OUR NEED FOR WATER! EARTH IS KNOWN AS THE BLUE PLANET. MORE THAN SEVENTY PERCENT OF THE EARTH S SURFACE IS COVERED WITH WATER. THERE ALSO IS WATER BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH. YET, WITH ALL OF THE WATER PRESENT ON EARTH, WATER IS STILL A FINITE SOURCE, CYCLING FROM ONE FORM TO ANOTHER. THIS CYCLE, KNOWN AS THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE (WATER CYCLE), IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE WATER FOUND ON EARTH.
THE BLUE PLANET SATELLITE IMAGE OF OUR PLANET WHAT ARE YOUR HAPPIEST ME MEMORIES THAT INCLUDE WATER?
THE WATER WITHIN US WATER IS OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE TO ALL LIVING THINGS; IN SOME ORGANISMS, UP TO 90% OF THEIR BODY WEIGHT COMES FROM WATER. UP TO 60% OF THE HUMAN ADULT BODY IS WATER. WATER SERVES A NUMBER OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS TO KEEP US ALL GOING: A VITAL NUTRIENT TO THE LIFE OF EVERY CELL IT REGULATES OUR INTERNAL BODY TEMPERATURE BY SWEATING AND RESPIRATION THE CARBOHYDRATES AND PROTEINS THAT OUR BODIES USE AS FOOD ARE METABOLIZED AND TRANSPORTED BY WATER IN THE BLOODSTREAM; IT ASSISTS IN FLUSHING WASTE MAINLY THROUGH URINATION ACTS AS A SHOCK ABSORBER FOR BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD, LUBRICATES JOINTS FORMS SALIVA
THE HUMAN NEED FOR WATER WATER BY THE NUMBERS - 2.5 GALLONS: THE AMOUNT OF WATER PER PERSON MUCH OF THE WORLD HAS 176 GALLONS: THE AMOUNT THE AVERAGE AMERICAN USES PER DAY COMPARED TO 5 GALLONS OF WATER THE AVERAGE AFRICAN FAMILY USES EACH DAY. IN THE PAST TEN YEARS, DIARRHEA RELATED TO UNSANITARY WATER HAS KILLED MORE CHILDREN THAN ALL THE PEOPLE LOST TO ARMED CONFLICT SINCE WWII. $35 BILLION: AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT ON BOTTLED WATER IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD 1.5 BILLION BARRELS OF OIL USED TO MAKE THOSE PLASTIC BOTTLES 2.7 TONS: THE AMOUNT OF PLASTIC USED TO BOTTLE WATER. 86 PERCENT BECOME GARBAGE OR LITTER
HISTORICAL EVENTS DRIVEN BY WATER WATER IS LIFE, SO MUCH SO THAT OUR SEARCH FOR LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS IS DRIVEN BY THE SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE OF WATER. EXTREME INSTANCES, SUCH AS DROUGHTS CAUSE US TO RE-THINK HOW WE USE IT AND MAKES US UNDERSTAND JUST HOW PRECIOUS WATER IS
LIVING ORGANISMS AND WATER WATER S ABILITY TO DISSOLVE MOST BIOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT COMPOUNDS FROM INORGANIC SALTS TO LARGE ORGANIC MOLECULES MAKES IT A VITAL SOLVENT INSIDE ORGANISMS AND CELLS. WATER IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF MOST METABOLIC PROCESSES WITHIN ORGANISMS. METABOLISM IS THE SUM TOTAL OF ALL OF THE BODY S CHEMICAL REACTIONS. THE TYPE OF BIOME AND ECOSYSTEM IS DETERMINED BY CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE (REMEMBER?) THE BIGGEST FACTOR THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION OR WATER!
LIVING ORGANISMS AND WATER AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM ANY WATER ENVIRONMENT AND THE COMMUNITY OF ORGANISMS THAT LIVE THERE. THREE MAIN TYPES FRESHWATER, ESTUARIES AND MARINE. ABIOTIC FACTORS FOR AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS WATER TEMPERATURE, WATER DEPTH, AMOUNT OF SUNLIGHT, OXYGEN LEVEL, WATER PH, SALINITY (SALT) AND THE RATE OF WATER FLOW. NOT ALL OF THESE FACTORS ARE IN EACH ECOSYSTEM FOR EXAMPLE, FRESHWATER SYSTEMS ARE NOT AFFECTED BY SALINITY LEVELS.
FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS HAVE LITTLE TO NO SALT IN THEM EXAMPLES INCLUDE: LAKES, PONDS, WETLANDS, RIVERS AND STREAMS. IN LAKES, PONDS AND WETLANDS, THE WATER TYPICALLY DOESN T FLOW OR MOVE IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION. Wetlands are extremely important as natural pollution filters. Wetlands are also known for their species diversity. Wetlands (3 min) Bill Nye Wetlands (7 min)
ESTUARIES WHERE RIVER MEETS THE SEA AN ESTUARY IS A PARTIALLY ENCLOSED BODY OF WATER FORMED WHERE A RIVER FLOWS INTO THE SEA THEY HAVE A MIX OF FRESH AND SALT WATER THE ECOSYSTEM THAT IS SUPPORTED IS UNIQUE AND DIVERSE ORGANISMS IN THESE AREAS MUST BE ABLE TO SURVIVE IN CONSTANTLY CHANGING SALT LEVELS AND THE RISE AND FALL OF TIDES
MARINE = OCEANS UNDERSTAND THE OCEAN ACTUALLY HAS MANY DIFFERENT LAYERS AND ABIOTIC FACTORS THAT CAUSE DIFFERENT ECOSYSTEMS TO BE FORMED WITHIN IT
WATER AS A FORCE IN NATURE WATER CHANGES THE LANDSCAPE THROUGH WEATHERING AND EROSION. IT CREATES THE LANDSCAPE THROUGH DEPOSITION. WE WILL EXAMINE THESE MORE CLOSELY IN AN UPCOMING LESSON CATASTROPHIC EVENTS SUCH AS DROUGHTS, FLOODS AND HURRICANES ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO WATER DROUGHTS AND FLOODS THIS SUMMER CLICK HERE FOR MORE
WHERE DOES OUR WATER COME FROM? LET S DISCUSS!
MAIN SOURCES OF WATER: AQUIFERS AND GROUNDWATER 7.8C MODEL THE EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ON GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER IN A WATERSHED 7.3B USE MODELS TO REPRESENT ASPECTS OF THE NATURAL WORLD
GROUNDWATER IS THE WATER FOUND UNDERGROUND IN THE CRACKS AND SPACES IN SOIL, SAND AND ROCK. IT IS STORED IN AND MOVES SLOWLY THROUGH GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS OF SOIL, SAND AND ROCKS CALLED AQUIFERS. GROUNDWATER
AS THE WATER INFILTRATES THROUGH THE SOIL AND ROCK LAYERS, MANY OF THE IMPURITIES IN THE WATER ARE FILTERED OUT. THIS FILTERING PROCESS HELPS CLEAN THE WATER. MOST GROUNDWATER EVENTUALLY RETURNS TO THE OCEAN. PEOPLE ALSO PULL UP STORED GROUNDWATER WITH WELLS GROUNDWATER
WHY IS GROUNDWATER IMPORTANT? GROUNDWATER, MAKES UP ABOUT 98 PERCENT OF ALL THE USABLE FRESH WATER ON THE PLANET, AND IT IS ABOUT 60 TIMES AS PLENTIFUL AS FRESH WATER FOUND IN LAKES AND STREAMS. BECAUSE GROUNDWATER IS NOT VISIBLE (IN MOST CASES), IT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED WHEN CONSIDERING ALL OF THE WATER ON EARTH. YET, WATER BENEATH THE LAND SURFACE IS A VALUABLE RESOURCE. PROTECTING IT FROM CONTAMINATION AND CAREFULLY MANAGING ITS USE WILL ENSURE ITS FUTURE AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ECOSYSTEMS AND HUMAN ACTIVITY.
GROUNDWATER ANIMATION AND VIDEO INVESTIGATING GROUNDWATER (ANIMATION) WHAT IS GROUNDWATER? 5 MIN
AQUIFERS GROUNDWATER IS STORED UNDERGROUND IN AQUIFERS ANY UNDERGROUND LAYER OF ROCK OR SEDIMENT THAT HOLDS WATER IS CALLED AN AQUIFER.
