What is it?
An area of land where all water, both on the surface and underground, drains into a single body of water like a river, lake, or ocean.
What is a watershed
Changes in this weather phenomenon can dramatically alter watershed behavior, leading to changes in precipitation patterns and water availability.
What is the drought?
When water falls from the sky as rain, this is the process where it travels through the air and falls to the ground
What is precipitation?
This occurs when prolonged drought conditions reduce streamflow in a watershed, threatening water supply and ecosystem health.
What is drought?
An event like this, caused by rapid rainfall or snowmelt, can result in the overflow of a watershed’s normal water flow.
These natural features found in watersheds are critical for maintaining biodiversity, acting as wildlife corridors, and stabilizing ecosystems
What are wetlands?
The water in a watershed can be polluted by things like trash, chemicals, and this substance that comes from cars.
What is oil?
Ground water
The largest watershed in the world, draining much of the Amazon Basin.
What is the Amazon River?
This is the main factor influencing the size of a watershed and its ability to handle water.
What is topography?
A high point, like a ridge or hill, that separates one watershed from another.
Drainage divide
The U.S. watershed located in this river basin is famous for its historical significance and spans over 31 states
The Mississippi River Watershed?
This factor determines the speed and direction of water movement within a watershed and significantly affects the shape of the landscape
What is the slope of the land?
This environmental feature in a watershed can be negatively impacted by the overharvesting of timber, leading to loss of habitat and increased sediment in rivers.
What is deforestation
This factor can drastically affect a watershed’s health and the water quality within it, often leading to erosion and pollution.
What is urban development?
These small streams in a watershed often serve as the initial source of water feeding larger rivers
What is headwater streams?
The water in a watershed eventually flows into this, the largest body of water in a watershed
What is the ocean or large river?
Watersheds play a major role in this ecological process, which refers to the movement of water through the environment, including precipitation, infiltration, and evaporation.
What is the water cycle?
This U.S. federal agency is responsible for managing the watersheds in national parks and protected lands.
What is the National Park Service?
This global issue can have devastating effects on watersheds, often leading to droughts, water scarcity, and damage to ecosystems.
What is climate change?
In a watershed, the water that comes from rain or melting snow flows into rivers, lakes, or oceans, but this process is called this.
What is runoff?
The increase in this, caused by urban development and deforestation, leads to higher rates of runoff and more frequent flooding in watersheds.
What is impervious surface?
This type of monitoring, often conducted by environmental agencies, focuses on ensuring the water in a watershed meets the standards for recreational or drinking use.
What is Water Quality Testing
This global effort to protect watersheds focuses on preventing deforestation and supporting tree planting programs to maintain watershed health.
What is reforestation?
When you pour too much of this chemical, often used in fertilizers, into a watershed, it can cause algae blooms and hurt the water quality.