
Dan River
Falling River
North Mayo River
Pigg River
Roanoke River
Sandy River
Stinking River
Turkeycock River
Yadkin Drainage:
Ararat River
Ohio Region
New River Drainage:
Knob Fork
Laurel Fork
Little River
Muskrat Branch
New River
Tract Fork
Wolfpen Branch
Big Sandy Drainage:
Cranes Nest River
Levisa Fork River
McClure River
Pound River
Russell Fork
Tug River
Tennessee Region
Holston Drainage:
Big Moccasin Creek
Holston River
Possum Creek
Walker Creek
Whitetop Laurel Creek
Clinch Drainage:
Clinch River
Guest River
Little River
Powell River
Rivers and streams carry and deposit sediment. As water flow decreases
in speed, the size of the sediment it carries decreases.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/glossary.aspx?menuitem=14875 GLOSSARY
OF WATERSHED TERMS
The Estuary System
An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where fresh water
from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean. It is an
area of transition from land to sea. Estuaries are among the most productive
environments on earth, creating organic matter and providing many different
types of habitat that support diverse communities of plants and animals.
The Chesapeake Bay Estuary
Chesapeake Bay is the largest of 130 estuaries in the United States. About half
of its water volume comes from salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. The other
half drains into the Bay from its enormous 64,000-square-mile watershed.
Because of this mix of fresh and salt waters, the Bay's salinity gradually
increases as you move from north to south.
Of the 50 major tributaries that flow into the Bay, just three deliver
about 80 percent of the fresh water.
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The Susquehanna River (48 percent)
The Potomac River (19 percent)
The James River (14 percent)
As a highly productive estuary, the Chesapeake provides an array of
critical habitats for thousands of species of fish, birds, mammals and
other wildlife.
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Migratory waterfowl stop and feed in wetlands, marshes, open waters and
shallow waters during their seasonal flights.
Anadromous fish like shad and sturgeon spawn in the Bay watershed's
freshwater rivers and streams.
Underwater bay grass beds growing in shallow waters protect juvenile fish
and blue crabs, as well as molting blue crabs, from predators.
In addition to serving as wildlife habitat, the wetlands that fringe estuaries also
perform valuable functions like filtering polluted runoff, absorbing flood waters
and preventing erosion.
Estuaries support educational and recreational activities like boating, angling,
swimming and bird-watching. They are also commercially important, serving as
nursery grounds for commercial fish and shellfish. Chesapeake Bay is home to
Baltimore and Hampton Roads, two of the North Atlantic's five major shipping
ports.
Estuaries are partially enclosed bodies of water where freshwater
from streams and rivers meets salty ocean water. Bays, lagoons,
harbors, inlets, and sounds are examples of estuaries. Estuaries perform
important functions, such as providing habitat for many organisms and
serving as nurseries for their young. A very large number of fish that are
used commercially return from the ocean to spawn in the protective
waters of estuaries.
75% of commercial fish catch and 80% of recreational fish catch make
their home in estuaries. Oysters, clams, and crabs thrive in the bays and
inlets. Estuaries provide a habitat for endangered and threatened birds.
People depend on estuaries for trade, food, and shelter from
violent open ocean water. Among other benefits, estuaries provide
recreation in the form of swimming, boating, fishing, surfing, and bird
watching. Estuaries act as a natural laboratory for scientists and
students. The economy of many coastal communities is directly linked
to the aesthetic beauty of the estuary nearby.
Like our rivers and streams, estuaries are in danger as a result of human
activity. Much trash and sediment from upriver are carried into the
estuary. Chemical contamination in an estuary can linger for years and
close down fishing in those areas. Silt and other sediment caused by
erosion can suffocate bottom-dwelling plants and animals. Nutrients
from upstream make their way into the estuary and cause overenrichment of the water and oxygen depletion. Altering the natural
water flow primarily by dredging and filling wetlands for development
purposes has devastating effects on the estuary. Wetlands act as a
buffer zone to the estuary by filtering and breaking down nutrients.
The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary where fresh and salt water meet and
are mixed by tides. It is the largest estuary in the contiguous United
States and one of the most productive. However, the population
around the Chesapeake Bay has reached 15 million people and
the bay’s natural resources are being threatened. (VA Dept of
Ed.)
www.vanaturally.com/guide/water.html
Loudoun County monitering locations
http://www.loudounwatershedwatch.org/pdf/LWW_Educational_Map.pdf (Loudoun Illustrative map/student copy)
Watershed Flow Chart
Toxic-substances from industries
Habitat for animals
Nutrient runoff
Absorb excess water
Filter pollutant
CREEKS,
STREAMS, LAKES,
MAJOR RIVERS
WETLANDS
ESTUARY
Recreation
Wastewater
Soil erosion
Trap sediment
Replenish groundwater
Habitat for plants & animals
Pathogens
http://www.winchesterstar.com/showarticle_new.php?sID=6&folde
rname=20090325&file=Spout%20Run_article.html
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/11/17/Newarkcreek-fish-kill.html thousands of fish killed when truck crashed.
