Fresh and Saltwater systems - Science unit 5

potable Water

water that is safe to drink

the water checklist

• Taste

• Odor

• Turbidity (cloudiness)

• Colour

• Toxic substances

• Non toxic pollutants

• Bacteria/microorganisms

• Hardness/mineral content

• pH (acidic or basic?)

• Dissolved oxygen content

• Solids, including floating material

• Dissolved solids

hard water

water with high levels of magnesium and calcium

salinity

total amount of salts dissolved in water

organisms

some are harmful in water and some arent

water softener

ion exchange with resin beads that get dissolved minerals

water quality testing

wells dont get tested

cities or towns: water is filtered and treated with chemicals so it is safe for humans to drink. water must be tested regularly to ensure that it is “potable.”

distillation

a solution is boiled , the water that evaporates is cooled, leaving the salt behind and then fresh water is formed

reverse osmosis

forcing Salt Water through a filter with holes too small for the salt

water moves from an area of lower concentration to one of higher concentration

current

stream of water that moves within a larger body of water

surface water currents caused by

•wind

•earth’s rotation

•ex. rip current

deep water currents caused by

temperature differences in the water

•salinity differences in the water

•earth’s rotation

•ex. gulf stream

great ocean conveyor belt

interconnected system of currents around the world

ocean current impacts: temperature

• surface currents are caused by steady winds, this moves the water great distances.

• warm or cold currents greatly influence the climates on land.

ocean current impacts: precipitation

• temp of an ocean current affects more than just air temperature (precipitation)

• air carries lots of water - expect rain.

• winds over a cold current (ex. Labrador)– cold air carries little water - expect no rain.

• currents are different from waves because the water moves from place to place.

rip current

tide is receding (high tide to low tide) through an estuary it pulls a large amount of water through a narrow gap, this can pull objects off into sea very quickly.

sea arch

caused by erosion and how hard or soft the rock is

chemicals to sea water

sea stack

formed by rocks getting worn down by erosion

sea stump

when the stack erodes into a stump

waves

• movements on the surface of the water. patterns that move along the water’s surface

•does not move very far…energy is transferred through the water as a wave.

•can move thousands of kms across the SURFACE of the ocean

•the particles move in a circular motion.

caused by the WIND

waves in open water and shallow

• open water, waves appear as

  • Up and down movement

• the shore, the water becomes shallower and…

  • lower part of the wave drags on the bottom of the ocean/lake

  • where waves do the most damage

effects of waves on shoreline

• waves can change the shape of the shore.

• large waves can erode away the shore. 

  small waves deposit sand or other materials near the shore. 

swells

a series of surface waves that are not impacted by local wind (caused by storm)

high winds that blow across a long distance of water

small waves combine, creating larger waves

large waves combine to form a swell

factors affecting swells

large wind speeds

•distance the wind blows over the water (called fetch)

•time wind has blown over fetch

fetch

distance wind blows over the water

effects of swells on shorelines

the force of waves can affect both a hard rock and soft sand shoreline.

breaking waves regularly impact shorelines causing erosion of land surfaces.

tides

• daily changes in water level of the oceans.

• tidal changes are seen regularly along the coast. There are 2 high tides and 2 low tides a day:

  • high tide – highest water level along the coast

  • low tide – lowest water level along the coast

tide causes

• the moon’s gravitational force is the primary cause of tides

• centripetal force causes water to bulge more at the equator

• the sun also has an influence, but it is very small

how the moon creates tides

•  side closest to the moon gets a strong pull from the moon creating a bulge.

• the opposite side of the Earth has a smaller bulge due to the moon pulling on Earth

guide for tides

• people keep track of the tides with guides called tide tables.

tsunami

• large displacement of water from

  • undersea earthquake 

  • landslides or above ground earthquakes

• a massive amount of energy through walls of water travelling out in a certain direction

• become dangerous only near land

characteristics to describe a river

• Speed of flow

• Quantity of water

• Stream shape

• Stream slope (affects speed of water flow) - steep, moderate, gentle

• Riverbed shape

• Stream width (how wide is the river) - wide, intermediate, narrow

• Stream bank (tall steep cliffs - not much erosion, valleys eroded over time, deltas form via deposition) - cliffs, steep, deep, plateau, sloping, valleys, broad valleys, sand bars

• Stream sediment size (how large are the rocks being pushed by the river) - large (dime sized), intermediate (small pebble sized), small (grain of sand), fine (grain of flour)

• Turbidity AKA Stream sediment amount

why do rivers curve

soft soil allows the river to curve using disturbance, time, or erosion channels get weaker leaving the water to go in a zigzag motion

why do rivers have deltas

deposition, opposing forces land and sea deltas happen by the sea level drops or rising or the land drops or rises. dirt from the river splits up the river and building up

erosion

moving of rock fragments and soil (sediments), caves form when rain and streams dissolve rocks in large cavern forms, chemical weathering

deposition

laying down or depositing of sediments, a rivers sediment load is the amount of water born materials, slower water = less load

weathering

causes erosion, wearing away of rock and earth

3 types of weathering

chemical, biological, physical

water shed

all the area of land that drains into a lake or river causing a chain that eventually leads to an ocean

brackish water

mix of sea and fresh water, found in estuaries, more salinity

estuary

river enviroments transfer zone to ocean enviroments, where high tide and lots of nutrients (good habitat), has tides waves and it flows, flows of fresh water and sediment

