Environthon Aquatics Manual Quizlet

the earth is ___ water

2/3

Aquiclude

May have water, but it is unable to allow water to pass through it due to low permeability (less so that's aquitard)

Percolation

water flows through the ground

Interflow

subsurface runoff - sideways movement of water in unsaturated zone

Throughflow

interflow that returns to the surface

Hydraulic head

mechanical energy available, Elevation head + Pressure head

Potentiometric surface

surface that water would rise too if no pressure/confining surface

Soil Water

Water in unsaturated zone

As soil dries,

it is harder to remove water from it

The smaller the particles,

the more surface area = the more tension for equal amount of water

Aquitard

May contains water, but has poor permeability and allows water to pass through only at a slow pace (but faster than aquiclude)

Field Capacity/drained upper limit

soil moisture left in soil after being drained for a few days.

Wilting point

soil water content when plants start to wilt

Plant Available water

field capacity - wilting point

Soil moisture deficit

amount of water (in mm) needed to fill soil back up to field capacity

Catchment

area for which all the water flows into one river/stream

Divides

highest ridges that separate different catchments

Lotic

moving waters (rivers, streams)

Ephemeral rivers

river that only flows after rainfall

Substrate

type of substance on the bottom of the stream

Dendritic

Where does dendritic river pattern form?

On uniform substrate with a gentle slope

Rectangular

Where do rectangular river patterns form?

On substrate with rectangular joint

Trellis

Where do trellis drainage patterns develop?

substrate with parallel ridges/valleys from folding

Parallel

Where do parallel drainage patterns form?

on uniform steep slopes with weak substrate and no vegetation

Radial

Draw the zones of a lake

Where do radial drainage patterns form?

on a volcano generally

Braided channel (generally have...)

generally have high sediment load, lots of bars that shift

Where do braided channels develop?

once an alluvial fan is built streams flowing over its surface create braided channels

Alluvial fan

A fan-shaped deposit of sediment formed when a stream's slope is abruptly reduced

Meandering channel

most mature streams

River Continuum Concept

Shows interactions between watershed/bank and stream

Models how biological communities change as you move down a stream

proportion of the four functional groups change throughout continuum

River Continuum Concept classifications

Headwaters (orders 1-3)

Midreaches (orders 4-6)

Lower reaches (order >6)

allochthonous

Sediment that came from a different location

Autochonthous

Sediment "native" to the area

Headwaters - River continuum

shaded by thicker riparian canopy → limited photosynthesis

Dependent on allochthonous materials/heterotrophic

Temps more stable

Mid reachers

channel widens, increase in sunlight and temps

Shifts to autochthonous materials

Increased biotic diversity

Low reaches

increasingly reliant on phytoplankton, also organic particles from upstream

Increase in turbidity

Increased physical stability → more competition/reduced species richness

Ways streams can erode

Scour (from abrasion w/suspended sediment), Breaking and Lifting, Attrition, Dissolution

Attrition

process of erosion that occurs during rock collision and transportation

Stream carries sediment via

Dissolved Load, Suspended Load, Bed Load (saltation)

Competence

largest size particle river can carry. Dependent only on velocity

Capacity

total volume of particle river can carry. Depends on discharge

When does deposition happen?

river no longer has the competence to carry sediment

Headwaters

erosional zone, streams are fast and cut v-shaped valleys

Transfer zone

amount of erosion= amount of deposition

Depositional zone

at low elevations, sediment deposited and river meanders

Base level

how far down stream can erode. Ultimate base level = the ocean

Does discharge and velocity increase/decrease as you go downstream?

increase

Photic

light can pass through, photosynthesis occurs

Aphotic

no light

Limnetic

well-lit, open surface waters farther from shore, depth to which sunlight can penetrate the water

Benthic

the lake bed

Lakes in Fall

surface is cooled. lake becomes isothermal and overturns

Lakes in Winter

surface is cooled and ices over. Coldest water & ice at top, warmer water at bottom

Lakes in Spring

surface is warmed to 4C, lake becomes isothermal, overturns

Water is densest at what temperature?

