Earth’s Water

1. Earth’s Water

2. The Hydrosphere and the Water Cycle

3. The Hydrosphere: An Overview… The hydrosphere is… the water on and in Earth’s crust The percentage of water found in the oceans… 97% The percentage of water contained by the landmasses… 3 http://www.earthview.pair.com/earth300color.jpg

4. Of the Freshwater on Earth… 90% is in the form of… polar ice caps and glaciers Most of the remaining water is… groundwater Only a small fraction is in… rivers, streams, and lakes Snow pack on Mt. Shucksan, Washington

5. The Water Cycle… http://www.euwfd.com/html/hydrological_cycle.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3BVa7PH_JE The Water Cycle… Infiltration

6. Runoff… Runoff is… water flowing down slope along Earth’s surface http://myecoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/stormwater.jpg

7. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… Little to No Vegetation… B/C topsoil is easily eroded so that water runs off easier

8. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… Heavy rain… B/C rain falls too quickly to soak into the ground http://luirig.altervista.org/cpm/albums/nrcs3/normal_1389-Runoff-from-a-heavy-rain-carries-topsoil-from-a-cr.jpg

9. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… Soil with a lot of clay… B/C clay has small air spaces that prevents water from soaking in

10. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… Steep Slope… B/C gravity causes the water to flow off faster http://secretagentworms.org/images/runoff2nrcs.jpg

11. Five Factors that Increase Runoff… High ground- water levels… B/C there is no space left for the water to soak in underground. http://secretagentworms.org/images/runoff2nrcs.jpg

12. Watersheds and Stream Systems… A stream is runoff water that begins to flow more permanently in a channel. A large stream is called a river. The smaller streams that feed into it are called tributaries Zip-lining across a stream in Loon Mtn., New Hampshire

13. The Rivers of North Carolina…

14. Watersheds and Divides… A watershed is all of the land area whose water drains into a stream system. http://dutchesswam.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/watershed-image-small.png

15. Watersheds and Divides… A divide is a high land area that separates one watershed from another. The Eastern Continental Divide is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Highway 421N, Jefferson, NC

16. Divides of North America… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Continental_Divide

17. Watersheds and Divides… The watershed of the Mississippi River is the largest watershed in North America! http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/lmrsbc/index.html

18. Surface Water: Rivers

19. Stream Systems: Beginning… Headwaters are… the beginning of a stream Found in mountains Water is cold, oxygenated, clear V-shaped channels have steep sides. The Grand Canyon is a V- shaped valley. http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/78/3078-004-9B8860F2.jpg The Grand Canyon

20. Stream Systems: Middle… What is a floodplain? … a broad, flat, fertile area next to a stream that floods periodically … It is not wise to build on a floodplain b/c it is prone to flooding!

21. Stream Systems: Middle… A meander is a… bend or curve in a stream channel The Cape Fear River The Yadkin River http://www.wfae.org/wfae/images/Yadkin.jpg http://www.wilmingtonbeachrentals.com/2010/02/cape-fear-river-facts-pictures.html

22. Erosion & Deposition in Stream Systems Water (in a stream) flows fastest on outside of a meander & erodes a cut bank. Water (in a stream) flows slowest on inside of a meander & deposits a sandbar.

23. Stream Systems: The End!… The end of a stream is called the mouth … and is usually located at the ocean or another large body of water http://carolinagreensense.com/uploaded_images/NIWB-731140.jpeg

24. A Stream’s End: Deposition of Sediment… Streams lose their ability to carry sediment …b/c they slow down & lose energy A delta is a triangular deposit that forms at the mouth of a river. Pollution at the end of a river comes from upstream. The end is almost always more polluted! The Mississippi River Delta – picture taken by Landsat 7 http://earthasart.gsfc.nasa.gov/mississippi.html

25. Floods… When do floods occur? when water overflows a stream’s banks (Soccer fields were built on the flood plain of the Yadkin River in Davie County. Why?) http://www.nowpublic.com/world/floodplain

26. Floods… How are floods related to groundwater levels? … It is more likely to flood when groundwater levels are high … b/c the aquifer is already full and can only hold so much water. … the dotted line on the diagram represents the groundwater level. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896970800380X

27. North Carolina Watersheds… http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/maps/nc/Watersheds-NC-map.jpg

28. The Rivers of North Carolina…

29. Lakes

30. Lakes… What are lakes often associated with? River basins (watersheds) Why are lakes important? control flooding, recreation, drinking water, habitats What human activities pollute lakes? Coal-fired power plants, agriculture (crops & animals), stormwater runoff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Rock_Lake http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv23839.php High Rock Lake

31. Dams are built to store & manage water. The water of a reservoir is used for… drinking & hydropower. The negative consequences of building a dam include… destruction of habitats (around the dam) & water quality changes downstream (colder and clearer). Dams… trap sediments which prevent sandbars from forming downstream. Dams are removed… if they’re no longer useful or are causing damage.

