Earths Water

The Hydrospere
Goal 2.3

Lesson 1
The Hydrosphere and the
Water Cycle

Think About It

Why is it that the water in your

bottle could have been drunk
by George Washington?

Focus Questions

What are the processes

involved in the water cycle?
What is the connection between
ground and surface water?

1.

The Hydrosphere: An
Overview
The hydrosphere is

the water on and in Earths

crust
a. The percentage of water
found in the oceans
97
We dont call ourselves the
Blue Planet for nothing!
The percentage of water
contained by the
landmasses
3
http://www.earthview.pair.com/earth300color.jpg

Of the Freshwater on Earth

b. 90% is in the form
of

polar ice caps and

glaciers

Most of the
remaining water is

groundwater

Only a small fraction

is in

rivers, streams, and

lakes

Alaskas Glacier Bay

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/family-trips/glacier-bay-alaska/

The Worlds Water Supply

How long will our supply last?

Oceans 97.2% - thousands of years

Ice caps and glaciers 2.15% - tens of
thousands of years
Groundwater - .31% - hundreds to
thousands of years
Lakes - .009% - tens of years
Atmosphere - .001% - nine days!
Rivers and streams - .0001% - two weeks

The Water Cycle

The Water Cycle

http://www.euwfd.com/html/hydrological_cycle.html

The Water
Cycle

1. Evaporation
a) transpiration

2.
3.
4.
5.

Condensation
Precipitation
Infiltration (percolation)
The Ocean

Runoff
1. Runoff is
water flowing down slope along Earths
surface

http://myecoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/stormwater.jpg

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff

a. Little to No
Vegetation

Topsoil is
easily eroded
and water
runs off easier

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff

b. Heavy rain

Water falls
too quickly to
soak into the
ground
http://luirig.altervista.org/cpm/albums/nrcs3/normal_1389-Runoff-from-a-heavy-rain-carries-topsoil-from-a-cr.jpg

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff

c. Soil with a lot of like clay

Clay prevents water from soaking in b/c of
its low porosity.

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff

d. Steep Slope

the water
flows off
easily.

http://secretagentworms.org/images/runoff2nrcs.jpg

2. Five Factors that Increase Runoff

e. High groundwater levels

There is no
room for the
water to
infiltrate the
ground.
http://secretagentworms.org/images/runoff2nrcs.jpg

Watersheds and Stream

Systems
1. A stream is runoff water that begins to
flow more permanently in a channel.
a. A large stream is called a river.
b. The smaller streams that feed into it are
called tributaries

The Rivers of North Carolina

Watersheds and Divides

2. A watershed
is all of the
land area
whose water
drains into a
stream
system.
http://dutchesswam.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/watershed-image-small.png

North Carolina Watersheds

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/maps/nc/Watersheds-NC-map.jpg

Watersheds and Divides

3. A divide is a high land area that
separates one watershed from another.

The Eastern Continental Divide is located in

the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Divides of North America

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Continental_Divide

Watersheds and Divides

4. The watershed of the Mississippi River
is the largest watershed in North
America!

http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/lmrsbc/index.html

Lesson 2
Surface Water: Rivers

Think About It

Why are rivers important?

Have you ever been swimming,
boating, rafting, tubing, or
fishing in a river?

Focus Questions
What is the structure and
function of a river?
What causes a river to flood?
How do rivers cause erosion
and deposition?

Erosional Stream Load

1. All the materials that the water in a stream
carries is known as the streams load.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Stream_Load.gif

Erosional Stream Load

Three ways in which a stream carries its load...
a. Material is carried in solution after it becomes
dissolved in a streams water.
b. All particles small enough to be held up by the
turbulence of a streams moving water are carried
in suspension.
c. Sediments that are too large or heavy to be held
up by turbulent water are transported as a
streams bed load.

Erosional Stream Load

Erosional Stream Load

2. Carrying capacity is the ability of a stream to

transport material

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/images/hydrograph_photos/muri2/muri2_2.jpg

Floods
1. When do floods
occur?

when water spills

over the sides of a
streams banks
onto adjacent land

(Soccer fields were built

on the flood plain of
the Yadkin River in
Davie County.
Why?)
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/floodplain

Floods
2. How are floods
related to
groundwater levels?
It is more likely to flood
when groundwater
levels are high
because
the aquifer is already
full and can only hold
so much water.
the dotted line on the
diagram represents
the groundwater level.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896970800380X

Floods
3. Which agency
monitors potential
flood conditions?

