Spring, 2016 Mrs. Kummer

The Water Cycle

Evaporation-liquid H2O changes to water vapor Transpiration-the release of water vapor into environment from plants Evapotranspiration-Evaporation and Transpiration water vapor combined….all continents combined lose about 70,000 km 3 of water per year through evapotranspiration Condensation-the rising of water vapor so that it expands and cools as it rises, to form clouds Precipitation-the release of liquid water from saturated clouds (released as snow, rain, sleet, hail, etc.)

The Water Budget Just like your finances, a water budget exists here on Earth Income, money coming in, is Precipitation in the water budget Expenses, money going out, is Evapotranspiration and runoff in the water budget

The Water Budget

Water Conservation Each American uses 95m 3 of water every year On average 90% of water used by cities and industry is returned to rivers or to the oceans as waste water Most of this waste water contains pollutants and toxic chemicals To help keep fresh water safe and available for human consumption, 2 strategies are used: Conservation: STOP RUNNIING THE SHOWER/BATH SO LONG! Desalination: Process of removing salt from ocean water

Let’s Make a Water Budget! Water Budget Locator Home Water Budget Michigan.gov water budget calculations

River Systems-Water Parts Note: Precipitation can also be source

River Systems River source/Headwaters: The source of the water Watershed: land from which water runs off into streams Tributaries: small feeder streams flowing into river Channel: The path a river follows Headward Erosion: The lengthening and branching of a stream at the upper end of the river Delta/Mouth: The end of the river: speed slows/channel fans out/particles no longer in suspension/lake or ocean present/mostly mud/flat Alluvial Fan: Same as a Delta but instead of depositing sediments in water, sediment is deposited on dry land (in desert regions)/coarse sand and gravel/sloping

Channel Erosions A river becomes wider and deeper as the rushing water erodes the banks and bed Five Factors impact Channel Erosion: 1. Stream Loads-Stuff carried by the stream. Suspended Load: the stuff floating/sand/silt Bed Load: Falls to the bottom gravel/pebbles Dissolved Load: Mineral matter transported in liquid solution 2. Discharge: Volume of H2O moved in a given time (speed * X-sectional Area of channel) 3. Gradient: The steepness of the slope

Stages of a River System Youthful Rivers: Erodes bed more rapidly that it erodes its banks/V Shaped/waterfalls and rapids present/little or no tributaries present Mature Rivers: Erodes riverbanks more rapidly than it erodes bed/Wide, Flat floor/no waterfalls/many tributaries Old Rivers: gradient and velocity decrease/broad flat plain exists/more meanders (curves) develop Rejuvenated Rivers: Movement in the earth’s crust increase the slope of the land to change the gradient…MS River

Floodplains and Flooding Floodplain: sides of a river/stream that are land in dry conditions, and underwater when river overflows. Natural Levee: raised banks of larger sediments deposited by slow moving streams/rivers. Artificial Levee: human produced raised banks to protect floodplains/cities from flooding (New Orleans, maybe someday coastal Florida cities) Why do people live in floodplains? They are easy access to fishing and excellent farmlands as the soil is very fertile in the floodplain.

Flooding-Mitigation