WATER WORLD

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WATER WORLD
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NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

• gt 2/3rds of the earth is water
• gt 97 of earths water is salt water
• gt 2 of fresh water is locked in glaciers and
  polar ice caps
• lt 1 is available as surface water and ground
  water

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lt 1 IS ALL WE HAVE!
Ron Nichols - NRCS
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LIMNOLOGY

• The study of physical , chemical, biological, and
  meteorological conditions in Fresh Water
  Ecosystems
• Our focus will be on fresh-water, both as a
  resource and a critical habitat

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OUR WATER SOURCES

• Surface Water
• Lentic Lotic
• Ground Water
• 
  

NOAA
Bruce Molnia Terra Photographics
Abi Howe American Geologic Institute
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SURFACE WATER

• Glaciers formed Massachusetts wetlands some 10 to
  12,000 years ago

Bruce Molnia Terra Photographics
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WETLANDS

• Lands that are wet, either inundated or saturated
  for varying periods during the growing season
• identified by specific plants (hydrophytes) and
  characteristic hydric soils
• critical habitat type
• historically underappreciated resource
• weve lost more than 50 nationally
• valued now more than ever for
• wildlife and plant habitats
• flood control
• ground and surface water purification
• sediment control
• aesthetics

Wayne College

• Massachusetts wetlands include
• swamps, bogs, marshes, salt marshes,
• kettle holes, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams,
  and vernal pools

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LAKES AND PONDS
Lake Monomonac MA COLAP
VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Lacustrine Wetlands permanently
flooded
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RESERVOIRS

• Also known as lacustrine wetland
• man made Waterbodies
• provide drinking water to communities across the
  Commonwealth
• provide recreational opportunities such as
  fishing, hiking, and nature watching
• provide buffer from development
• largest reservoirs are Quabbin and Wachusett

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SWAMPS, BOGS, MARSHES
VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation

• Palustrine wetlands which are some of the more
  common wetlands of Massachusetts. Swamps are
  dominated by woody plants, Bogs are peatlands
  lacking an overlying layer of soil, and Marshes
  are flooded year round and have visible emergents
  (vegetation that grows its stem above and below
  the water level.

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VERNAL POOLS
Vernal Pool Association Leo P. Kenney

• shallow depressions in the landscape without a
  permanent outlet capable of holding water for
  several months while supporting certain
  amphibians, and invertabrates
• typically filled in the spring (latin vernal)
  from snow melt and spring rains
• some pools fill in the fall with rising ground
  water tables
• some fill from both sources
• drying of pool is a critical feature of these
  habitats as it prevents the pool from supporting
  breeding populations of fish

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RIVERINE HABITATS

• includes streams, rivers, and streamside wetlands
• includes habitat along rivers and streams known
  as riparian zones

Oklahoma University
Bruce Molnia Terra photographics
Chris Keane American Geological Institute
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OCEANS

• average depth is 12,200 feet
• deepest point is 36, 198 feet
• 75 of all organisms on earth are exclusively or
  primarily marine
• 1/3 to 1/2 of earths oxygen supply comes from
  our oceans
• provide us with a steady source of precipitation
  due to large volume of evaporation
• help to regulate our climate due to waters high
  heat capacity

Bruce Molnia Terra Photographics
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GROUND WATER
USGS
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Ground Water Terms

• Water Table
• Aquifer
• Infiltration
• Recharge
• Discharge
• Porosity
• Permeability
• Ground water Movement

USGS
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GROUND WATER USE
All USGS
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GROUND WATERUSE TRENDS
USGS
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AQUATIC CONCEPTS
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WATER SHED
US Environmental Protection Agency
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Oklahoma University
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THERMAL STRATIFICATION
Ohio State University
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Ohio State University
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Ohio State University
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Ohio State University
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Ohio State University
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EUTROPHICATION
The natural aging process of a lake or pond

• OLIGOTROPHIC
• lakes and ponds just after the glaciers
  retreated
• very clear
• nutrient poor
• low productivity
• similar to our modern reservoirs

• MESOTROPHIC
• a middle aged lake or pond
• like many Massachusetts waterbodies
• moderate clarity, nutrient levels, and
  productivity

• EUTROPHIC
• high algae levels
• high plant levels
• nutrient rich
• very productive
• mature waterbody

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CULTURAL EUTROPHICATION
University of Manitoba
Experimental lake 227 in 1975 showing marker
floats used for intensively studying this small,
experimentally fertilized lake
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University of Manitoba
Experimental Lake 227 in 1994 after the addition
of phosphorous for the 26th consecutive year
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ALTERATIONS TO WETLANDS
Martin Miller University of Oregon
channeled river
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Martin Miller University of Oregon
golf course in a desert environment
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Filling wetlands for housing development in
the Florida everglades
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Tom Sims University of Delaware
runoff from agricultural croplands
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Creation of the Quabbin Reservoir
before
1927
1939
during
after
1989
Les Campbell
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Hoover Dam
DAMS
Resulting Lake (Lake Meade)
Lynn Betts - NRCS
Complete Change in habitat from riverine to
lacustrine
Bruce Molnia Terra Photographics
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WATER POLLUTION
Point Source
Non Point Source
EPA
USGS
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WATER QUALITY
USGS
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DETERMINING WATER QUALITY
USGS
Ron Nichols - NRCS
USGS
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Dissolved Oxygen
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Temperature
pH
Nitrates
WQI
Coliform Bacteria
Turbidity
Phosphorous
Total Solids
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What does this index tell us?

• Water Quality Index Ranges
• 90 100 excellent
• 70 90 good
• 50 70 medium
• 25 50 bad
• 0 25 very bad

• drinking
• Swimming
• boating
• fishing
• irrigation

Uses
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