Watersheds and Their Characteristics

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to watersheds and their characteristics, human impacts, and ecological importance.

Watershed

All the land in an area that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland.

Area and Length of a Watershed

The size and the distance of a watershed measured along the main flow of water which influences water travel time and nutrient movement.

Slope

The steepness of land within a watershed; steeper slopes increase water speed and erosion.

Soil Type

The composition of soil in a watershed affects water permeability and the amount of erosion.

Vegetation Type

Different plants in a watershed can stabilize soil, reduce erosion, and affect nutrient cycling.

Human Impact on Watersheds

Activities such as logging, dam building, and urban development that alter water flow and increase nutrient runoff.

Hubbard Brook Watershed

A studied watershed in New Hampshire that demonstrated how logging impacts nutrient cycling and water quality.

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A large watershed that collects water from multiple states and faces challenges from nutrient pollution and sedimentation.

Nitrate Pollution

Increased nitrogen levels in water bodies resulting from the absence of vegetation that normally absorbs it, leading to algal blooms.

Ecosystem Services of Estuaries

Natural benefits provided by areas like the Chesapeake Bay, including water filtration, habitat, and storm buffering.

Ecological Succession

The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time, which can restore balance to a watershed after disturbance.

Algal Blooms

Rapid growth of algae in water bodies caused by excess nutrients, leading to hypoxia and dead zones.

Erosion

The process by which soil and rocks are worn away, often due to water movement influenced by watershed characteristics.