Unit 4a - Aquatic Systems and Watersheds

Unit 4a - Aquatic Systems and Watersheds Outcomes: ES20 - AE1 Analyze the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors that provide criteria to determine the condition of aquatic systems.

ES20 AE2 Recognize the mechanisms and importance of watershed in aquatic systems.

This unit can be supplemented by Chapter 6.3 and Chapter 14 of Pearson Environmental Science TextWE ARE SHARING textbooks in the interests of saving paper partner up or go in triplets if necessary and grab a binder (I want them back at the end of the year)1Importance of Water Think, Pair, Share

List as many things you can think of that have to do with water in any way! (This will connect to the importance of water).

Ideas:Chemical properties, recreational activities, weather, needs, technology?

Think, Pair, Share Points ODR (outdoor rink) food (nutrients) hoses (tech for water transport) clouds waterslides/parks water bottles fountains sinks/toilets hydrogen oxygen showers (gettin clean) glaciers pools (swimming) whitewater rafting humans (composed of water) fish (live in it) waterbeds sprinklers (watering lawns) waterskiing lakesLiving things shark, crab, dolphins Pirates, humans flowers, trees algaeHygiene/Personal cooking, cleaning washing clothes ice cubes healthy skin shower/bathingBodies of water ocean river streams, lakes waterfall swamps, lagoons, marsh bogEnvironment keeps environment healthyChemical/Physicalsteam, liquid, solid rain, snow, ice, icicle H2O Recreation/Economy surfing, skiing, swimming boatsPhysical and Chemical Properties of Water Reading Comprehension Strategy Pg 5-10 Creating Questions Create and answer five questions I will collect them at the end of the lesson for a quiz tomorrow.

Important ideas to consider/ask a question aboutAdhesion/Cohesion of WaterContents of WaterDissolved Oxygen

DemonstrationCapillary action of water (Straw)

What is happening?

Adhesion/Cohesion of Water (Toonie)

What is happening?Vocabulary (define, why is it important, antonym)Cellular RespirationPhotosynthesisDissolved OxygenCapillary action (of water)AerobicAnoxicAnaerobicHypoxic

Petlak Questions and important pointsWhy would warmer temperatures in our lakes inhibit animal-life? (Why would it make more sense to fish on a cooler day/time)

Photosynthesis creates oxygen Cellular respiration uses it. So in water why is it be important to have plants and animals?

T/F Colder temperatures = greater concentrations of oxygen?

Hypothesize how the cohesion of water is required for weather and precipitation?

True or False The capillary action of water involves the cohesion and adhesion of water.

T/F Water almost always has something dissolved in it.Dissolved Oxygen other points

Important but incomplete pointsOxygen dissolves into water (just like CO2 does)

Bacteria and fungi use a lot of oxygen to break down organic matter.

Saline lakes (Chaplin lake) are anoxic what does this mean for animal life and what does this say about the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water?

Light and TurbidityReading Comprehension Strategy Pg. 10-12Paraphrasing/jot notes finish a paragraph, try to summarize it in a sentence or two.

Aquatic life needs energy from the sun. Turbidity affects this.

Quick ActivityHand/projector = algae activity

We want less turbidity (suspended solids) because it inhibits light from reaching further into the water this can be inhibited by ______, _______, carried sediment, or kicked up soil.

More turbidity standing water or flowing water why?

Dissolved SolidsNutrients can be found dissolved in water since it is a universal solvent.

Phosphate, nitrates, ammonia and nitrites can be found in water.

Limiting factors Phosphate = Freshwater Aquatic Ecosystems - Nitrogen = prairie systems.

Hydroxyl Ion = OH- = pH ______= AcidicHydrogen Ion = H+ = pH ______= Basic Many living things prefer different environments most prefer neutrality (Acidophiles or Alkalinophiles)

On the next page is a chart to complete. We want to see the significance of finding these things in water and help us make inferences regarding water quality. Save this chart as you will need to submit it with your lab.10Guidelines for Freshwater Aquatic EcosystemsReading Strategy (read over pages 11-13 independently then Circle of Info - Sticky Notes You are given a certain area to read at each station, summarize what you read on sticky notes. Go to a new spot when asked, read what they wrote on sticky notes, then read and see if you can add anything on another note. CREATE and ANSWER 5 QUESTIONS

We will then share the points collectively.

