Lakes, Ponds Wetlands, Streams, Rivers, and Groundwater Fresh Water Systems Lakes, Ponds Wetlands, Streams, Rivers, and Groundwater Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Freshwater systems Exist above ground in lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands Exist as ground water Exist in the air as water vapour. Exist in three different states: Solid Liquid Gas Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Lake Ponds + Wetlands Lakes and ponds are holes in the ground filled with water Lake is deeper . . . Sunlight does not go to the bottom (depending on clarity the amount of dissolved solids suspended in the water) Wetlands are low areas that are almost always saturated with water. Wetlands provide a habitat for a surprising number of organisms Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Streams and rivers Flowing waterways . . . Fast flowing rivers and streams are usually rich in oxygen Stream or river profile is a description of its characteristics: Flow rate Steepness of bed Erosion rate of its’ banks Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Streams and rivers cont’ Source of streams and rivers may be high in the mountains (melting snow and ice from glaciers) Small streams gather into one channel forming a river. In the early stages flow is swift and the river is fairly straight. As the river reaches lower elevations it slows and meanders (curves.) It begins to drop the sediment it was carrying to form deltas. Really good example: Fraser River flowing to Vancouver. Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Streams and rivers cont’ The Fraser River begins in the mountains ends in the Pacific Ocean Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Watershed Also called a drainage Basin It is all the area of land that drains into one main body of water. It can contain streams rivers lakes. The location of the highest land on the continent determines the direction of the flow. This is called the continental divide. In N. America, it’s the Rocky Mountains. The river begins at the Headwaters and ends at the Outflow usually at the mouth of the river. Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

7 Major Watersheds in Alberta Peace/Slave + Athabasca + Hay River flow into Arctic Ocean Beaver + North and South Saskatchewan Rivers flow into Hudson’s Bay Milk River flows into the Gulf of Mexico Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Run-off and Erosion Moving water is a powerful force. Washes soil away wears away or dissolves rock (universal solvent remember?) The sediment load of the river/stream is determined by the flow, steepness, vegetation, what the banks and bottom are made of (rock or soil) Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Why is monitoring sediment important? When we know how much and what makes up the sediment in rivers and streams we can determine the source of pollutants and measure their impact on plants, animals and our drinking water supply. Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

Project for this topic A webquest Individual work Small groups (groups of 3 students) Presentations Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

What is this Webquest The quest begins with role-play. Acting as members of a Watershed Advisory Task Force, students will work on the development of a new water policy, first as individuals and then as part of a team. The quest culminates with each team presenting their recommendations to Alberta Environment (the class). We will quickly discover we all live downstream. Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3

What are the timelines? Class 1 today, review topic, pick groups. Classes 2 + 3 research stakeholder point of view. Class 4 put together team presentation Class 5 make presentations (may need 1 extra day) Science 8 Unit 5 Topic 3