Today's Troublemakers
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Sediments - from soil erosion
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Farm erosion-
Phosphates and nitrates(fertilizers) from agricultural sources
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Waste from livestock factory farms-
Improperly treated sewage - from overflows
during storm events, or from failing septic systems
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Industrial wastes such as acids, oils, and grease
- from factories and other industrial facilities
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Acids and leachates - from abandoned mines
and dumps
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Encroaching salt water - from the ocean
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Urban and suburban stormwater flows - from
storm events
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into groundwater supplies
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Herbicides and pesticides - from water and sediments running off the
land
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http://winchesterstar.com/article_details.php?ArticleID=6571
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Winchester Star article
WETLANDS
Wetlands form the transition zone between dry land and bodies of
water, such as rivers, lakes, or bays.
Wetlands can be marshes, swamps, bogs or fens.
Marshes (source: http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/types/marsh.html)
Marshes are defined as wetlands frequently or continually inundated
(covered) with water, characterized by emergent soft-stemmed
vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions. There are many different
kinds of marshes, ranging from the prairie potholes to the Everglades,
coastal to inland, freshwater to saltwater. All types receive most of their
water from surface water, and many marshes are also fed by
groundwater. Nutrients are plentiful and the pH is usually neutral
leading to an abundance of plant and animal life.
Marshes can be tidal or non-tidal.
The presence of marshes in a watershed helps to reduce damage caused
by floods by slowing and storing flood water.
Marsh vegetation and microorganisms also use excess nutrients for
growth that can otherwise pollute surface water such as nitrogen and
phosphorus from fertilizer.
In fact, marshes are so good at cleaning polluted waters that people are
now building replicas of this wetland type to treat wastewater from
farms, parking lots, and small sewage plants.
Both estuarine (salty or brackish water) and palustrine (freshwater)
wetlands perform important functions, including regulating runoff
by storing flood waters; reducing erosion by slowing down runoff;
purifying water by filtering sediments, trapping nutrients, and
breaking down pollutants; and recharging groundwater. They also
provide food and shelter for fish and other aquatic life and nesting
and resting areas for migratory birds.
Other names for wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs,
which are characterized primarily by their vegetation:
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Swamps are wetlands where the most common plant types are
trees (cypresses, willows, oaks), vines (poison ivy), and shrubs.
They occur in low-lying areas near slow-moving rivers and need
a steady supply of water in order for trees to grow.
Marshes are treeless wetlands sometimes called wet meadows.
Grasses, reeds, cattails, and nonwoody plants called rushes and
sedges are common marsh plants. Marshes often form on
floodplains where rivers overflow their banks.
Bogs are characterized by low to medium-height woody plants.
The only source of freshwater in a bog is rain. Since no streams
carrying nutrients flow into bogs, plants, such as the Venus
flytrap, get nutrients from insects. Because water does not drain
from a bog, dead plant material builds up and sinks to the
bottom. Eventually a substance called peat is formed. Gardeners
use peat from a plant called sphagnum moss, which, when dried,
can hold up to 20 times its weight in water.
At one time, wetlands were thought to be useless, disease-ridden,
mosquito-breeding wastelands that should be improved.
Many were drained, filled, and destroyed to make room for
residential and commercial developments. It is only recently that
people have begun to understand the importance of these valuable
areas. As people become more educated about their natural
benefits, public support for protection and restoration of wetlands
increases.
ECOSYSTEM
An ecosystem is made up of the living community and the
nonliving factors that affect the organisms living in it.
The nonliving, physical features of the environment are the abiotic
factors, which determine ecosystem type and its distribution of
plants and animals.
Abiotic factors include: 1. water quality(includes acidity), 2.
topography, 3. landforms, 4. geology, 5. climate, 6. soil types, 7.
amount of sunlight, and 8. air quality or oxygen availability.
The health of an ecosystem is directly related to its water
quality.
One thing that all watersheds have in common is people. Human
activity can alter abiotic factors and thus accelerate or decelerate
natural processes.
Human activity can affect water quality in two ways: 1)by
changing the ecological processes that naturally purify water,
2)and by adding pollutants. For example, people can affect the
rate of natural erosion one way or the other. Plowing cropland
can cause greater erosion, while planting trees can lessen it.