What are normal levels?Oxygen (Dissolved) Levels (cold/warm)

Phosphorus Levels (oligotrophic vs eutrophic ) (eutrophic farming connect ask Petlak)

Nitrate Levels

Ammonia LevelsParagraph #2The level at which the oxygen concentration will cause death in aquatic organisms increase with water temp (as oxygen levels decrease).Sublethal levels of oxygen (close to lethal levels) can have psychological and behavioural effects on fish think if you were living with less oxygen. Younger members are more at risk to this and require greater levels of dissolved oxygen.Minimum of 5mg/L supports aquatic life.3mg/L is enough during winter (fish are cold blooded so their metabolic rates fluctuate with the waters temperature.

Paragraph #3In warm water ecosystems 6 mg/L for early life organisms and 5.5 mg/L for others.Coldwater ecosystems is 9.5 mg/L for early life, 6.5 mg/L for others.Early life = time of year when fish spawn, hatch from eggs or other invertebrates emerging into the ecosystem.

Paragraph #4Appropriate phosphorus levels will vary for certain ecosystems.With increased levels of phosphorus it can increase the amount of plant/algae growth.More nitrates increases algae/growth of macrophytes. Eutrophic lakes have total phosphorus levels between 4g/L and 10g/L. They are said to be nutrient-rich, older systems with a lot of plant and algal growth.Oligotrophic water bodies nutrient-poor, young systems, little plant and algal-growth.

Paragraph #5NO3 = nitrate, NH3 = ammonia, and NO2 = nitriteall forms of nitrogen and contamination.Short term levels shouldnt exceed 550mg/L of NO3, NO3 levels should not exceed 13mg/LHigher-levels of ammonia can cause lesions on gills of aquatic life.Paragraph #6Isotopes of nitrogen reflect the source of nitrogen contamination in water.There are new methods being developed if high levels of isotopes N-14 to N-15 are found we can assume its from human waste. If levels of this isotope are low but nitrogen is still high, its likely runoff of fertilizer from a field.Why is it needed? Is it needed?What are the adverse effects? (Too much, not enough?)What is allowed?

Summarized how is it tested?Dissolved OxygenNitrogen (nitrate)Phosphorus(phosphate)AmmoniaChlorideChromiumpHhardnessChlorineCopper/Iron?AlkalinityVocabulary diurnal variationseasonal variationturbidityuniversal solventlimiting factornutrientsOligotrophic water bodiesEutrophic water bodiesIsotopes

Lab Water testingChemical and Physical Analysis of Surface Water Quality we do. Excel - Create a graph as a class?

Secchi Disks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQTs0lglYZI

Coliform Bacteria Testinghttp://www.water-research.net/index.php/bacteria

WatershedsOutcome: Understanding how connected our water supplies are.Surface water water that accumulates on the surface of the land or flows over the land (lakes, ponds, reservoirs, streams and rivers). Is transported via runoff.

Watersheds are basins or areas in which water accumulates (most eventually flow towards the ocean, while others may evaporate with no drainage leading to saline lakes Chaplin Lake)

Churchill River is a watershed that flows into Hudsons Bay and we drive over it in Outdoor Ed on our way to canoeing.

Why? Think of how far we are above Sea level Moose Jaw is 1,778 to 1,840 feet above sea level if water can travel to somewhere lower it normally does (the ocean)

Hydrologic CycleOutcome: Understanding how connected our water supplies are.Water constantly cycles through the earths Hydrologic Cycle.Water flows into watersheds and back to the ocean.Water infiltrates the soil.Water evaporates from water bodies and falls as precipitation, or even condenses on the ground as dew.Groundwater also flows to ocean or freshwater bodies.Plants transpire through their leaves (losing water this way).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Watercyclesummary.jpgGroundwaterOutcome: Understanding how connected our water supplies are.Think of it like this when you dig up sand at the lake eventually you get to water, or as you dig in the ground, typically it gets more moist this is groundwater; waters ability to slip through the cracks in soil and bedrock. It eventually makes its way to the water table (where water slows in its seeping down and accumulates or becomes saturated beneath it zone of saturation). The saturated reservoirs of water beneath the water table are referred to as aquifers which have Unconfined aquifers adjust the size of the water table given how much water is in it.Confined aquifers are trapped between thick layers of rock/sediment where water cannot easily pass through (this keeps this water under high pressure).Hydrologists, watershed and aquifers management is needed to ensure clean drinking water as some communities extract their water from groundwater.