AQUIFER VIDEOS AQUIFERS IN TEXAS (6 MIN) HOW DO AQUIFERS WORK? (7 MIN)
WATERSHEDS WATERSHED - THE LAND AREA THAT SUPPLIES WATER TO A RIVER SYSTEM. THIS EVENTUALLY REACHES ALL OTHER WATER SUPPLIES.
GROUNDWATER VULNERABILITY THE MAJOR SOURCE OF ALL FRESH WATER FOR DRINKING SUPPLIES IN MOST COUNTRIES IS GROUNDWATER. GROUNDWATER IS STORED UNDERGROUND IN AQUIFERS, AND IS HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO POLLUTION.
WHAT THREATENS FRESH WATER QUALITY? THERMAL POLLUTION ANY HEATING OF NATURAL WATER THAT RESULTS FROM HUMAN ACTIVITY FOR EXAMPLE: WATER THAT IS USED TO COOL POWER PLANTS GETS WARMED UP. WHEN THAT WATER IS RETURNED TO THE RIVER OR LAKE IT IS FROM, IT IS AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE. WARM WATER HAS LESS OXYGEN AVAILABLE FOR LIVING ORGANISMS. CHEMICAL POLLUTION OCCURS WHEN HARMFUL CHEMICALS ARE ADDED TO WATER. TWO MAJOR CHEMICAL POLLUTERS ARE INDUSTRY AND AGRICULTURE. FOR EXAMPLE: REFINERIES THAT PROCESS OIL AND FACTORIES THAT MAKE ELECTRONIC ITEMS ALL PRODUCE TOXIC CHEMICAL WASTE. THESE POLLUTANTS REACH WATER SUPPLIES BY SEEPING INTO GROUNDWATER. ONCE IN GROUNDWATER POLLUTANTS CAN BE CARRIED THROUGH THE WATER CYCLE.
POLLUTION WHAT SOURCES OF POLLUTION CAN YOU IDENTIFY HERE?
WHAT THREATENS FRESH WATER QUALITY? BIOLOGICAL POLLUTION OCCURS WHEN LIVE OR DEAD ORGANISMS ARE ADDED TO WATER SUPPLIES. FOR EXAMPLE: WHEN WASTEWATER (SEWAGE) CONTAINING HARMFUL BACTERIA OR DISEASE CAUSING ORGANISMS IS RELEASED INTO WATER EUTROPHICATION (YOO-TRAWF-IH-KAY-SHUN) AN INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF NUTRIENTS IN WATER WHY IS THIS A BAD THING? NUTRIENTS ARE GOOD FOR YOU RIGHT? FOR EXAMPLE: IF FERTILIZER RUNOFF GETS INTO A NEARBY LAKE, IT CAN PROMPT INCREASED ALGAE GROWTH. WHEN THERE IS TOO MUCH ALGAE, IT REDUCES OXYGEN LEVELS IN THE WATER AND OTHER ORGANISM SUCH AS FISH CAN BE KILLED. THIS CAUSES AN IMBALANCE IN THE ECOSYSTEM.
BIOLOGICAL POLLUTION TOO MUCH ALGAE (ALGAE BLOOM)
EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ON GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER THE MAIN HUMAN ACTIVITIES THAT IMPACT GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER: OVERUSE OF WATER, CALLED OVERDRAFTS. THIS MEANS MORE WATER IS TAKEN FROM THE SOURCE THAT CAN BE REPLENISHED BY NATURAL MEANS. POLLUTION 2 SOURCES, POINT AND NON-POINT IMPERVIOUS COVER WATER CANNOT GO THROUGH THE SURFACE (EX. PARKING LOTS)
TWO MAIN SOURCES OF POLLUTION:
POLLUTION Nonpoint Source Pollution Animation
WATER USE AND CONSERVATION FRESH WATER IS A FINITE RESOURCE. WE MUST CONSERVE AND PROTECT OUR WATER SUPPLY OR RISK RUNNING OUT. WATER CONSERVATION Groundwater interactive
IS OUR GROUND WATER REALLY CLEAN?
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS (COMPLETE THOUGHTS = COMPLETE SENTENCES):