Preserving or destroying wetlands is another example, because
wetlands regulate runoff, reduce erosion, purify water by filtering
it, and recharge groundwater.
Point Pollution vs Non-point Pollution
Land-use changes upstream can cause runoff pollution problems
for people, plants, and animals downstream that depend on clean,
usable water. This form of pollution is called non-point-source
pollution (NPS), because the pollution does not come from a single
source, such as the discharge from a sewage treatment plant or a
factory. NPS pollution is caused mainly by storm-water runoff.
When it rains hard, water runs off farmland, city streets,
construction sites, lawns, and driveways, carrying sediment,
nutrients, pesticides, oil and gasoline, bacteria, and other pollutants
with it. One of water’s unique properties is its ability to dissolve a
wide variety of compounds. Thus, water-soluble materials easily
pollute water, which then carries these harmful substances into our
waterways and other bodies of water.
The four primary NPS pollutants are sediment, nutrients, toxic
chemicals, and disease-causing pathogens.
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Sediment is soil carried by rainwater into streams, rivers, and
lakes. It cuts light needed by aquatic plants, blocks up
waterways, and covers up aquatic habitat. Often the sediment
from farmland also carries pesticides and nutrients.
Toxic chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, and oil and
gasoline, can damage and/or kill aquatic animal and plant life.
Nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, over-enrich
bodies of water, causing excessive growth of algae. When algae
die, bacteria decompose it, decreasing the water’s dissolved
oxygen level in the process. Low oxygen can kill or cause
distress to aquatic animals. Algae also cloud the water and block
much-needed sunlight.
Pathogens enter bodies of water primarily through human or
animal waste.
Water-quality monitoring is the collection of water samples in
order to analyze chemical and/or biological parameters. Simple
parameters include pH, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen,
turbidity, and the presence of macro-invertebrate organisms.
http://water.usgs.gov/nwc/NWC/pH/html/ph.html (U.S. acid rain/PH map)
In the past, streams and rivers were often used to dispose of human
waste, and open sewers were common. During the mid-1800s,
public health officials recognized the connection between disease
outbreaks and contamination of public wells and drinking water.
Advances in water treatment and sanitary sewers have helped
eliminate diseases associated with human waste.
SALINITY
Partial list of euryhaline fish(can live in fresh or brackish or salt water
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Herring
Lamprey
Molly
Puffer fish
Salmon
Shad
Striped bass
Sturgeon
Tilapia
Trout
Stenohaline describes an organism, usually fish, that cannot handle a wide
fluctuation in the salt content of water. Haddock(salt), Goldfish(fresh)
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Water/salinity.html&edu=elem
WATER POLLUTANTS
Toxic
Pollution
Gasoline, oil, pesticides.
Industrial discharge,
runoff from streets
and other impervious
surfaces.
Threatens human
health, harms aquatic
organisms.
Visual observations of
oil spills.
Macro-invertebrate
population.
Pathogen
Pollution
Thermal
Pollution
Mostly bacteria.
Sewage carrying human
and animal waste.
Hot water.
Water used to cool
industrial and power
plants; water runoff
from extremely hot,
paved surfaces.
Spreads disease causing
micro-organisms that
typically cause
gastrointestinal
problems.
Decreases dissolved
oxygen level, influences
survival of aquatic
organisms, increases
rate of bacteria
growth.
Total coliform test or
fecal coliform test.
Thermometer.
Macro-invertebrate
population.
Dissolved oxygen.
Weathering 6.5c ESS pg102 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erosion
Water (rain, ice, snow) has shaped our environment by physically and
chemically weathering rock and soil and transporting sediments. Freezing water
can break rock without any change in the minerals that form the rock (physical
weathering). This usually produces small particles and sand. Water with
dissolved gases and other chemicals in it causes the minerals in rocks to be
changed, leading to the deterioration of the rock (chemical weathering).
http://www.fgmorph.com (good photo sight erosion)
Erosion is displacement of solids (sediment, soil, rock and other particles)
usually by the agents of currents such as, wind, water, or ice by downward or
down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms (in the case
of bioerosion).
Erosion is distinguished from weathering, which is the process of chemical or
physical breakdown of the minerals in the rocks, although the two processes
may be concurrent.
A certain amount of erosion is natural and, in fact, healthy for the ecosystem. For example, gravels continuously move
downstream in watercourses. Excessive erosion, however, does cause problems, such as receiving water sedimentation,
ecosystem damage and outright loss of soil.
