Runoff collects on Earth’s Surface River Basin: the term used to describe an area that drains into a large river. St. Lawrence River basin Watershed: the term used to describe an area that drains into a smaller river or stream.
What is a drainage basin? A drainage basin is a an area where all of the water on one side of a divide flows off the land and drains to a specific creek, river or stream.
Know Your Water, Conserve It Water is our most precious natural resource; we cannot live without it. While the Midwest is a water-rich region of the United States, a dependable and drinkable supply of water is becoming an increasing challenge for many municipalities, and homeowners with private wells. We are overusing ground water, and contaminating our sources. Learn about the water cycle and how to conserve water to preserve this resource for generations. Our Blue Planet is Unique
How is water moved and maintained on Earth? The unending circulation of the Earth’s water above and below ground is called the hydrologic or water cycle. The water present on the Earth today is the same water that was formed with the planet itself. The amount of water cannot be increased or decreased.
What processes drive the Water cycle Evaporation is when water heats up and changes from liquid to vapor (Gas). Condensation is when water vapor in the atmosphere cools to become a liquid. Precipitation is when water that falls from the clouds. Examples are rain, sleet, hail, and snow.
Lake Cycle hNH4 hNH4
What is lake Turnover? Lake turnover is the result of the rising and sinking of cold and warm water layers. The denser water is heavier and will be at the bottom of a lake while the less dense water is lighter and will generally be at the top of the lake. During spring and summer the sun heats the top layer of a lake which causes it to become less dense. The bottom layer of the lake does not receive sunlight and therefore remains cold. Since the top layer of the lake is less dense, it floats on top of the bottom layer and the two do not mix. In the fall and winter the sunlight is not as strong and the nights become cooler. The top layer of the lake cools off, becomes heavy and sinks. This sinking pushes nutrients and minerals up from the bottom of lake.
The rising and falling of cold and warm pond and lake water is called turnover.
What is eutrophication? Definition- The increase of nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) in a lake or pond due to the additions of fertilizers or sewage. This causes a decrease in the oxygen level due to increase of scum or phytoplankton in the water.phytoplankton This eventually kills fish and other organisms.
Eutrophication
Eutrophication normally happens slowly but human activity may speed it up. The use of fertilizer, laundry detergent and other human waste contain nitrogen and phosphorus which speed up algae growth.