plate tectonics

states that the surface of earth is divided into huge moving plates

continental shelves

shallow areas around the edges of the continents

continental slopes

regions of steeply sloping seafloor that lie between continental shelves and the deep ocean basins

trenches

deep trenches and canyons that plunge below the level of the surrounding ocean floor and form where two pieces are moving towards each other

volcanic islands are formed by

volcanoes that grow up all the way from the oceans floor

seamounts

underwater volcanoes that do not come all the way to the oceans surface

mid-ocean ridges

form where molten rock pushes up from the interior of earth as plates move away from one another

abyssal plains

wide flat areas of the ocean floor

how the rocky mountains formed

two continental plates meet and are pushed against each other

continental divide

a ridge or natural boundary of elevated terrain that separates the drainage basins of a continent that contributes its water into river systems to oceans

if the water rains west of the rocky mountains it ends up flowing into the Pacific Ocean

if the water rains east of the divide it will end up flowing into the Atlantic Ocean

glaciers

two large slow moving bodies of ice, occur in high altitude high latitude

glaciers that cover vast areas of land

continental glaciers or ice sheets

continental glaciers or ice sheets

cover extensive areas of continental landmasses, long periods of low temps

two places covered by continental glaciers

anarctica or greenland

alpine glacier

high altitude, long linear glaciers that occupy high altitude mountain valleys, flow down and grow bigger as they accumulate and absorb small glaciers from mountain

glaciers that form up high in mountain ranges are called

valley glaciers

alpine glaciers throughout the world

valley glaciers

what causes glaciers to retreat

melting

what do glaciers leave behind when they retreat

soil, rock, boulders

outwash plain

fresh sediment left behind when the glacier melts or retreats if ground is flat melt water streams in a braided powder

kettle lakes

large pits in surface usually filled with water from when a large block of ice failed to retreat with glacier and turned into lake

moraines

rock and debris that build up along glacier, when edges of glacier melts moraines form

terminal moraine

end moraine that marks the furthest advance of the ice sheet

eskers

sinuous ridges that form tunnels in an ice sheet, when glacier melts or retreats the stream turns into long ridge like form, eskers are good 4 sand and gravel

dumlin

½ teardrop or streamlined hills that appear separately or in swarms. steep sides face the direction of the ice sheet

kame

steep mounds or cone shaped hills built by deposition of glacial sediment

erratic

carried by glaciers 100+km before they are dropped and can range in size from pebble to large boulders

climate

average weather measured over long period of time

nanaimo vs lethbridge climate

some days in the summer may have the same amount of sun and samp temp but over the year the weather varies

weather

state of air and atmosphere

effect of large bodies of water of water on climate

stabilizes the climate of an area, more consistent temps, more precipitation

mountain weather effects

chinook: as moist air travels over the mountains, the humidity drops, we have dry air

ecosystem diversity

salt water has a greater diversity of living things than fresh water

two thirds of all the major type of organisms live n saltwater

upper lake zone

shore down to where aquatic plants stop growing is the upper zone of the lake

ex: fish, clams, insects, snails, worms, frogs

middle lake zone

open area of lake with light penetration

lower lake zone

area with little to no light, no plant life, only large fish live here

ocean zones: intertidal

shore of ocean, plants and animals, can withstand pounding of waves and tides

ocean zones: estuary

fresh water from rivers and streams mix with ocean (brackish), marshes, good habitat, lots of birds

ocean zones: continental shelf

shelf of land from the edge of continent below the oceans surface, warm water, full light, rich in organisms, phytoplankton

ocean zones: oceanic

little light enters, food comes from zones above, no plants, deep water fish

environmental factors: temp

species has a temp range in which it can survive

environmental factors: light

most thrive in light, some organisms have adapted to low light conditions

environmental factors: pressure

deep water fish = high pressure, cannot be brought to surface

environmental factors: water movement

some animals and plants need to survive strong waves, tides, or rivers some prefer still water

environmental factors: salinity

some inland lakes have high salinity because rivers and streams feeding them flow through soil or rock containing soil

humans affect aqua environments: seasonal

temp change between summer + winter, breeding stages, fishing

humans affect aqua environments: short term

short period of time and dont last long: drought in pond, tsunami

humans affect aqua environments: long term

long time: landslides, intro of new species - invasive species

humans affect aqua environments: acid rain

caused by air pollution from factories, cars, any fossil fuels

algal bloom

green slime increase in algal growth not always green, prevents all light from entering water, kills organisms

water for agriculture

73% used for crops

irrigation and agriculture pros and cons

pros: food, exports, jobs

cons: salt in soil, reduced ability to grow crops, less groundwater supplies

water for industry

22% used for industry

common uses for water in the industry

coolants, solvents, washing, diluting pollutants

water for domestic use

5% used worldwide

river characteristics: headwaters/erosions zone

flow: very fast

water quantity: small/ medium

shape: straight shallow

slope: steep, vneck bottom

width: 1-10m

bank: steep cliff sides

sediments: large sediments can be carried

turbidity: low (clear)

river characteristics: transfer zone

flow: medium- fast

water quantity: large

shape: meanders/twists

slope: moderate/ uneck bottom

width: 10-80m

bank: valleys/ canyons

sediments: can be carried

turbidity: medium