Where does the groundwater go?Some of it seeps into the ocean in a slower underground water current.Some of it is forced back up as the pressure from deeper in the earth forces the water upwards.If too much of this water is removed or is depleted, this can lead to sinkholes in the land. (Losing that water means the ground loses some of its mass or density) California soil wont be able to hold as much water now. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/opinion/sunday/the-end-of-california.html?_r=0 Biotic FactorsOutcome: what is affected and how do they affect aquatic ecosystems?Food chain Producers (photosynthesizers) Consumers (respirators) DecomposersCyanobacteria and green algae float in deeper parts of water. Submergent vegetation floats up to surface of water for sunlight.Emergent vegetation (emerges form water cattails which absorb a lot of phosphorus can be used to remove excess)

Net primary productivity subtract energy used in respiration from that produced in photosynthesis. Wetlands have a great deal of primary productivity therefore it has

Gills provide gas exchange with water. Lungs provide gas exchange with air.Biotic FactorsDifferent types of animals are present in aquatic ecosystems there can be vertebrates and invertebrates, and some species provide indicators as to the quality of water (leeches are found in more-polluted waters).

List some animals you would find in an Aquatic Ecosystem for each phylum below, and state whether they are a vertebrate or invertebrate (12 marks).

Vertebrate or InvertebratePhylumExample of animals (two for each)AnnelidMolluscArthropodOsteichthyesAmphibiansReptilesAves (Birds)MammalsBiotic FactorsBeavers = keystone species of ecosystems as removing them would damage an ecosystems (their dams help flood areas to create habitats for organisms) Outdoor Ed Story! Keystone is a

Invasive species are species that expand their range and outcompete species that were previously located there. Typically these species are introduced by human means intentionally or unintentionally.Protists mostly single-celled, eukaryotic organisms includes green algae which are huge producers of oxygenBacteria single-celled, prokaryotic organisms some fix nitrogen (blue-green algae), some decompose dead organic matter using oxygen to do so.Archaea single-celled, prokaryotic organisms that live in extreme conditions (saline, methanogens)

Freshwater Ecosystems Lakes and PondsLimnologists biologists who study water ecosystems.

Lake and Pond Zoneslittoral zone light can penetrate to the bottom and you see submergent and emergent plants.limnetic zone top area of open water light for algae to grow. Connected with the photic zone zone in open water where light reaches to.profundal zone extends from the bottom of the limnetic zone downwards, where life is supported by detritus (dead organic matter) that floats down into it.benthic zone where decomposers can be found breaking down the dead organic matter that has collected there from above.

Oligotrophic nutrient-poor (minimal algae/plant life). Deep limnetic zone as a result with minimal turbidity.Eutrophic nutrient-rich (lots of plant-life) in these, the algae increase turbidity, but absorb a lot of the light increasing the temperature of the water by releasing heat. Since the block light for plants below, these dead plants accumulate in the benthic zone making the water body shallower.

http://www.zo.utexas.edu/faculty/sjasper/images/50.18.gif

Freshwater Ecosystems Saline Lakes, Rivers, and StreamsSaline lakes (Chaplin Lake), have great concentrations of salts such as magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) even more than what is found in oceans. Why?Saskatchewan River receives its water from melting glaciers in the Rocky Mountains (high point), different areas along the river will accommodate different organisms (shaded, forest areas = less light for plants, cooler temperatures).Stream OrdersOriginating creeks and streams are first order streams (two of them meeting makes a second order stream). Where they meet is called a confluence. A portion of a river is called a reach.Higher number = higher order (more water) low level streams can also flow into these (1 can flow into a 4).

Steeper = faster flow = greater erosion = carries sediments farther.Rivers flow fastest in spring, when ice melts(or when there is heavy rain showers), the volume of water increases and needs to move.Rivers settle in late summer as water is removed form bodies due to evaporation, reduced precipitation and transpiration from plants (think of plants sweating).

