Unit 4 APES: Watersheds

Watershed

the area of land that drains into a particular body of water (aka catchment, river basin, drainage basin)

Divide

the imaginary line that separates one basin from another

Area and length

determines the amount of water, materials carried by the water, and the travel time required to move the water to the outlet of the watershed

Slope

the steepness of the watershed relates directly to erosion

Soil Type

sandy soils allow water to infiltrate quickly; clay is less permeable so more runoff

Vegetation type

plants are key to holding onto soils with their roots, help water percolate into the soil, and absorb large amounts of nutrients from the soil

Hubbard brook watersheds

Study that concluded that when trees are not present to take up nitrate, it leaches out of the soil as runoff

Chesapeake Bay watershed

Study that talked about EUTROPHICATION- excess nutrients in water bodies; impacts water quality (algal blooms, dead zones)