CH 8 Inland Waters

How long is the Amazon river and its Drainage Basin?

6800Km Length

E = 4500 m

What percentage of water do freshwater ecosystems hold

Less than 0.02% of all waters on earth

How much land surface area does it occupy?

Freshwater ecosystems occupy about 6% of the land surface area

What are surface waters used for?

Surface waters are used for:

Drinking

Domestic use

Agriculture

Fisheries

Industrial 

Electricity generation 

IT IS A PRECIOUS NATURAL RESOURCE 

What percentage of earth is covered by water bodies?

70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water bodies

What percentage of water is usable?

0.3% of water is available for human use

Where is most water locked up in?

Most water is locked up in ocean, polar ice caps, glaciers, and deep underground

What are the Major Sources of Water Pollution?

• Organic wastes

• heated effluents

• toxic materials

• inert materials

• radioactive materials 

• chemical fertilizers and pesticides 

• oil spills 

• mining activities 

• lack of sanitation IMPACTS 2.5 Billion PEOPLE

How many people are at risk for malaria, and how many deaths?

2 billion people at risk, 2 million deaths annually

How many at risk and dead from diarrhea?

4 billion cases of diarrhea and 2.2 deaths

What percentage of the developing world is infected with intestinal worms?

10% of the developing world

How many are blind from trachoma?

6 million

How many people are affected with schistosomiasis?

200 million people

What can be considered pollution?

Any physical, biological, or chemical change in water quality that adversely affects living organisms or makes water unsuitable for desired uses

What term is used to describe discharge pollution from specific locations?

Point sources

FACTORIES, Power plants, and drainpipes

What are Non point Sources?

Non point sources are scattered or diffuse, having no specific location or discharge

Agricultural fields, feedlots, golf courses, and residential construction sites

What is Atmospheric Deposition?

Contaminants carried by air currents and precipitated into watersheds or directly onto surface waters as rain, snow or dry particles

Which herbicide is prevalent in the Great Lakes?

There is an estimated 600,000 kg of atrazine herbicide

What is the main source of waterborne pathogens?

Improperly treated human waste

ALSO animal waste from feedlots and fields

How many people in poor countries lack adequate sanitation?

2.5 billion people

How many people lack access to clean drinking water?

780 million people

What is the Coliform bacteria?

An intestinal bacterium

IT IS USED TO DETECT WATER CONTAMINATION BY ANIMAL WASTES

How is drinking water disinfected?

Chlorination disinfects cleaning water

What oxygen content in water will support desirable aquatic life?

oxygen content greater than 6 ppm

What does water oxygen content less than 2ppm support?

oxygen content < 2 supports detritivores and decomposers mostly

How is oxygen added to water?

Oxygen is added to water by diffusion from wind and waves, and by photosynthesis from green plants, algae, and cyanobacteria

How is oxygen removed from water?

Oxygen is removed by respiration and oxygen-consuming processes.

What is the Biochemical oxygen demand?

Amount of dissolved oxygen consumed by aquatic microorganisms

Used as a test for organic waste contamination from sewage, paper pulp and food waste.

What are oligotrophic waters?

Oligotrophic waters are bodies of water that have clear water and low biological productivity

What are eutrophic waters?

Bodies of water that are rich in organisms and organic material 

Eutrophication

This is the process of increasing nutrient levels and biological productivity, a normal part of successional change is most lakes

Cultural Eutrophication

This is the increase in biological productivity caused by human activities

What is the most widespread toxic metal contaminant in North America?

Mercury, which is found in fish.

MINE DRAINAGE AND LEACHING OF MINE WASTES

What does a high concentration of acids in water bodies cause?

Empty lakes and water bodies due to low pH

MINE DRAINAGE, COAL MINING, INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES 

What are the two most important sources of toxic organic chemicals in water

1. Improper disposal of INDUSTRIAL AND HOUSEHOLD WASTES

2. Runoff of pesticides from fields, roadsides, golf courses, and lawns 

What form does the majority of inorganic carbon take?

Most inorganic carbon found in the form of HCO3

At pH below 4.3 how is most CO2 found?

Below pH 4.3, CO2 is found as dissolved gas

At what pH is HCO3- the dominant form?

pH between 4.3 to 8.3

At what pH is CO32- dominant?

above 8.3 CO32-

MAJORITY OF FRESHWATER HAS pH 5 to 8

What are the major Ions?

Cations: Ca, Mg, Na, and K

Anions: HCO3-, CO3²-, SO4²-, and Cl-

Dissolved forms of N,P,Fe, and other trace elements

What does the Ion concentration depend on?

Ion concentration depends on geology, precipitation, evaporative concentration, atmospheric deposition, and marine aerosols 

What is Allochthonous Production?

This is organic carbon produced by photosynthesis outside stream

What is Autochthonous Production?

Organic carbon produced by photosynthesis within streams