The National
Weather Service
monitors changing
weather conditions.
USGS has
established gauging
station on more than
4400 streams in the
USA!

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3113/images/Cropped_bridge.jpg

http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/78/3078-004-9B8860F2.jpg

Stream Systems: Beginning

1. The beginning of a
stream is called the
headwaters.
a. Found in mountains
b. Cold, oxygenated,
clear
c. V-shaped channels
i. have steep sides.
ii. The Grand Canyon
is a V- shaped
valley.

The Grand Canyon

Stream Systems: Middle

2.

What is a floodplain?
a broad, flat, fertile area extending out from a
streams banks that is covered with water during
floods.
It is not wise to build on a floodplain because it is
prone to flooding!

Stream Systems: Middle

a. A bend or curve in a stream channel is a -

meander
The Cape Fear River

The Yadkin River

http://www.wfae.org/wfae/images/Yadkin.jpg

http://www.wilmingtonbeachrentals.com/2010/02/cape-fear-river-facts-pictures.html

Stream Systems: Middle

b. Water in a
stream flows
fastest
I. Along the
center
II. Outside of a
meander

Meandering Streams A
Diagram

Oxbow Lakes
c. An oxbow lake is
a blocked-off meander

We have our very own

oxbow lake in the
Carolinas in the
Congaree National
Park just outside of
Columbia, SC.
http://www.daviddarling.info/images/oxbow_lake.jpg

Oxbow Lakes

Oxbow Lake in the Amazon

Oxbow Lakes in Alaska

http://muller.lbl.gov/travel_photos/AmazonWebPages/AmazonWebPages-Pages/Image1.html

http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/oxbow-lake-aerial-3405-pictures.htm

Formation of Stream Valleys

http://www.indiana.edu/~geol116/week9/rivprof.jpg
Next 3 slides

Stream Systems: The End!

3. The end of a stream is
called the mouth
and is usually located at
the ocean or another
large body of water

http://carolinagreensense.com/uploaded_images/NIWB-731140.jpeg

A Bigger View!

(Yadkin)PeeDee River

A Streams End: Deposition of

Sediment
a. Streams lose
their ability to
carry sediment
b/c they lose
velocity
b. An alluvial fan is
a fan-shaped
deposit
commonly found
in mountains.

http://practicalbio.blogspot.com/2011/09/sonoran-desert-soil-distributions.html

Alluvial Fan in the Sonora Desert

A Streams End: Deposition of

Sediment
c. A delta is a
triangular deposit
that forms where a
stream enters a
large body of water.
The city of New
Orleans is on the
Mississippi River
Delta.

The Mississippi River Delta

picture taken by Landsat 7
http://earthasart.gsfc.nasa.gov/mississippi.html

Lesson 3
Lakes

Think About It

What is the biggest lake you

have ever seen in person?

Focus Question
How do dams create reservoirs
and how is the water in a
reservoir used by people?
What can cause eutrophication
or pollution in a lake?

Lakes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Rock_Lake

1. What is a lake?
o a depression in land
that holds water

a. What determines
where a lake can
form?

http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv23839.php

o the surface materials

c. Why are lakes

important?
o Recreation, drinking
water, habitats

d. What is a reservoir?
o a manmade lake
High Rock Lake

Types of Lakes
Oxbow Lake a meander gets cut off

Weston Lake (Oxbow) in

Congaree National Park

The Great Salt Lake in Utah - the remains

of a sea

http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/salt_lake_desert/salt_l.html

Moraine-dammed Lake - glacial melt is

dammed by a moraine

Moraine-dammed Lake in Alaska

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1216/i/i.html

Kettle Lakes - Glacial melt in a

depression created by the glacier

Kettle Lakes in Michigan

http://www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/kettle_lakes.html

Lakes Undergo Change

1. What maintains a
lakes water supply?
o rain, runoff, and
groundwater
2. A lake will exist for a
long time if
o it gets more water
than it loses
After a long time a lake
will dry up and fill up!

The Aral Sea: Uzbekistan

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=1396

Lakes Undergo Change

3. Eutrophication is
o excess nutrients
cause the overgrowth
of algae which use
up oxygen in the lake
The process of
eutrophication can be
sped up by
o over-fertilizing land
near a waterway
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Eutrophication

Eutrophication in Australia

Fish kill in the Salton Sea, CA

Eutrophication Explained

http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/01590/pollution/culturaleutroph.jpg

Lakes Undergo Change

4. Four things that
can pollute lakes
are
o animal wastes
o phosphate
detergents
o industrial toxins
o untreated
sewage

Lesson 4
Freshwater Wetlands

Think About It

What would happen if all of our

coastal wetlands were filled in
for homes and hotels?