32. Lakes Undergo Change… How do lakes get polluted? When water runs off polluted surfaces into the lake Sources of pollution – sediments, agriculture, industry Agriculture affects lakes by… Adding pesticides, fertilizers, & animal wastes

33. Lakes Undergo Change… Eutrophication is… excess nutrients “fertilize” algae which use up O2 in the lake as they decay Eutrophication in Australia Fish kill in the Salton Sea, CA http://www.eoearth.org/article/Eutrophication

34. Eutrophication… Algae – producers for aquatic environments. Oxygen – used up (as algae decays) Critters need oxygen for – cellular respiration (breaking down food in presence of oxygen to get energy) If fish don’t get oxygen – they die! Human activities that speed up eutrophication – fertilizing, dumping (raw or treated) sewage into a waterway

35. Eutrophication Sources … http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/01590/pollution/culturaleutroph.jpg

36. Lakes Undergo Change… Four things that can cause eutropication animal wastes & fertilizer from farms phosphate detergents industrial toxins untreated sewage

37. Freshwater Wetlands

38. Freshwater Wetlands… A wetland is… land that is soaked with water Three examples of wetlands are… bogs marshes swamps http://www.tommangan.net/twoheeldrive/index.php/2009/11/29/easy-hike-at-historic-bethabara-park/ Boardwalk at Bethabara Park Our very own wetlands!

39. Bogs… A bog is a water-soaked area with poor drainage. Water in a bog comes from… Precipitation (rain) The soil in a bog is acidic because… of decaying moss slows bacterial growth & prevents nitrogen (N) recycling. http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/bog.cfm http://here4now.typepad.com/here4now/2011/05/weeks-bay-reserve.html A bog in Alabama

40. Marshes… A marsh is a water-soaked area at the mouth of streams. Fresh water marshes and estuaries often form… Where a river enters a lake or sea Marsh grasses have shallow roots that … anchor silt and mud deposits in a delta. (Builds land!) An estuary is a marsh on the coast where fresh and salt water mix. Brackish marsh near Wanchese, NC http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/vistas/outerbanks.htm

41. Swamps… A swamp is… a low-lying area near a stream Swamps may develop from marshes that have filled in to support the growth of shrubs and trees. Congaree National Park, SC http://vogeltalksrving.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Mosquito-meter.jpg

42. Environmental Issues: A Loss of Habitat… Two valuable functions of wetlands … the filtering of water providing a habitat for migrating birds and fish fry (fish babies!) What % of our wetlands were lost from the late 1700s to mid-1980s? 50 % Why? Snow Geese in Prince William Sound http://www.pwconserve.org/wildlife/birds/snowgoose.htm

43. Environmental Issues: Upstream Drought… A drought upstream … … will lead to less fresh water entering the estuary and… … saltier water

44. Environmental Issues: Saltwater Intrusion… Overused wells in coastal areas … … may draw up salt water from the ocean and … … cause the water to become undrinkable.

45. Three Ways to Preserve Wetlands… Education Conservation Regulation

46. The Movement and Storage of Groundwater

47. Precipitation and Groundwater… Remember the water cycle? Most water in the atmosphere comes from oceans! Most precipitation that falls on land becomes groundwater. Eventually groundwater will… … return to the ocean to complete the water cycle.

48. Groundwater Storage… Porosity is… …the percentage of pore space in a material The types of soil that have - a. highest porosity - well- sorted b. lowest porosity – poorly- sorted http://core.ecu.edu/geology/woods/GWANSW2008_files/image002.jpg

49. Groundwater Storage… Groundwater is stored… in the pore spaces of rocks & sediments …and can be compared to a hard sponge http://core.ecu.edu/geology/woods/GWANSW2008_files/image002.jpg

50. Groundwater Storage… The zone of saturation is the… … depth below surface where groundwater completely fills all the pores The water table is the … … upper boundary of the zone of saturation