Kelly Coulter

 Rivers often begin in the mountains.  You can follow one small stream and see it connects with another, they will then flow into a small river. Eventually this path leads to a large river. Colorado River

 The streams and smaller rivers that feed into a main river are called TRIBUTARIES.  A river and all its tributaries together make up a river system.

 The land area that supplies water to a river system is called watershed. (aka: drainage basins)  So large rivers may be tributaries of still larger rivers. When rivers join another river system, the areas they drain become part of the largest river’s watershed.  You can identify a river’s watershed on a map by drawing an imaginary line around the region drained by all its tributaries.

 What keeps watersheds separate? One is separated from another by a ridge of land called a DIVIDE.  Streams on each side flow in different directions.  Continental Divide (longest in U.S.A.) follows the line of the Rocky Mountains

 The Continental Divide, also called the Great Divide, is a natural boundary line separating waters that flow into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico from those that flow into the Pacific Ocean. It runs north-south from Alaska to northwestern South America. In the conterminous United States, it follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains. 

 Ponds are smaller and shallower than lakes. Sunlight usually reaches to the bottom of all parts of a pond.  How ponds form: ◦ Form when water collects in hollows and low-lying areas of land.  Exploring ponds: ◦ Muddy bottom often covered in weeds. This is because sunlight is able to reach the bottom of these shallow waters. ◦ A quiet pond is a thriving habitat for many living things. ◦ Not all ponds exist year round. Some only in spring, dry up in the summer due to evaporation.

 Lakes are generally deeper and bigger than ponds. In addition, sunlight does not reach the bottom in a deep lake, as it does in a pond.  No plants and few other organisms can live in a lake’s chilly depths.

 Some may form the same as lakes  Great Lakes, formed in depressions created by ice sheets that melted at the end of the Ice Age.  Other lakes were created by movements of Earth’s crust, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika  Others are the result of volcanoes, an eruption can cause a flow of lava or mud that blocks a river and forms a lake. Some form in empty craters.  People create lakes by building a dam (Lake Mead)

 Is a land area that is covered with water during part or all of the year.  Help control floods  Provide habitats for many species.  Three types of fresh water wetlands are MARSHES, SWAMPS, and BOGS ◦ marshes- grassy areas covered by shallow water or a stream. ◦ swamps- look more like flooded forests, located in warm, humid climates ◦ Bogs- more common in cooler northern areas. Often form in depressions left by melting ice sheets thousands of years ago. (water tends to be acidic)

swamps bogs marsh

 Along coasts usually contain both fresh and salt water.  Coastal wetlands include salt marshes and mangrove forests. ◦ Salt marshes-found along both U.S. coasts ◦ Mangrove- found along the southeastern coast of U.S. Salt marsh mangrove

 Water is the key to the Everglades, a vast marsh in south Florida.  Home to many kinds of wildlife; alligators, fishes, snakes, wading bird, panther, manatee  Humans threaten the area with farming chemicals.  Water that once flowed has been diverted for farming and household use.  New organisms brought in as pest control compete with the already existing organisms.

 Because of their sheltered waters and rich supply of nutrients, wetlands provide habitats for many living things.  Wetlands act as natural water filters. They also help control floods by absorbing extra runoff from heavy rains.  Wetlands are like giant sponges  When destroyed, floodwaters are not absorbed, the water runs off the land quickly, worsening flood problems.  Because of these important functions