The Hydrosphere

1. The Hydrosphere • KEY POINTS: • The planet consists of 4 spheres: the atmosphere, the biosphere, the hydrosphere, and the geosphere • The earth is the only known planet in our solar system with liquid water • The earth consists of approx. 71% water and 29% land • The earth’s water is 97% salt water / 3% freshwater • Of that 3%, 2 percent is frozen – not accessible • Therefore, only 1% of all the water on earth is usable water (it’s actually less than 1% because most of that 1% is groundwater, but I’m rounding for now)

2. Earth’s Oceans

3. Ocean Floor • Continental shelf – starts at the shore and slopes into the ocean • Continental slope – where the slope starts to get deeper • Abyssal plain – huge, dark flat region that encompasses most of the ocean floor / covered with mud and remains of marine life • Mid-ocean ridge – underwater mountain range • Ocean trench – large, V-shaped valley

4. Where does the salt come from? • Main reason – surface water washes over rock containing salts such as sodium chloride (common table salt) • Also: Volcanoes

5. Upwelling • Water that rises to the surface as a result of upwelling is typically colder and is rich in nutrients. These nutrients “fertilize” surface waters, meaning that these surface waters often have high biological productivity.  Therefore, good fishing grounds typically are found where upwelling is common.

6. Measuring Water Depth Today's oceanographers use sonar instruments to generate a sound signal that is bounced or "echoed" off the sea floor and then recorded on board the ship. The speed of sound in water is 1,500 m per second, four times faster than the speed of sound in air. By carefully measuring the round-trip time of the sound waves and taking into account the variables of temperature and salinity, the depth of the water and the distance to another object can be measured accurately.

7. Producers • Main producers – algae, phytoplankton • Live in upper region • Perform photosynthesis • Some are microscopic • Use nutrients from upwellings to increase population

8. Consumers • Zooplankton (microscopic organisms that feed on producers) • Majority of marine life: fish, sharks, lobster, etc.

9. 3 Major Marine Ecosystems • Shore – ocean meets land • Open ocean – away from shore, but not deep ocean • Deep ocean – deepest parts (abysmal plain)

10. Put up diagram on elmo to copy in notes

11. Shore ecosystem • Ocean meets land • Lots of light / shallow water • Waves and tides – few plants • Snails, crabs, mussels, clams, marine worms • Tide pools fill with algae, sea urchins, etc. • Shore birds join ecosystem

12. The Open Ocean • Away from shore / not deep • Vast / variety of organisms • Sunlight can reach about 200 meters = producers • Many types of fish will life in the upper region with the producers • Jellyfish, fish, and squid can live below the sunlight level. They eat what drifts down • * some large consumers, like whales, live in the upper region, but dive down to feed on the animals in the deeper ocean

13. The Deep Ocean • Thousands of meters below the surface • Abyssal plain / No light – no photosynthesis • Water is cold / pressure is great • Thermal vents (openings in the ocean floor) release heat, creating areas of warmth • Autotrophs live around these vents and use chemosynthesis to survive • Chemosynthesis – use energy stored in chemical bonds to make food

14. Some Hydrosphere Vocabulary • Hydrosphere – all of the water found on, above, and under the earth’s surface • Freshwater – water that is not salty • Groundwater – water located below the earth’s surface • Aquifer – a rock layer that stores and collects water • Watershed – an area of land that drains into a stream, lake, river, or other body of water • Estuary – a place where freshwater from a river meets and mixes with saltwater from an ocean

15. Ocean Basin – A part of the Earth’s surface that is covered by ocean water • Salinity – the saltiness of a body of water • Pollution – the release of an unwanted substance into the environment • Marine – found in or relating to the ocean • Upwelling – the movement of cold, nutrient-rich water from deep layers of the ocean up to the surface • Chemosynthesis – the process by which some organisms use the energy stored in chemical bonds to make their own food

16. Stewardship – the following of practices that protect Earth’s resources • Pollutant – a harmful material released into the environment • Point-source pollution – pollution that comes from a single, identifiable site • Non-point-source pollution – pollution that comes from many places or an unidentified source

17. Algal Bloom – an extremely rapid growth of algae caused by too many nutrients in the water • pH – a measure of how acidic or how basic a liquid is • Turbidity – a measure of how clear water is • Bioindicator – an organism used to monitor the health of an ecosystem

18. Monday, Jan. 7, 2013BRAINTEASER • What is the most abundant source of freshwater in North Carolina? • List 3 things people do in their homes that damage our local water supply.