Approximately 40% of the world's agricultural land is seriously degraded.
CAUSES OF EROSION
The rate of erosion tenses on many factors, including the amount and intensity
of precipitation, the texture of the soil, the gradient of the slope, ground cover
from vegetation, rocks, land use, how much water there is, and possibility of
erosion from speed of a stream. The first factor, rain, is the agent for erosion, but
the degree of erosion is governed by other factors.
You expect areas with high-intensity precipitation, sandy or silty soils and
steep slopes to be the most erosive.
Soils with a greater proportion of clay that receive less intense precipitation and are on gentle slopes tend to erode less.
Logging can cause increased erosion rates due to soil compaction, exposure of mineral soil, for example roads and
landings.
Leaf litter also shelters the soil from the impact of falling raindrops, which is a significant agent of erosion.
Heavy grazing can reduce vegetation enough to increase erosion.
EROSION (cont.)
The factor that is most subject to change is the amount and type of ground cover. In an undisturbed forest, the mineral soil
is protected by a litter layer and an organic layer. These two layers protect the soil by absorbing the impact of rain drops.
These layers and the underlaying soil in a forest is porous and highly permeable to rainfall. Typically only the most severe
rainfall and large hailstorm events will lead to overland flow in a forest. If the trees are removed by fire or logging,
infiltration rates remain high and erosion low to the degree the forest floor remains intact. Severe fires can lead to
significantly increased erosion if followed by heavy rainfall. In the case of construction or road building when the litter layer
is removed or compacted the susceptibility of the soil to erosion is greatly increased.
Alluvial fan http://www.uoregon.edu/~millerm/fan.html
http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blalluvfan.htm
Roads are especially likely to cause increased rates of erosion because, in addition to removing ground cover, they can
significantly change drainage patterns
.
When large numbers of hikers use trails or extensive off road vehicle use occurs, erosive effects often follow, arising from
vegetation removal and furrowing of foot traffic and off road vehicle tires.
Mass Movement is the down-slope movement of rock and sediments, mainly due to the force of gravity. Mass Movement
is an important part of the erosional process, as it moves material from higher elevations to lower elevations.
What’s the difference between weathering and erosion?
Weathering involves two processes that often work in
concert to decompose rocks. Both processes occur in
place. No movement is involved in weathering.
Chemical weathering involves a chemical change in at
least some of the minerals within a rock. Mechanical
weathering involves physically breaking rocks into
fragments without changing the chemical make-up of the
minerals within it. It’s important to keep in mind that
weathering is a surface or near-surface process. As you
know, metamorphism also produces chemical changes in
rocks, but metamorphic chemical changes occur at depth
where either the temperature and/or pressure are
significantly higher than conditions found on the Earth’s
surface.
As soon as a rock particle (loosened by one of the two
weathering processes) moves, we call it erosion or mass
wasting. Mass wasting is simply movement down slope
due to gravity. Rock falls, slumps, and debris flows are all
examples of mass wasting. We call it erosion if the rock
particle is moved by some flowing agent such as air, water
or ice.
So, here it is: if a particle is loosened, chemically or mechanically, but stays put, call it weathering. Once
the particle starts moving, call it erosion.
CONSERVATION
All living organisms are dependent upon the availability of clean
water and air and a healthy environment. While the supply of water
seems limitless, water is not an infinite resource. Usable fresh
water is actually quite limited and is scarce in some places.
Local, state, and federal governments have significant roles in
managing and protecting air, water, plant, and wildlife resources.
Regulations, incentives, and voluntary efforts help conserve
resources and protect environmental quality.
Conservation of resources and environmental protection begin with
the individual. Understanding the watershed is the first step in
protecting water and other natural resources. What goes on
upstream can make water downstream unfit to use, forcing
downstream users to clean up the water before it can be used again.
Use of renewable and nonrenewable resources must be considered
in terms of their cost/benefit tradeoffs. Preventive measures, such
as pollution prevention or thoughtfully planned and enforced landuse restrictions, can reduce the impact of problems in the future.
Pollution prevention and waste management are usually less costly
than cleanup.
Renewable resources should be managed so that they produce
continuously. Sustainable development makes decisions about
long-term use of land and natural resources with concern for
maximum community benefit for the longest time and with the
least environmental damage.
The availability of fresh water may not be a problem in the United
States today, but it is a problem in other parts of the world, such as
the Middle East and northern Africa. The greatest influence on
water availability is the number of people competing for it. As
population grows, fresh water becomes increasingly less available.
China and Canada receive about the same amount of water due to
precipitation. However, China’s population is over 40 times that of
Canada. It is projected that by the year 2025, one-fourth of the
world’s population will be in need of more water.
