Wats final

Aquitard:  a geologic formation in the subsurface that stores and transmits water

Artesian Wells: wells that tap into confined aquifer where groundwater is under natural pressure, causing the water to rise on its own

Benthic Zone: Ecological zone encompassing the sediment surface and shallow subsurface

Beaver Dam Analogue: A human constructed and engineered structure to mimic the function of a natural beaver dam

CA: LA Ratio: Can be an indicator of lake productivity, or the amount of  biological activity in the ecosystem/ High: turbid waters, high productivity. Low: clear waters, low productivity

Climate: long term patterns of precipitation, temperature, wind, etc

Clean Water Act: goal to restore & maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters. Establishes the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharge into US waters. Regulates water quality standards for surface waters

Cone of Depression (and factors influencing it): The conical shape that forms around a well when water is being pumped out at a rate faster than it can naturally recharge.

Confined Aquifer: A layer of groundwater that is sandwiched between impermeable layers that is under pressure. Artesian well

Controls on Biodiversity: Species dispersal, environmental factors, species interactions

Consumer: Organism that consumers primary producers

Competitive Exclusion: two species cannot occupy the same niche

Darcy’s Law: Used to describe the flow of  groundwater through porous media. It relates the rate of groundwater flow to the properties of the aquifer and the pressure difference driving the flow. 

Q= -K*A*delta h/ L

Q = The volumetric flow rate of water (how much water is flowing, e.g., cubic meters per second).

K = The hydraulic conductivity of the material (how easily water can flow through it, e.g., meters per second).

A = The cross-sectional area of flow (e.g., area of a well or section of soil).

Δh = The difference in hydraulic head (pressure or water level) between two points.

L = The distance between the two points where the head difference occurs.

Effects of Groundwater Pumping: Lowers the water table, cone of depression, ground sinking, reduced streamflow, depletion of aquifers, salt water intrusion 

Epilimnion, Hypolimnion, Thermocline: Epilimnion; The upper layer of water in a lake, typically warm and well-mixed due to wind. This layer is less dense and has higher oxygen levels. Thermocline; The transition zone between the warm epilimnion and cold hypolimnion. Here, the temperature changes rapidly with depth, forming a boundary that separates the warmer and cooler water layers. Hypolimnion; The deeper layer of water, usually cold and dense, located beneath the thermocline. It is typically isolated from surface mixing and may have lower oxygen levels.

Eutrophication: When a body of water is extremely rich with nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to excessive growth of algae and other aquatic plants. An overgrowth of these can limit oxygen in the water and lead to an unhealthy ecosystem.

Endangered fish species of Utah: Colorado Pikeminnow, Razorback Sucker, Bonytail, Virgin River Chub, Woundfin

Endangered Species Act: Federal law that protects listed species and their habitat

Food Web vs Food Chain: Food web visualizes all tropic interactions within an ecosystem. Food chain only follows a specific energy pathway

Gaining Stream: a type of stream or river where the water level is increasing due to the input of groundwater

Genetic Diversity: Genetic diversity is essential for the health, survival, and adaptability of populations. It plays a key role in evolution, disease resistance, and the overall functioning of ecosystems.

Hybridization: when two species of fish breed with each other to create a new hybrid breed. Non-native fish create “genetic pollution”. Hybrids behave differently in the ecosystem

Hyporheic Exchange:  the mixing of surface and groundwater in the porous sediment around a river.

Hydraulic Head: Measure of the height of water and the potential energy it contains

Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis: an ecological theory that suggests species diversity is highest at intermediate levels of disturbance.

Invasive species: A non-native species that was introduced into an ecosystem by humans and often times is harmful

Lake Origin: How a lake is formed and is a good predictor of biological, chemical and physical characteristics

Lake Mixing Regimes: Meromictic; no mixing. Monomitic; mixes once per year. Dimictic; mixes twice per year. Polymictic; mixes multiple times per year

Littoral Zone: Shallow, down-sloping shelf of lake or wetland. Often vegetated with benthic plants

Limnetic Zone: Open water, well-lit zone of a lake or wetland. Lake benthic plant life

Losing Stream: is a stream or river that loses water to the surrounding groundwater system as it flows. This means that water from the stream infiltrates through the streambed and recharges the underlying aquifer.

Point Source vs. Non-Point Source: Point Source (regulated); Any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged. Examples: pipes, ditches, ships, smokestacks

Non-point source (non regulated); Comes from many diffuse sources. Called “non-point” because it’s hard to point to the source of pollution. Examples: Urban and agricultural runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition, groundwater seepage, hydrological modification

Pollution: The introduction of harmful substances or energy into a watershed that degrades water quality, disrupts ecosystem functions, or poses risks to human and environmental health.

