Water

Water Cycle

How is water distributed? Water covers 70% of the earth’s surface

How is water distributed? Salt water: 97% Fresh water: 3% Ice caps: 77% Ground water: 22% Lakes, rivers, atmosphere: 1%

How do we use water? Industry: 53% Agriculture: 36% Residential: 11%

Surface Water Fresh water in above ground lakes and rivers

Surface Water Cities rely on surface water Drinking water Growing food Fishing Transportation

Watershed The entire area of land drained by a river

Watershed Ecology The study of watersheds as ecosystems How do biotic and abiotic components interact?

Housatonic River Length: 149 miles Watershed: 1948 sq. mi. “Housatonic” Mohican for “Beyond the mountain place”

Housatonic River

Natural Processes of a Watershed Rainfall runoff Groundwater recharge Sediment transport Plant succession

Lotic Systems Flowing water 3.5 million miles Stream order

Lentic Systems Still water Lakes and ponds What is the largest lake in the world?

Lentic Systems Trick Question!

Lentic Systems Caspian Sea Largest land locked body of water Salt water

Lentic Systems Lake Baikal Largest freshwater lake by volume

Lentic Systems Lake Superior Largest freshwater lake by surface area

Kettle Lakes Glaciers Great Lakes, Finger Lakes

Tectonic Basins Movement of earth’s crust Lake Victoria

Oxbow Lakes When portion of a river channel becomes isolated Clamshell

Beaver & Man-Made Lakes 1,000,000 small dams in U.S.

Lakes and Streams Water retained days/months/ years Energy fixed in lake Most organisms suspended in water column Water always in transit Energy fixed in watershed Most organisms at or near substrate

Ground Water Water that is stored underground Country folk 15% of U.S. population

Ground Water 98% of useable fresh water. Replenished by precipitation

Ground Water Occurs in the pores and spaces in sedimentary rock Porosity – the percentage of the total volume of a rock that has spaces. the more porous, the more water Permeability – the ability of rock to allow water to flow through

Aquifer An underground rock formation that stores water

Aquifer Ogallala Aquifer Largest aquifer in U. S.

Recharge Zone The area of land from which ground water originates. Precipitation Lakes and streams

Unconfined Aquifer Covered by permeable rock layer - gets water directly from surface

Confined Aquifer Covered by impermeable rock layer Gets water from connections to unconfined aquifers

Artesian Aquifer Under pressure Water will move to surface without pumps