Watersheds are crucial systems that drain into major bodies of water such as the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean. Understanding the dynamics between groundwater and surface water reveals key differences in quality, temperature, availability, ease of access, mineral content, and pollution levels.
1 is pumped from a well
2 does not undergo much treatment for disposing and consuming
3 is released into a dirt bed
4 has an area where sludge can settle
5 is just for 1 house rather than a whole city
Similarites
1 both are pumped
2 both use sedimentation to remove waste
3 both are put back into the enviroment
4 both use pipes to transport water
5 both are put into tanks to store the unused water
City treatment
1 is pumped in bulk and from a large body of water
2 has many precautions to prevent trash and other things from getting in the water
3 chlorine is added
4 is stored in large tanks
5 pumped through tanks before disposement
9 major rivers in canada
Churchill
Peel
Severn
St.John
Albany
Peace
Fraiser
Athabaska
MacKenzie
5 main bodies of water that our
watershed drain into
Gulf of Mexico
Pacific Ocean
Arctic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Hudson Bay
what mountains seperate what watersheds
St.Elias
Youngest Mountain range
seperates the atlantic and arctic watersheds
Rockie Mountains
medium mountain range
seperates the pacific watershed from the hudson bay
and pacific watersheds
Appalachians
oldest mountain range
seperates the atlaintic watershed from the gulf of mexico
watershed
Facts
Earth's Water
0.4% Gasses
2.1% Froze as Fresh
96% Salt Water
0.5% Liquid Fresh
Ground Water vs Surface Water
Which is better?
Ground water- 4
Surface water- 2
Quality
Ease Of Access
Surface water is more easy to access due to it being
on the surface, whereas with ground water, you will have to drill 150-200 feet underground
Effect Of Drought
Ground water feels less effects of drought due to it being
deep underground, surrounded by cool dirt, and no sunlight to heat it up
Mineral Content
Ground water has been refined by the ground, and enriched with calcium, potassium etc which makes it better for minerals
Availability
Surface water covers about 60% covered in water, which makes ground water less available than surface water
Surface water
Surface water is more open to the enviroment, so its more suceptable to human interaction, but ground water is mostly untouched by us so naturally ground water is less polluted
Tempurature
Surface water and ground water both fluctuate in temperature, but ground water is colder than surface water because its far enough underground where its cool, but not far enough down to be hot or warm
Ground water
Mainland Valley Watershed
Issues
Invasive Spieces
Waste Water
Pesticides
Dams
Ag Runoff
Land Drainage
Fisherys
Drought
Flooding
Pollution
Great Lakes
are the great lakes more or less polluted now than the turn of the century
the great lakes are more polluted now than the turn of the century due to industrialization being more prominant now than the 1900s.
whats the most pollued lake
lake Erie
what invasive spieces are a problem
grass carp
zebra mussels
silver carp
how healthy is the ecosystem
in some lakes the ecosystem is good, but in others it can vary during the times of year and what lake it is.
are the fish safe to eat
you could eat fish caught in the great lakes, except
for when the water is too polluted, and the fish are full of
dangerous pollutants.
is swimming safe
swimming is mostly safe except for when the water is too dangerous or bad to swim in.
how potable is the water
the water is mostly safe to drink, but it is treated first.
the water is safe depending on your immune system as well.
3 major pollutants
waste
runoff
trash
Underground Water Resoviors
Precipitation
Rain, Snow, ect
Porosity
How porous something is
Capillaiary Action
the movement of water through an aquifer or other porus materials
Impervious Layer
a layer that doesnt absorb liquids through it
Percolation Layer
A layer of dirt, soot, sand, ect that aborbs water back into the water table
Water Table
the water system
Pumped Aquafer Well
An actively working well that is pumping water
Ground Water
Water that pools on the ground because the ground cant absorb it fast enough
Saturation Zone
An area that gets more water than anywhere else
Runoff
Water that came from a place of high saturation, either downhill or by a pump
Flowing Well
A well that did reach an aquitard
Dry Well
A well that doesnt reach the aquitard
Aquafer
its a layer of porus rock that water flows through
Aquatard
an impervious layer that transmits water at a slower rate than an aquifer
Water System
Water Cycle
Perspiration
The production and release of a watery, saline fluid
Sublimation
Solids turning directly into gas, without the liquid stage
Transipration
When plants take water from the ground and
release it into the air as a vapor
Condensation
Water particles clumping together to form rain/snow/sleet/hail ect
Evaporation
Liquid water turning into water particles in the air