Focus Question

Why are wetlands important?

What factors affect and degrade
wetlands and estuaries?

http://www.tommangan.net/twoheeldrive/index.php/2009/11/29/easy-hike-at-historic-bethabara-park/

Freshwater Wetlands
A wetland is
o land that is
soaked with
water
Three examples of
wetlands are
a. bogs
b. marshes
c. swamps

Boardwalk at Bethabara Park

Our very own wetlands!

http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/bog.cfm

Bogs
1. A bog is a water-soaked
area with poor drainage.
Water in a bog comes
from
o Precipitation (rain)
2. The soil in a bog is acidic
because

of the decaying
moss This slows
bacterial growth
which prevents
nitrogen recycling.

http://here4now.typepad.com/here4now/2011/05/weeks-bay-reserve.html

A bog in Alabama

Bogs
3. Interesting plants that
live in a bog are the
o Venus fly trap
o Sun dew
o Pitcher plants
These plants are
carnivorous b/c of
the nutrient-poor soil
of the bog. They
must digest insects
to obtain nitrogen.
http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/plants/carnivorousplants.htm

Marshes
1. A marsh is a watersoaked area at the
mouth of streams.
Fresh water marshes and
estuaries often form
o At the mouth of a
river
2. Marsh grasses have
shallow roots that
o anchor silt and mud
deposits in a delta.
(Builds land!)

Brackish marsh near Wanchese, NC

http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/vistas/outerbanks.htm

Marshes
3. Plants found in a
marsh include
o Grasses
o Reeds
o Sedges
o Rushes

These plants
provide shelter and
food for aquatic
larva.

Marsh with reeds and rushes natural reserve near Ravenna,

Italy

Swamps
1. A swamp is
o a low-lying area
near a stream
Swamps may
develop from
marshes that have
filled in to support
the growth of
shrubs and trees.

Congaree National Park, SC

http://vogeltalksrving.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Mosquito-meter.jpg

Water Lily in Bok Tower Gardens,

Orlando, FL

http://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2012/09/14/water-lilies-seem-to-big-to-be-true-at-bok-tower-gardens/

Swamps
2. Trees that grow in a
swamp include
o mangrove trees
o cypress trees

Mangroves in Biscayne
National Park, FL

Bald Cypress Trees in

Florida

Swamps
If a swamp were to be buried under tons of
sedimentcoal might form!

http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/visual/visual.php?shortname=coal_formation

Environmental Issues: A Loss of

Habitat

1. Two valuable
functions of wetlands
o the filtering of
water
o providing a habitat
for migrating birds
and fish fry (fish
babies!)
2. What % of our
wetlands were lost from
the late 1700s to mid1980s?
o 50 %
o Why?

Snow Geese in Prince William Sound

http://www.pwconserve.org/wildlife/birds/snowgoose.htm

Environmental Issues:
Upstream Drought
3. A drought
upstream
o will lead to
less fresh
water entering
the estuary
and
o saltier water
Snow Geese in Prince William Sound
http://www.pwconserve.org/wildlife/birds/snowgoose.htm

Environmental Issues: Saltwater

Intrustion
4. Overused wells
in coastal areas
o may draw
up salt water
from the ocean
and
o cause the
water to
Snow Geese in Prince William Sound
become
undrinkable.
http://www.pwconserve.org/wildlife/birds/snowgoose.htm

Three Ways to Preserve

Wetlands
Education
Conservation
Regulation

Lesson 5
The Movement and Storage of
Groundwater

Think About It

Does your family drink well

water?

Focus Question
How does groundwater move
through the lithosphere?
How are flood events affected
by groundwater levels?

Precipitation and
Groundwater
Remember the water cycle?
1. Most water in the atmosphere
comes from oceans!
2. Most precipitation that falls on land
becomes groundwater.
Eventually groundwater will
return to the ocean to complete the
water cycle.

Groundwater Storage
1. Porosity is
the percentage of pore space
in a material
2. The types of soil that have

highest porosity - well- sorted

lowest porosity poorly- sorted

1. Groundwater is stored
in the pore spaces of rocks
and sediments (See picture )
and can be compared to
a hard sponge
http://core.ecu.edu/geology/woods/GWANSW2008_files/image002.jpg

Groundwater Storage
3. The zone of saturation is
the depth below Earths surface at which groundwater
completely fills all the pores
4. The water table is
the upper boundary of the zone of saturation

e. Figure 10-2: Groundwater Storage (p. 421)

soil
Zone of
aeration
Water table
Zone of
saturation

Groundwater Storage
5.