Activity 4 on Page 27 work in a collaborative group.E Colihttp://panow.com/article/460753/high-levels-ecoli-found-some-flooded-saskatchewan-lakes

WetlandsShallow fresh water bodies surrounded with water-tolerant vegetation are freshwater wetlands.Four types marshes (emergent vegetation) swamps (flooded areas trees and shrubs submerged) bogs acidic, wet areas dominated by sphagnum moss anaerobic areas fens less acidic, more productive and kept wet by ground water, run off, and precipitation.

These can be permanent, semi-permanent or ephemeral.

Wetlands provide still water sources for wildlife, and can also hold excess floodwater or even pollutants as they prevent/trap them from extending to other major water systems.

Riparian AreasRiparian Areas are areas of increased life on the edges of ponds, streams, lakes and rivers (very moist soil or high groundwater). They can sometimes look like smaller creeks and streams. And they are a midway point between uplands and the water.

They have increased life as they fit the needs of a diverse array of species (birds nesting, fish spawning, plants growing).

Complete Learning Check Pg. 29REVIEW I think it is wise to have two exams for this unit.Know vocabulary, it would help to be able to answer all 25 questions.Outcome and Indicator Self-Assessment what all did we hit so far?ES20-AE1 Analyze the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors that provide criteria to determine the condition of aquatic systems.

a. Provide local and regional examples of aquatic systems including standing water bodies (e.g., lakes, saline lakes, and wetlands), flowing water bodies (streams and rivers) and groundwater. (K)b. Explain how the condition of an aquatic ecosystem can be measured using chemical factors, physical factors, and biological indicators including indicator species, keystone species and invasive species. (K, STSE)c. Measure abiotic factors (e.g., turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and particulates) of an ecosystem using a variety of methods (e.g., probe ware, pH paper, Secchi disks, an Imhoff settling cone, and chemical water quality test kits). (S, STSE)d. Examine the diversity of life existing in an aquatic ecosystem through water sampling, classifying aquatic biota, assessing biodiversity, calculating a water quality index and/or algal productivity. (K, S)e. Assess the interdependencies between abiotic (e.g., pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, total dissolved solids, phosphorous, nitrogen, stream flow, and biochemical oxygen demand) and biotic factors in a functioning aquatic ecosystem. (K)f. Investigate bacterial content in surface water and compare the presence of coliform bacteria to surface water quality standards following appropriate safety procedures. (A, S, STSE)g. Analyze the societal and environmental impacts of point source and non-point source pollution on human and aquatic systems. (STSE, K, A)h. Analyze the rationale for developing and enforcing water quality standards such as the Saskatchewan Surface Water Quality Objectives and the Canadian Water Quality Index and legislation such as the Canada Water Act and the International River Improvements Act. (STSE, K)i. Analyze emerging health challenges such as the spread of disease, mercury in fish, blue-green algae, and E. coli in drinking water that result from changes to the condition of aquatic systems. (STSE, K)Outcome and Indicator Self-Assessment what all did we hit so far?ES20-AE2 Recognize the mechanisms and importance of watersheds in aquatic systemsa. Recognize watersheds as areas of land that drain into specific bodies of surface water or ground water, and that link all living things within that watershed. (K)b. Identify inflows (e.g., runoff, groundwater) in local watersheds and outflows to larger continental watersheds and their effect on water quality. (S)c. Differentiate among the roles of streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater, groundwater recharge areas, aquifers in a watershed. (K)d. Describe the benefits of the ecological goods and services provided by wetlands. (K)e. Examine how individuals, organizations and government agencies (e.g., Watershed associations, Water Security Agency) work to ensure clean and abundant water through producing water regulations and allocation policies. (K, STSE)f. Describe the operation and effectiveness of technologies and processes developed to protect drinking water sources locally and globally. (K, STSE)g. Recognize different characteristics of lakes from naturally oligotrophic to eutrophic as well as possible causes and consequences of cultural eutrophication (e.g., clearing of land, excessive fertilizer runoff, and treatment plants). (K)h. Assess the importance of riparian areas in protecting aquatic ecosystem health. (K)i. Compare net primary productivity of wetlands and aquatic ecosystems to other natural ecosystems. (K)Unit 4b Water ResourcesOutcome: ES20-AE1 Analyze the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors that provide criteria to determine the condition of aquatic systems.