Besides higher populations, higher standards of living increase the
demand for water.
In the United States, for example, each individual uses
approximately 250 liters of water each day, whereas in
African nations, the average person uses only slightly more
than 29 liters.
WATERSHED VOCABULARY
1. abiotic factors - Physical environmental factors (i.e. water,
temperature, soil, light) that influence the
composition and
growth of an ecosystem.
2. aerobic - Any process that requires oxygen.
3. algal bloom - An explosive population increase in algae that occurs when
large amounts of phosphates and/or nitrates
enter a body of water
in the presence of warm temperatures.
4. anaerobic - Lacking or not needing oxygen.
5. aquatic - Living or growing in or on the water.
6. bank erosion - The process in which individual soil particles of a .a* stream bank are
carried away as the stream channel moves. The amount of erosion is affected by
vegetation, soil composition of the bank, flow of water in the stream, and runoff
from the land.
7. bank vegetation - Trees, shrubs, grasses, and other vegetation growing on the stream
bank.
8. bay - A body of water partly enclosed by land, but having a wide outlet to the sea.
9. clarity - Clearness.
10. compost - A mixture of decaying organic matter, such as leaves and manure, that can be
used as a plant fertilizer.
11. dissolved oxygen (DO) - The amount of oxygen dissolved in water;
varies with water temperature and pressure.
12. drainage basin - A watershed; the land area where precipitation
runs into streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. It can be
identified by tracing a line along the highest elevations, often a
ridge, between two areas on a map
13. eradicate - To remove all traces of; to erase.
14. erosion - Process by which earth material is transported from one area to another by
an agent such as water or wind.
15. estuary - A place where fresh and salt water mix (i.e. a bay, salt marsh); where a
river enters an ocean.
16. ground water - Water that flows or seeps downward and saturates soil or rock,
supplying springs and wells; also water stored underground in rock crevices and in the
pores of geologic materials that make up the Earth's crust.
17. herbicide - A toxic substance used to destroy plants.
18. inorganic - Compounds which come from non-living things that do not contain carbon.
19. invasive species - Organisms that spread and take over the habitat of native species.
(Snakehead fish!)
20. landfill - A huge pit in the ground that is lined with clay or plastic and filled with
garbage. Layers of garbage are spread out and alternated with layers of dirt or
plastic.
21. non-point source pollution - Pollution discharged over a wide land area, not from one
specific location; Diffuse water pollution caused by sediment, nutrients, and organic
or inorganic toxic substances carried to lakes and streams by surface runoff.
22. permeability - The ability of a material to allow a liquid to pass through it. Permeable
materials, such as gravel and sand, allow water to move quickly through them.
23. phosphate - A form of phosphorous; an essential nutrient for plants and animals;
usually present in natural waters as phosphate. Phosphate is an ion composed of one
phosphorus atom and four oxygen atoms.
24. pollution - Contamination of air, water, or soil by toxic organic or inorganic
substances (e.g., industrial or agricultural waste byproducts, engine exhausts, factory
emissions, or human waste). Pollution can come from a single source (point-source) or
be discharged over a wide area from many sources (non-point source).
25. respiration - The process that involves the transfer of oxygen to cells and the
breakdown of food to release energy. In complex animals, respiration involves the
intake of oxygen and the discharge
of carbon dioxide.
26. riffle - A rapid, turbulent flow of water over a shallow area in a stream.
Riffles add oxygen to the water as water is churned, and provide habitat for
many invertebrates.
27. riparian area - The land adjacent to streams, rivers, or other bodies of water
that directly affects, or is affected by, the water. A unique habitat that exists
in mutual balance with the river channel.
29. runoff - That part of the precipitation, snow melt, or irrigation water that
appears in uncontrolled surface streams, rivers, drains, or sewers.
30. sediment - Loose materials such as rock fragments and mineral grains that have
been transported by wind, water, or glaciers.
31. stream - A body of water flowing in a natural channel and containing water at least
part of the year.
32. tributary - A smaller river or stream that flows into a larger river or stream.
Usually, a number of smaller tributaries merge to form a river.
33. turbidity - The amount of solid particles suspended in water that cause light rays
shining through the water to scatter.
34. velocity of a stream - The speed and direction of the water flowing in a
stream, an important factor in determining what organisms can live in the
stream. Measured in units such as feet/sec or meters/sec.
35. wetland - A lowland habitat, such as a marsh, swamp, or bog that has periodically
waterlogged soils or is covered with a shallow layer of water resulting in reduced
soil conditions yet it still permits standing vegetation.