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Watersheds

Watersheds. Surface Water. Definition: fresh water on the Earth’s land surface Is found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands Types of surface waters are: River systems Mississippi, Amazon, Nile Watersheds Definition: area of land that is drained by a river

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Watersheds

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  1. Watersheds

  2. Surface Water • Definition: fresh water on the Earth’s land surface • Is found in lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands • Types of surface waters are: • River systems • Mississippi, Amazon, Nile • Watersheds • Definition: area of land that is drained by a river • Example: Mississippi Watershed

  3. A Watershed • Definition - The total land that contributes water (or drains into) a particular waterway. • Can also be called a "Drainage Basin"

  4. A Watershed All of the water within the area drains into the central waterway and to a specific point along that waterway. http://www.ugwawv.org/images/watershed_large.jpg

  5. Watershed or Drainage Basin • The drain board under a kitchen sink drying rack is like a watershed. The "Dry Dish" Watershed

  6. Go with the Flow • Water always follows the path of least resistance.... DOWNHILL! • Water that flows through a Watershed: -Streams, Creeks, and Rivers -Surface runoff (water across the land surface) -Groundwater (under the surface) All three interact with each other!

  7. Flow: Streams and Rivers

  8. Flow: Surface Runoff • Surface Runoff can also be called Overland Flow Includes over forested land, grassland, and parking lots http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTNLL3TB1lwMw7XT0cgjqD2Tdk69LGaoMMKXvWPCWAB_rtk4OXaaz63sOa- http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/news/images/lawn.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3k4d15i2OAA/TMcWeF0DXzI/AAAAAAAAFtU/tAwW5Z1C9JI/s400/parking+lot+runoff+2.JPG

  9. Flow: Groundwater Under the surface Groundwater is on the move http://savethewater.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Maryland-groundwater-diagram-pubs-usgs-gov.jpg

  10. Fuel for the Flow: The Water Cycle The Water Cycle provides the water to create these three types of flow.

  11. Watersheds Land Area TOPOGRAPHY (Shape of the lands surface) Determines what area will make up a watershed http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca.earth-sciences/files/jpg/h2o/bowen/images/watershed_e.jpg

  12. Watershed Topography Low points in a watershed: Stream or river itself, the very bottom http://www.americanwhitewater.org/photos/archive/medium/10211.jpg

  13. Watershed Topography Highpoints in a watershed: Hills, Mountains, or ridges surrounding the waterway. http://mysticsail.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/rotui-web.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/4060038327_5088e10425.jpg http://www.birdsasart.com/rootjpegs/Mount%20McKinley.jpg

  14. Watershed Boundary The watershed boundary is created by the high points of land surrounding a waterway Watershed Boundary http://www.thinkbluemaine.org/images/kids/watershed%20-%20edit.jpg http://www.kidsgeo.com/images/watershed.jpg

  15. Watershed Boundary Any water within the boundary of your watershed or precipitation that falls within the boundary will flow into your waterway http://www.pedrocreek.org/images/watershed_drawing.gif

  16. Watershed Boundary Any water OUTSIDE the boundary of your watershed or precipitation that falls OUTSIDE the boundary will flow into a different waterway is part of a different watershed. http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/CIV246/changes/watershe.gif

  17. Watershed Boundary • The watershed boundary is the dividing line between two watersheds • Watershed boundaries are sometimes called Watershed Divides http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/stelprdb5361417.jpg

  18. Many Watersheds Does your favorite stream have a watershed? http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/Newsletter/Summer05/Streams/Flowing%20stream.gif All waterways, large or small, have a watershed. Waterways always have land surrounding them that drain into them. Small creek=Small watershed Large Creek=Larger Watershed

  19. Build up a Waterway waterways flow into one another. small creeks flow into Large creekswhich flow into LARGER creeks or a river! http://www.fgmorph.com/images/04/04_08_01.gif

  20. Build up a Watershed Watersheds interact with one another too. Small watersheds make up Larger Watersheds which make up Even LARGER Watersheds http://epa.gov/gmpo/images/lower_mississippi_map.jpg

  21. Scale Watersheds work on different scales • small creeks have small watersheds • large creeks include the watersheds of many small creeks • rivers include the combined watersheds of many large creeks Allegheny River French Creek Sugar Creek

  22. No Watersheds Somewhere? Is there any place on land that is not part of a watershed? No, Everywhere you stand on the Earth's land surface drains somewhere, so it is part of a watershed, whether big or small.

  23. What is YOUR Watershed? • Small watershed? • Big watershed? • Where does your water flow to? • Which of the major watersheds in Costa Rica are you in?

  24. Watershed Impacts • Our Water Cycle The Fuel that Runs the Watershed http://web.bryant.edu/~langlois/ecology/hydrocyc.gif

  25. Watershed Impacts (Rural) Land and waterway interaction http://media.sanluisobispo.com/smedia/2012/03/14/18/30/1dSwQC.MiSt.76.jpg What we do on our land affects our waterways http://water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/tools/warsss/images/fig32.jpg

  26. Watershed Impacts (Urban) Land and waterway interaction http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Allegheny_River_Pittsburgh.JPG What we do on our land affects our waterways http://www.twpusc.org/comdev/stormwater/photos/stream21_lg.jpg

  27. Watershed Impacts (Residential) Land and waterway interaction http://farm1.static.flickr.com/11/12774549_1f8ae21d9a.jpg What we do on our land affects our waterways http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/2002/06/images/lake_fertilizer.jpg

  28. Watershed Impacts • We influence our waterway and watershed Direct Impact on Waterway • Dumping into creek, littering into creek Impact on Land Surrounding Waterway (Watershed) • Poor land use decisions • Disturbing the land without minimal impact • Contributing to pollution on the land

  29. Watershed Impacts Downstream • We are connected to others downstream • Our waterway flows into other waterways • Our watershed drains into other watersheds • Our mess/pollution travels downstream

  30. Watershed Impacts What will YOU do to protect your watershed?

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