Days until the AP test!

1. Days until the AP test! Please get out obj #22-24 for a stamp Please read the board

2. Wetlands are Wonderful!

3. Brainstorm challenge! • One minute!

4. Differences? “river” vs. “wetland”

5. Legal definition of a “wetland” • Hydric soils • Anaerobic; grey in color (lacks O2 to turn Fe particles red) • Hydrophilic plants • Bladderwart • Sedges, rushes, reeds • Hydrology • Standing water at least two weeks of the year

6. Differences? • Wetlands vs. rivers – • Slower water • More plant life • More shallow • May be seasonal/ephemeral

7. Floating hydrophytes

8. Emergent hydrophytes

9. Wetland types • bogs and fens of the northeastern and north-central states and Alaska • wet meadows or wet prairies in the Midwest • prairie potholes like the Katy Prairie • playa lakes of the southwest and Great Plains • bottomland hardwood swamps of the south • tundra wetlands of Alaska. • Coastal salt marshes or tidal marshes

11. Acidic anaerobic conditions in bogs preserve organic materials

12. Galveston – tidal marshes

15. Ecosystem Services of wetlands

16. natural water quality improvement, Neutralizes acids/basesFilters out sediment (plant stems/still water)Provides decomposition opportunities (removing plant nutrients, oxygen demanding wastes)

17. flood protection – cohesion of polar water in hydric soils

18. Habitat and biodiversity

19. Rest stops for migratory waterfowl

20. Erosion protection during storms

21. Nursery for young fish, crabs, shrimp • Louisiana's coastal marshes produce an annual commercial fish and shellfish harvest that amounted to 1.2 billion pounds worth $244 million in 1991.

22. Wetlands have recreational, historical, scientific, and cultural values. • More than half of all U.S. adults (98 million) hunt, fish, birdwatch or photograph wildlife. They spend a total of $59.5 billion annually. Painters and writers continue to capture the beauty of wetlands on canvas and paper, or through cameras, and video and sound recorders.

23. Threats to wetlands • Historically, they were considered “wastelands” • Development • Agriculture

24. In the coastal watersheds of the Atlantic, Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes, wetlands were lost at an average rate of about 80,000 acres per year between 2004 and 2009. Half of the original wetlands have been destroyed!

25. But! We can bring them back! • Restoration projects in our area.

26. Wetlands remove water pollutants • Sediment • Oxygen demanding wastes • Acids • Plant nutrients (nitrates/phosphates)

27. Constructed wetlands can be used to clean water

28. Constructed wetlands for sewage treatment

30. Wastewater is initially treated in an underground primary and secondary treatment system (SANTEC Model SC-26K) before being pumped to the tertiary system.  Eight of the treatment cells were planted with a variety of broad- and narrow-leaved emergent plants, and six of the cells were planted with three species of woody plants.  Capacity of the system in 1994 was 6,800 galloons per day and, when plants matured, final capacity was 13,800 gallons per day.

31. Check for understanding • What are the three legal criteria for designating a wetland? • What is meant by a “no net loss” policy? • About how much of the original wetlands have been lost in the continental US? • List four ecosystem services of wetlands. • How do wetlands remove sediment? • How do wetlands remove plant nutrients? • How do wetlands remove oxygen demanding wastes? • Why are wetlands being used for models of sewage treatment plants?