The depth of the water

table varies

in swampy areaswater table is

almost at surface,
in arid regions water table is far
beneath surface

Green Swamp, FL

Groundwater Storage
6. If the water table is
high, it is more
likely to flood.
low, it is less likely
to flood.
7. The water table fluctuates
with the seasons and
weather conditions
because

it depends on rain
to recharge it

http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/images/chwattab.gif

Groundwater Movement:
Permeability

1. What is permeability?

the ability of a material to let water pass

through it
a. What subsurface materials are permeable?

sand, sandstone, and gravel

b. What subsurface materials are

impermeable?

clay, silt, and shale

c. Why is clay used to line ponds & landfills?

Groundwater Movement:
Aquifers

1. An aquifer
underground
storage area for
water made of
permeable rock
layers.
2. An aquiclude
impermeable
layer above or
below an aquifer.

Groundwater Movement
6. aquifer
7.

8. aquiclude

Groundwater: A Music Video

The Story of Groundwater!
http://www.groundwater.org/kc/groundwat
er_animation.html

Lesson 6
Groundwater Erosion

Think About It
Why do some homes in Florida get
swallowed up by the ground?

Focus Question
What are the unique features of
caves?
What features are found in an
area with Karst topography?

Caves
1. What is a cave?

A natural underground opening with a

connection to Earths surface

2. Which acid forms caves?

Carbonic acid (H2O + CO2 in the soil)

3. Which rock is eroded by this acid to form

a cave?

limestone

Caves of the USA

Mammoth Cave,
Kentucky

Carlsbad Caverns, N. Mexico

Lechuguilla Cave, N. Mexico

http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2011/07/dark-depths-mammoth-cave/

http://giantcrystals.strahlen.org/america/lechuguilla.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Witchs_Finger_Carlsbad_Caverns.jpg

Mammoth Cave: A Closer

Look

http://images.travelpod.com/users/socks/1.1248576883.mammoth-cave-river-styx-tour-route.jpg

Cave Formations

http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/orca/underworld/sec1b.htm

Karst Topography: Sinkholes

1. What is a
sinkhole?
A depression
in the ground
caused by the
collapse of a
cave
http://southea
stsinkhole.co
m/

http://www.virginiacaves.org/lok/ccvup56.htm

Karst Topography
2. Karst topography are limestone regions that
have sinkholes, sinks, and sinking streams
named for an area in Croatia.

A aerial photograph of a classic Karst terrain north of Lewisburg, WV

Karst Topography

Missouri
Karst Topography

http://www.mospeleo.org/ozark_caving/springs/sprkarst.htm

Hard Water
4. Hard water is water that contains high
concentrations of calcium, magnesiun, or
iron.

Common in limestone areas

Causes deposits of calcium bicarbonate and
can clog water pipes. (p. 247)
More soap must be used

Lesson 7
Groundwater Systems, Use, and
Threats!

Think About It
Where does the water in a spring
come from?

Focus Question
What are the unique features of
springs?
How can the use of wells lead to
aquifer depletion, subsistence,
and saltwater intrusion?
What are threats to our
groundwater?

Springs
1. Ground water discharges at
Earths surface
These natural discharges of water
are calledsprings
2. Water may flow out of a rock
when
an aquifer and an aquiclude come
in contact

http://www.eyekonic.net/gallery2/d/1232-2/Ponce_20De_20Leon_20Springs_202.jpg

Ponce De Leon Springs

Location of
Springs:
B. Perched Water
Table

A. Near Horizontal
Sedimentary Layers

D. Limestone Regions

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8m.html

C. Fault-blocked

Hot Springs
3. The temperature of ground water is
the same as the average annual
temperature
4. Hot springs are
springs which have temperatures
higher than the human body
Hot springs are so hot because the
subsurface is still hot from recent
igneous activity
Picture on next slide

Hot Springs at Yellowstone N.P.

http://www.guideoftravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Yellowstone-National-Park.jpg

http://www.gogobot.com/old_faithful_geyser_and_upper-yellowstone_national_park-attraction

Springs and Geysers

5. Most hot springs in
our country are
found in the
western states
6. A geyser is an
explosive spring
that erupts at
regular intervals
Old Faithful Geyser
Yellowstone NP

