watershed science for teachers part 1

8/3/2019 Watershed Science for Teachers Part 1

1/30

Watershed EducationWatershed Educationfor Teachersfor Teachers

OneOne--Tier Back ProgramTier Back Program

Ocean Institute & County of OrangeOcean Institute & County of Orange


2/30

what well cover today

what is a watershed

watershed ecology

watershed changes, natural & human-caused

urban watersheds

current issues in Orange County what you can do the ocean begins at

your front door


3/30

definition

a watershed is the area of land where all of thewater that is under it or drains off of it goes intothe same place.

John Wesley Powells definition:

"that area of land, a bounded hydrologicsystem, within which all living things areinextricably linked by their common watercourse and where, as humans settled, simplelogic demanded that they become part of acommunity."

Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. Theycross city, state, and national boundaries.

No matter where you are, you're in a watershed!


4/30

watershed

diagram


5/30

OC Watersheds


6/30

river basins in So. California


7/30

why its important

understanding watershed structure and naturalprocesses is crucial to grasping how humanactivities can degrade or improve the condition

of a watershed, including its water quality, its fishand wildlife, its forests and other vegetation, andthe quality of community life for people who livethere.

knowing these watershed structural andfunctional characteristics and how people canaffect them sets the stage for effectivewatershed management.


8/30

watershed ecology

The study of watersheds as ecosystems, primarily theanalysis of interacting biotic and abiotic componentswithin a watershed's boundaries.

Ecosystem: A functioning natural unit with interacting

biotic and abiotic components in a system whoseboundaries are determined by the cycles and flux ofenergy, materials and organisms.

It is valid to describe different ecosystems with different,overlapping sets of boundaries in the same geographicarea (e.g. forest ecosystems, watershed ecosystemsand wetland ecosystems).

A watershed is just one of many types of ecosystems.


9/30

components of watershed ecology

basic biotic & abiotic components

basic natural processes in the interrelationships within awatershed

how watershed structure and functions may vary overtime and space

physical environment

biological environment

processes and functions

change


10/30

the physical template

physical processes are the shaping forces

of ecosystems

determined by climate, hydrology,geomorphology (study of the landforms on

the earth and the processes that change

them over time)

creates a template of air, water & soil upon

which all life is ultimately based


11/30

hydrology

the science of water:

in all its forms (liquid, gas, and solid)

on, in and over the land areas of the earth, including its distribution, circulation and

behavior, its chemical and physical

properties, together with the reaction ofthe environment (including all living things)

on water itself.


12/30

the hydrologic cycle


13/30

structure: longitudinal


14/30

headwaters zone

where flow is usually lowest of anywhere along

the system, slope is often steepest, and erosion

is greater than sediment deposition


15/30

transfer zone

the middle range of the stream where slopeusually flattens somewhat, more flow appears,and deposition and erosion are both significantprocesses


16/30

depositional zone

the downstream end's depositional zone,where flow is highest but slope is minimal anddeposition of sediment significantly exceedserosion most of the time.


17/30

structure: lateral

Floodplain, a highly variable area on one or both sides ofthe stream channel that is inundated by floodwaters atsome interval, from frequent to rare.

Transitional upland fringe, a portion of the upland onthe landward side of the floodplain that serves as atransitional zone or edge between the floodplain and thesurrounding landscape.

Stream channel, achannel with flowingwater at least part of the

year.


18/30

cross-section of river corridor


19/30

structure: vertical

surface waters, ground water and theirinteractions

it is always important to recognize that waterbodies are not purely surface features;

rivers and streams constantly interact withgroundwater aquifers and exchange water,chemicals, and even organisms.

over its entire length, a stream often varies

between the amounts of flow above and belowground


20/30

structure & the role of time

through time, from temporary response toevolutionary change

The dimension of time is important because

rivers and streams are perpetually changing Structure as described in the other three

dimensions above should never be consideredpermanent, and watershed managers should

always think of structure not just as what is therenow, but in terms of the structural changes inprogress and their rates of occurrence


