Lesson Review 1.5, pg. 36, #1-10: “Factors That Affect Wetlands & Watersheds”

 Some wetlands are degraded when food, fiber, or forest products are harvested.  Others are affected when irrigation ditches are built & maintained. Inefficient irrigation can cause pesticides, nutrients pathogens (disease-carrying microscopic organisms), & salts to build up in the soil.

 Agricultural animal waste can contaminate nearby wetlands if not disposed of properly.  Another effect of farm animals on nearby wetlands is overgrazing, which exposes soil.  Agricultural pesticides also harm wetlands.

 Many landfills are located one mile or less from a wetland. Many of the substances that leak from a landfill are extremely toxic to wetland organisms.  Sludge & wastewater treatment plant effluent can cause algal blooms.

 Condition indicators reflect actual watershed conditions & include the presence of contaminated sediments & whether water bodies are meeting their designated needs. Vulnerability indicators are measures of risk & include human population change & building of water diversion structures.

 Restoration of streamside buffers should occur on both private & government owned lands.  Existing streamside buffers should be conserved to protect & improve forest diversity.  Public education should provide an understanding of the importance of streamside buffers to both present-day & future Pennsylvanians.  Public relations activities should raise awareness about streamside buffers.  Data on streamside buffer programs should be shared.

 Streamside forests safeguard water supplies, provide flood control, can be used to manage storm water, offer recreational & educational opportunities for people, & provide windbreak, shade, & scenery to an area.

 Floods are important to a watershed because they move nutrients & organic materials downstream & enrich a river’s flood plain. Floods can destroy wetland forests & carry organisms from their habitats. Flooding can also trigger landslides.

 Droughts reduce the volume of water in a watershed, which can have adverse effects on the organisms in the watershed. Periods of drought can cause suitable breeding & feeding grounds to disappear.

 Increases in sea level can flood coastal wetlands & cause them to shift toward land.  Rising sea level also causes saltwater to move into coastal wetlands, changing wetland chemistry & affecting organisms.

 Drought can cause vegetation to wither & die. This, in turn, reduces the food supply to other organisms in the watershed.

 A drought watch is a period during which people are alerted to the possibility of drought & asked to try to reduce water consumption by 5%.

 A drought warning is a period during which measures are taken to avoid or reduce shortages, to relieve stressed sources of water, & to find new sources of fresh water. The goal during a drought warning is to reduce overall water uses by 10 to 15%.

 A drought emergency is a period during which people are asked or even required to reduce water consumption by at least 15%.

 Farmers lost crops & livestock.  Wells ran dry.  People, agencies, & industries had to reduce their water consumption by at least 15%.  Coastal wetlands experienced changes in salinity that affected grasses, waterfowl, crustaceans, & some fishes.