Presentation Transcript

1. Final remarks – GIS and Water Quality

   AP Environmental Science Mr. Johnston & Ms. Adkison, Spring 2012 Bob Jones High School & James Clemens High School Madison, AL Eric R. Anderson M.S. Candidate, Earth System Science Dr. Robert Griffin, advisor Department of Atmospheric Science University of Alabama in Huntsville
2. Explore the GPS points online Demo: http://nsstc.uah.edu/~anderse/gisinapes.html
3. Bringing GPS into more advanced analysis with GIS and remote sensing GPS information can be used to “train” satellite data so that we can classify elevation, land cover, etc. much more efficiently Remote sensing allows us to identify not only broad categories like trees, grass, concrete, water, but we can also… Detect materials based on their chemical compositions, such as hydrocarbons in paints, precious minerals Distinguish syntheticgreen from natural green
4. grass
5. ??? grass
6. Water quality field sampling Chemical and biological assessments of water quality (use GPS to keep track of the sites) What were your DO, pH, nitrate measurements? Do these agree with what you might expect? What are some explanations for these observations? Determine the area of influence or drainage basin for these points (using GIS)
7. Which way does the water flow?
8. Which way does the water flow? Note the change in resolution! Flow direction
9. Lab: Determine the area of influence (drainage basin) Explore GPS points in ArcMaponline and delineate a drainage basin Measure the area of influence and land cover types We’ll use a remote sensing product that required field validation points that were taken in a similar manner that we gathered GPS points of land cover types around campus… just on a bigger scale! http://nsstc.uah.edu/~anderse/gisinapes.html
10. Estimate croplands in this drainage basin
11. Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2008
12. Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2008
13. Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2011
14. Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2011
15. LagoEnriquillo, Dominican Republic
16. Reviewing… My goals Introduce you to GIS, GPS and remote sensing Enable you to explore how these tools can help you understand environmental science Focus on water resources, water pollution, and related topics, while also recognizing the interdisciplinarityof geography and environment Stimulate critical thinking on environmental data, analysis methods and social-ecological systems Help prepare you to get a 5 on your AP test!
17. Considerations GIS as a tool Key water concepts Water resources/pollution issues at home and abroad The many applications of GIS and remote sensing
18. Why GIS? A tool that is used extensively not only in the environmental field but also Job market “the big picture” and making spatial decisions business defense / intelligence education government health and human services natural resources public safety transportation utilities communications
19. Important concepts
20. What is a watershed? Drainage network Watershed boundary Watershed
21. Unconfined Aquifer Recharge Area Evaporation and transpiration Evaporation Precipitation Confined Recharge Area Runoff Flowing artesian well Recharge Unconfined Aquifer Stream Well requiring a pump Water table Infiltration Lake Infiltration Unconfined aquifer Less permeable material such as clay Confined aquifer Confining impermeable rock layer Fig. 14-3, p. 308
22. Water Pollution Problems in Streams Normal clean water organisms (Trout, perch, bass, mayfly, stonefly) Trash fish (carp, gar, leeches) Fish absent, fungi, sludge worms, bacteria (anaerobic) Trash fish (carp, gar, leeches) Clean Normal clean water organisms (Trout, perch, bass, mayfly, stonefly) Types of organisms 8 ppm Dissolved oxygen (ppm) 8 ppm Clean Zone Biological oxygen demand Recovery Zone Septic Zone Decomposition Zone Clean Zone Dilution and decay of degradable, oxygen-demanding wastes and heat in a stream. Fig. 21-4, p. 497
23. Returning to… Human-environment interactions
24. Initial MM5 simulation (Oglesby et al. In Press) results show that a deforested Maya landscape causes large decreases in rainfall and increases in temperature. The Maya Agriculture-Deforestation Model links in greater detail, simulations of land-use practices with their climatic effects. MM5 Simulated July Temperature Difference MM5 Simulated July Rainfall Difference (from Gill et al. 2007)
25. Water Conflicts in the Middle East - A Preview of the Future Many countries in the Middle East, which has one of the world’s highest population growth rates, face water shortages. Figure 14-1
26. Water Conflicts in the Middle East - A Preview of the Future
27. Human-environment interactions Ancient vs. contemporary Try to compare availability of data and information then and now Understanding patterns and principles then and now “Plowed fields have replaced forests, domesticated animals have dispersed wildlife. Trees are plowed, mountains smoothed, and swamps drained. There are as many cities as in former years there were dwellings… Everywhere there are buildings, everywhere people, everywhere communities. Proof of this crowding is the density of human beings. We weigh upon the world; its resources hardly suffice to support us. As our needs grow larger, so do our protests that already nature does not sustain us.” Tertullian A.D. 200 (Carthage)
28. Human-environment interactions Ancient vs. contemporary As Tertullian postulated, many societies have not been sustained Thousands of cultures have existed… 99% have collapsed
29. Can we appreciate our new perspective?
30. Resources GIS in APES materials http://nsstc.uah.edu/~anderse/gisinapes.html Earth System Science degree at UAHuntsville http://nsstc.uah.edu/ess NASA DEVELOP [paid!] internships http://develop.larc.nasa.gov/