4C

Isothermal

having a constant temperature

Consequences of Stratification

deeper waters (hypolimnion) can become hypoxic or anoxic, deeper waters can accumulate toxic gasses (ie H2S as a result of anaerobic decomposition)

Overturning

mixes the water, giving the deeper waters oxygen, and bringing nutrients to the shallow waters. If this happens to fast, could kill life because the toxic gasses are introduced too quickly

What are wetlands (Manual definition)

any area saturated for at least part of the year, with hydric soils and a special vegetational type

common flora and fauna in marshes

Pickelerweed, bulrush, cattail

egret, muskrat

common flora and fauna in swamps

red maple, black willow, aspen, cottonwood

snapping turtle, muskrat

common flora and fauna in fens

sphagnum moss, sedges

voles, shrews, muskrat

what is the name of the wettest area of a fen

sedge flat

common flora and fauna in bogs

sphagnum moss, bog turtle, muskrat

common flora and fauna in vernal pools

Wood Frog. Blue-spotted Salamander. Spotted Salamander. Jefferson Salamander. Marbled Salamander.

Rice Cutgrass

common flora and fauna in

What makes a wetland?

Hydrophytic vegetation, Hydric soils. Gleyed from reduction. Gray to black <2 chroma, Hydrology: look for water @ the surface, channels, etc. <6.6 ft of water

How are wetlands formed

Either paludification or terrestrialization

Paludification

generally with bogs, moss grows and traps water

Terrestrialization

lake gets more eutrophic over time, gets shallower, accumulates nutrients, more vegetation

8 Wetland benefits

-Improved water quality: filters out pollutants

-Reduces sedimentation

-controls erosion

-Flood Control: wetlands slow water and store it

-Water Supply: helps recharge groundwater

-Habitat: provides habitat for many endangered species., Important nurseries for fish and resting areas for migratory birds,

-Economic Benefits: timber, mammals, birds, shellfish,

-Recreation: for people (a lot of birders help economy), education, research

-Important in nutrient cycling, provides an anaerobic environment which is needed for many processes

TYPES OF ESTUARIES by geology/formation

Tectonic Estuaries

Bar Built Estuaries (lagoons)

Fjord-Type/Glacial

Coastal Plain/Drowned River Valley

TYPES OF ESTUARIES by stratification

Vertically Mixed

Partially Mixed

Stratified Salt Wedge

Stratified Fjord Type

Hypersaline

Estuarine Circulation

freshwater flows at surface from head to mouth, saltwater flows subsurface from mouth to head.

Bar-built estuary

lagoon separated from ocean by sand bar or barrier island

Tectonic estuary

an estuary formed when a depression along a fault line fills with water (e.g. San Francisco Bay)

Fjord

a narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes

Pelagic

open water in the middle of a lake

Profundal Zone

deep water below light penetration level

photic

sunlit upper waters from surface to where light dims to 1% of the surface

____% is ocean water

____% is fresh water

97

3

Fresh water:

icecaps and glaciers ___%

Groundwater ____%

Accicable water ____%

79

20

1

Water cycle

evaporation/transpiration, condensation, precipitation

transpirtation

process by which H2O is lost through the stomata of the leaves, 90% of all water taken in by the is transpired

water table

highest level of saturated zone

vadose zone/ unsaturated zone

above water table w/out groundwater

Saturated zone

the area of permeable rock or soil that is totally filled or saturated with water

Capillary fringe

region above the water table with water drawn up by capillary action (from dipole-dipole attraction)

Aquifer

a body of permeable rock underground that can contain or transmit groundwater.

unconfined vs confined aquifer

influenced by surface vs between two aquitards and ergo can't be controlled by surface conditions

Porosity

Percentage of open space : total volume of rock

permeability and its factors

ability to transmit a fluid

factors: size of rock & connection of pore space

Infiltration and factors

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the saturated zone

permeability, porosity, gravity & water pressure difference (high pressure/gravity moves to low pressure/gravity)

Laminar vs. Turbulent Flow

Smooth vs chaotic and unpredictable

smooth bed vs rocky & high erosion of channel by suspended load