Porosity and Permeability: How much pore space you have, how easily it can move between those pores. Good for water storage.

Potentiometric Surface: Height to which water would rise if tapped from a confined aquifer 

Phosphorus and Nitrogen Cycling: Refers to the natural movement of these essential nutrients through the soil, water, air, and living organisms. In watersheds, these cycles can be disrupted by human activities like farming and urban runoff, leading to nutrient pollution, algal blooms, and poor water quality in rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

Primary producers: Organisms that gain energy from photosynthesis

Recharge Zone vs. Discharge Zone:  Recharge = water goes into the ground. Discharge = water comes out from the ground.

Restoration (definition & motivations): A process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed. Motivations:

1. Technocratic: Institutional mandate to recover social values of ecosystems prior to degradation. EX: east canyon creek, UT. Funding provided by the state via federal money allocated to address water quality issues in Utah

2. Biotic: To recover lost aspects of biodiversity.

3. Heuristic: To test and demonstrate biological and physiological principles.

4. Idealistic: For personal or cultural concerns and a desire to reconnect to the land.

5. Pragmatic: For the recovery of ecosystem services upon which communities and economies rely.

River profile characteristics: A river profile shows how a river’s shape and features change from source to mouth. Upper course: steep, narrow, with waterfalls and V-shaped valleys. Middle course: gentler slope, wider channel, meanders form. Lower course: flat, wide, with floodplains, deltas, and oxbow lakes.

River Continuum Concept: Describes river systems as a continuous series of physical and biotic gradients. Longitudinal connectivity along the entire length of the stream. Linear cycling of nutrients, continuum of habitats, influx of organic materials, dissipation of energy

Trophic Cascade: A chain reaction in an ecosystem that starts when a change at the top of the food chain (like adding or removing a predator) causes shifts in populations and interactions at lower levels, often affecting plants and the physical environment.

Species Diversity: Count (richness), relative abundance (evenness), and variety (diversity) of a species

Shear Stress: The force per unit area exerted parallel to a surface, like the force of flowing water pushing against a riverbed or bank.

Shifting Baseline Syndrome: Gradual change in the accepted norms for the state of nature due to a lack of memory, knowledge, or experience of its past conditions

Stationary vs non-stationary data: Data whose statistical properties—like mean, variance, and correlation—do not change over time. Vs Data whose statistical properties change over time, such as trends, seasonality, or shifts in variance.

Stream hydrograph: A graph that shows the flow of water (discharge) in a river or stream over time, often in response to a specific event like rainfall. Rising limb: The increase in flow after a rainfall or snowmelt event. Peak flow: The highest discharge, typically right after the event. Falling limb: The decrease in flow as the river returns to normal levels. Baseflow: The normal flow of the stream, typically sustained by groundwater, that continues even during dry periods.

Tragedy of the Commons: when individuals overuse a shared resource for personal gain, depleting it and harming the group

Unconfined Aquifer: an aquifer that is not under pressure. 

Water Quality Parameters: Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, nitrogen and phosphorus, E. Coli

Waters of the United States: The surface waterbodies that are protected under the Clean Water Act. Navigable waterways, permanent adjacent wetlands and tributaries, reservoirs, beaver ponds, lakes

Weather: short-term patterns of precipitation, temperature, etc.

Wetland (definition and types): Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year

1. Marshes- dominated by grasses; are seasonally flooded and/ or are associated with standing water. Common wetland type in Utah.

2. Swamps- dominated by woody plants, standing water; are seasonally flooded and/ or are associated with standing water. Very uncommon wetland type in Utah.

3. Fens- herbaceous, groundwater fed wetlands.; peat forming, typically found in high elevation valleys where groundwater intersects surface.

4. Bogs- moss dominated, acidic, oxygen poor; also peat forming, but different from fens because they are precipitation-fed. Rare but present in the Uinta Mountains

5. Wet meadows- woody or herbaceous, no standing water.; Common in floodplains. Willow thickets are a common type of woody wet meadow.ake Mixing Regimes
   Littoral Zone
   Limnetic Zone
   Losing Stream
   Point Source vs. Non-Point Source
   Pollution
   Porosity and Permeability
   Potentiometric Surface
   Phosphorus and Nitrogen Cycling
   Primary producers
   Recharge Zone vs. Discharge Zone
   Restoration (definition & motivations)
   River profile characteristics
   River Continuum Concept
   Trophic Cascade
   Species Diversity
   Shear Stress
   Shifting Baseline Syndrome
   Stationary vs non-stationary data
   Stream hydrograph
   Tragedy of the Commons
   Trophic Cascade
   Unconfined Aquifer
   Water Quality Parameters
   Waters of the United States
   Weather
   Wetland (definition and types)