4.6 Watersheds

Watersheds

Lands that drains into body of water (river, lake, bag)

Determined by slope, ridges, different runoff directions by land being divided

-More vegetation means for infiltration and groundwater

-Greater slope means faster runoff

-Soil permeability determines runoff and infiltration rates

Humans activities of watershed impact H2O quality (ag, clear cutting, urbanization)

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

6 states drains into streams or rivers eventually into the Chesapeake bay

Estuaries & wetlands provide ecosystem services (tourism revenue, water filtration, habitat, storm protection)

Humans impacts on Chesapeake Bay

Nutrient pollution (nitrogen and phosphorus) leads to eutrophication (body’s of water overloaded w nutrients -> algae blooms and toxins) in the bay

-algae bloom —> decreased sunlight —> plants die —> dead zones

Major nitrogen and phosphorus sources

-discharge from sewage

-animal waste

-synthetic fertilizer

Major pollutions

-endocrine disruptions

-sediment pollution

-increases turbidity

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