Wells
1. A well is

a hole dug to reach a reservoir of

groundwater

2. A cone of depression is produced by

the over pumping of wells

3. Drawdown is

the difference between the original water

table level and that of a pumped well

4. Recharge is

when water from rain or runoff is added to

Wells

5. An artesian well flows from a deep, confined aquifer

which contains water under pressure.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/gw_ruralhomeowner/gw_ruralhomeowner_new.html

Wells: Figure 10-15, p. 252

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthgwlandsubside.html

Wells
6. The entire water
table can be lowered
due to
6. The overuse of
wells
7. Ground above an
overused well can
sink!
This is called
subsidence

Threats to Our Water Supply

1. Overuse
2. Subsidence (sinking land over an aquifer)
3. Pollution in groundwater (sewage,
industrial waste, landfills, agriculture)
4. Chemicals (not filtered out by sediments;
hard to remove from groundwater)
5. Salt (one of the major threats to
groundwater supplies; esp. coastal areas)
6. Radon (generated by radioactive decay of
uranium in rocks esp. granite and shale)

Protection of Groundwater
1. Identify and eliminate pollution sources.
2. Monitor pollution.
3. Pump groundwater to surface and treat
it.

Lesson 8
Use, Abuse, and Conservation of
Water Resources

Water Use:
The Importance of Water
1. Four important uses of freshwater
Agriculture, transportation, recreation, drinking!

2. Water is indispensable for life on Earth

because
1. It exists as a liquid
2. It stores a lot of heat
3. It is the universal solvent
4. Solid water expands

The Importance of Water

3. Eastern states get the
most precipitation.
1. Eastern states - cooling,
energy production, and
manufacturing.
2. Western states - irrigation.

4. Withdrawal rates of
freshwater are increasing
each year because
our population is growing!

Western states use more water for

growing their crops

Use of Water in the USA

http://fracfocus.org/sites/default/files/water-use-pie-chart.jpg

Managing Freshwater
Resources
1. Dams are built to
control flooding
downstream and to
manage freshwater
resources
2. In the USA, 23% of all
freshwater is obtained
from
aquifers (groundwater)
Florida, Hawaii, and
Nebraska depend almost
entirely on groundwater.

Managing Freshwater
Resources
3. Drawdown causes
a. wells to go dry
b. streams to run low or go dry
c. shallow aquifers on the coast to get salty
(This is called salt water intrusion)
4. Desalination is removing salt from
seawater to make freshwater. It is not
practical due to high costs.
See next slide

Saltwater
Intrusion

http://www.wrd.org/engineering/images/seawater-intrusion.gif

Desalination

http://www.tampabaywater.org/tampa-bay-seawater-desalination-plant.aspx

Water Pollution:
Types of Pollution
1.

Point sources
have a single point
of origin (often a
piped discharge)
Three examples
include (but arent
limited to)
a. sewage
b. spills
c. industry

Drainage into the Ohio River

http://www.lakescientist.com/learn-about-lakes/water-quality/pollution.html

http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Po-Re/Pollution-Sources-Point-and-Nonpoint.html

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/media/pol04a_460.jpg

Water Pollution: Types of

Pollution

2. Nonpoint sources
come from widely spread areas and cannot be identified
and cleaned up as easily.
Two examples include (but arent limited to)
a. pesticides and fertilizers from farms and yards
b. oil and gasoline from parking lots

3. Clean up!
Surface water is more easily polluted than
groundwater but easier to clean up.

http://www2.epa.gov/cleanups

Reducing Water Pollution

1. The Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) was
designed to
ensure our citizens have safe drinking water
Our water does not always meet these
standards.

2. The Clean Water Act (1972) was created

to
a. eliminate sources of water pollution
b. restore water quality (which it has done!)

Water Conservation
1. Community Water Conservation
a. Farmers can use irrigation techniques
like trickle irrigation to save water.
http://www.tricklering.com/
b. Industries can use recycled or gray
water to save water.
2.Personal Conservation: How can you and I
conserve water in our homes and yards?

Lesson 7 Video Clip

The Cycle of Insanity: The Real Story of Water
http://www.rivernetwork.org/blog/7/2010/04/12/new-surfrider-videoshows-%E2%80%98-real-story-water%E2%80%99

Yadkin Riverkeeper Website

The Yadkin Riverkeeper organization is a
member of the international Waterkeeper
organization. This alliance includes
baykeepers, deltakeepers, riverkeepers,
lakekeepers, etc.
http://www.yadkinriverkeeper.org/content/v
ideo-messages