19. Watersheds What are they? and Why Should I Care?

20. ADivideseparates two watersheds

21. What is a Watershed? • An area of land that drains water, sediment, and pollutants into a common body of water. • Watersheds are separated by higher land areas called divides (mountains, ridges, etc.).

22. Water in a Watershed • Within a watershed, precipitation collects and drains into a river, lake, stream, or the ocean • GROUNDWATER and SURFACE WATER both contribute to the water in a watershed

23. Watersheds collect RunOff

24. Factors Affecting Runoff - Space • The amount of space between particles of dirt, soil & rock. (Pavementdoesn’t allow runoff to soak into the ground.) Porous Pervious Impervious Permeable Impermeable

25. Factors affecting RunOff - Buffers

26. Factors affecting Runoff – Amount(A large amount of rainfall over a short amount of time)

27. Factors affecting RunOff – GravityWater moves from Higher elevations to Lower elevations

28. What is the difference between a watershed and a river basin? • Both terms describe land that drains into a river, stream or lake

29. Watershed vs River Basin • Both terms describe land that drains into a river, stream or lake, but… • River Basin: drains into a large river • Watershed: drains into a smaller river or stream

30. From Watershed to River Basin • Larger river basins are made up of many interconnected watersheds • Example: Cape Fear and Neuse River Basins are made of many small watersheds • The water in a watershed runs to the lowest point—a river, stream, lake, or the ocean

31. Tributaries: Smaller streams and rivers that feed a main river. • A river and its tributaries make up a river system.

32. STOP Point • Split up into groups / Go over directions for making your watersheds / Divide up the jobs and set up your game plan • Throughout the week, we will work on our watersheds after discussing pertinent information

33. Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013 • What is a watershed, and why are they necessary? • Why is it important to monitor the health of your local watershed?

34. Wed., Jan. 9, 2013BRAINTEASER • What do Wetlands do that helps our ecosystem? (3 main things) • Can water from a stream on a mountain affect an estuary hundreds of kilometers away? EXPLAIN!

35. POLLUTION • Pollutants • Point-Source Pollution • Non-Point-Source Pollution

36. Pollution in our Watershed • Point Source pollution • Point source pollution comes from a definitesource: • Factories • Refineries • Municipal Facility • Sewage Treatment Plant

37. Pollution in our Watershed • Non-Point Source Pollution Pollution that does notcome from a single point or location.

38. Pollution in our Watershed • Point Source Pollution • 35% • Non- Point Source Pollution • 65%

39. STEWARDSHIP • Now that you knowmostpollution doesn’t come from big business, but from everywhere and everyone, what can we do to help fix this serious problem? • STEWARDSHIP – Following practices that protect Earth’s resources

40. REMEMBER! • A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT STARTS WITH YOU!

41. STOP POINT! • WORK ON WATERSHEDS

42. Thurs., Jan. 10, 2013 • How does the weather affect water quality? • We are using a sponge to represent the wetland, what do you suppose a wetland does?

43. Other water sources • Groundwater • Aquifer • Wetland • Estuary

44. DO YOU REMEMBER: Where else does the water go? • What is groundwater? • The water found in cracks and pores in sand, gravel and rocks below the earth’s surface • What is an aquifer? • A porous rock layer underground that is a reservoir for water

45. Aquifers • The freshwater we drink often comes from aquifers • People drill wells into aquifers • Some are near the surface; others are as much as 1000 meters below the surface

46. Other areas of Surface Water • What is a wetland? • An area where the water table is at, near or above the land surface long enough during the year to support adapted plant growth

47. What are the types of wetlands? • Swamps, bogs, and marshes • Swamp: a wetland dominated by trees • Bogs: a wetland dominated by peat moss • Marshes: a wetland dominated by grasses

48. Why are Wetlands Important? • They trap sediment: • The trapped sediment cannot enter into lakes and streams. This keeps streams and lakes clear. • They use a lot of excess nutrients: • Wetlands near lakes and streams use these nutrients for their plant growth. Decreasing eutrophication. • Wetlands provide habitats for both water and land animals.

49. ONE PERSON from each group go and get your watershed • We are going to send one person around with the pollutants for your watershed. Sprinkle a little bit in the correct areas. • Chocolate = manure / eroded soil • Orange = agriculture chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) • Green = lawn care chemicals

50. LET IT RAIN! • Today, the forecast calls for RAIN! • WHEN I TELL YOU TO: Use the spray bottle to rain in the mountains. • The colors will mix with the water to show how pollution can wash through a watershed (RUNOFF) • Let’s compare the projects with buffers and the projects without buffers…