21/30

summary of watershed structure

watershed structure reveals much about how it

was formed as well as how it now functions

There are 4 aspects to watershed structure:

Longitudinal: head to tail: headwaters, transfer &

depositional zones

Lateral structure: cross-section including the stream

channel, floodplains, and the transitional upland fringe

Vertical structure: above and below ground

Temporal aspects: effects of time


22/30

the biological setting

this section discusses the terms and

concepts associated with ecosystem

science as it relates to:

living plant communities

living animal communities

soil

inter-relationships


23/30

biology terms Species (organism level). An organism which has certain characteristics of a given

population and is potentially capable of breeding with the same population defines amember of a species. This definition does not apply to asexually reproducing forms oflife such as Monera, Protista, etc. Species can be considered the lowest (mostspecific) area of biological classification, but lower groupings are sometimesemployed (e.g., subspecies, variety, race).

Population. This term applies to organisms of the same species which inhabit aspecific area.

Community. A community is an aggregate of populations of different plant andanimal species occurring within a given area.

Habitat. A habitat is an area where a specific animal or plant is capable of living andgrowing; usually characterized by physical features, or the presence of certainanimals or plants.

Niche. This term applies to an organism's physical location and, most importantly,functional role (much like an occupation; what the organism specifically does) withinan ecosystem.

Ecosystem. As defined previously, a functioning natural unit with interacting bioticand abiotic components in a system whose boundaries are determined by the cyclesand flux of energy, materials and organisms.

Ecotone. An ecotone is a boundary ecosystem, specifically the ecosystem whichforms as a transition between two adjacent systems. It may possess characteristicsof both bordering ecosystems, while developing a suite of its own characteristics.Examples: Riparian zones, coastal forests.


24/30

soil ecology

Soil is a complex mixture of inorganic materials(sand, silt, and clay), decaying organic matter,water, air, and a great array of organisms.

Because of its abundance of living organisms,soil is discussed here along with other "biologicalsetting" components, even though soil issometimes incorrectly described as a physical,non-living entity.

Soil has three basic properties which aid in itsidentification and taxonomy: color, structure, andtexture


25/30

food webs


26/30

watershed processes and functions


27/30


28/30

fish, wildlife

and planthabitats

functions

source of substantial biodiversity

produce great quantities of food

development of organisms that form the base of the food web

birds and mammals rely on wetlands for food, water, and shelter,

especially while migrating and breeding breeding and egg deposition areas (fish, amphibians and reptiles)

estuaries and their coastal marshes serve as important fish nursery areas

some wetlands release cooler water to salmon-bearing streams and rivers

43% of the federally threatened and endangered species rely directly orindirectly on wetlands for their survival


29/30

flood storage and flood protection

functions

storing and slowly releasing surface water, rain, snowmelt,groundwater and flood waters

vegetated waterways impeding the movement of flood waters anddistributes them more slowly over floodplains

counteracting the greatly increased rate and volume of surface-water runoff from pavement and buildings

reducing the likelihood of flood damage to homes, businesses, andcrops in agricultural areas

lowering flood heights and reducing erosion downstream and onadjacent lands

reducing or preventing waterlogging of agricultural lands less monetary flood damage (and related insurance costs), as well

as greater protection of human health, safety, and welfare


30/30

natural water quality improvement

& biogeochemical cycling fuctions

providing the conditions needed for the removalproviding the conditions needed for the removal

of both nitrogen and phosphorus from surfaceof both nitrogen and phosphorus from surfacewaterwater

improving water/drinking water quality byimproving water/drinking water quality by intercepting surface runoffintercepting surface runoff

removing or retaining inorganic nutrientsremoving or retaining inorganic nutrients processing organic wastesprocessing organic wastes

reducing suspended sedimentsreducing suspended sediments

reducing environmental problems such as algalreducing environmental problems such as algalblooms, dead zones, and fish kills, that areblooms, dead zones, and fish kills, that are

generally associated with excess nutrientsgenerally associated with excess nutrients

watershed science for teachers part 1

Documents