Terminology
What does biotic mean and give 3 examples
living: plants, animals, insects, microorganisms
What 2 substances can we use to cause coagulation?
alum and ionizing (charging particles)
Shallow fresh water bodies surrounded by water- tolerant vegetation are called
Freshwater wetlands
Define Groundwater
The water located below ground in the spaces within the soil, sand and rock.
A species that if removed from the area could cause big problems for the balance of the ecosystem
keystone species
What 3 types of factors are tested to determine the health of a watershed?
Chemical, Physical and Biological
Aeration - removes smell and iron (stains appliances), manganese (build up on appliances)
Softening systems - removes calcium (water spots)
Fluorine - helps teeth
What type of water sources are some indigenous groups still using and why is this a problem?
Surface water like lakes and rivers, they don't have proper water treatment plants to clean the water properly.
The depth below the surface where the spaces between media are filled with water. Increases and decreases with water input from rain, melting snow etc.
Water Table
The edges of ponds, rivers, marshes that have incredible biodiversity are called
riparian areas
Water that evaporates with no drainage can lead to a build up of salt in the water making this
saline lake
Tell the word when coagulated floc particles settle to the bottom. Also tell how this settling process can be sped up.
sedimentation - using centrifuge to speed up
Explain the causes of ecoli and blue green algae and then tell the consiequences of each
Blue green algae (warmer temperatures and nutrient rich environments) E.coli (fecal matter in the water)
Consequences - blue green algae is harmful to nervous systems of animals. Ecoli causes gastrointestinal issues. Vomiting, diarrhea
What type of aquifer is too slow for industrial use because of the fine-grained sand filtration
Bedrock aquifers
Define invasive species
A species that when brought into an ecosystem that it doesn't belong outcompetes and takes over.
Name 3 physical factors that influence what organisms are in a lake or river
Depth of water, amount of light, precipitation, temperature of water, water flow
When putting in a well list 3 things you should take into consideration
chemical storage and fields
animal pastures and barns
septic and pump outs
low areas where runoff pooling can occur
avoid buried utilities
ease of access for monitoring or maintenance
Tell the difference between a bog and a fen
bog is more acidic, fen is less acidic
Tell 2 reasons why ground water needs less treatment than surface water to be ready for drinking?
Ground is a natural filtering system (rocks, sand, clay) so less sediment. Not as effected by runoff.
How can a eutrophic watershed actually hurt the biodiversity in that ecosystem?
Too much nutrients in the water cause an overgrowth of algae which causes more turbidity and less DO and change in temp of the water which can kill off organisms.
What is an aquifer?
Geological layers that have water flow within them - wells
What does MAC stand for?
Maximum Acceptable Concentration
Surface water is conistently effected by this, which is the transport of water that picks up sediment on terrestrial surfaces
runoff
List the 4 types of glacial drift aquifers (municipal and industrial use)
buried valley
blanket
intertill
surficial
Tell what an indicator species is and give an example.
A species that's presence in an ecosystem tells you about the presence or absence of a of a specific environmental condition. ex. leeches or salamanders in lakes