Water

UNIT 12

Fresh Water

FRESHWATER MARINE LIFE AND OTHER FRESHWATER FUN

In this presentation we will be covering the most common freshwater marine life, both

Aquatic life and aquatic vegetation. SO STRAP IN FOR FUNNNN!

LARGE MOUTH BASS

The large mouth bass is the most common freshwater fish. It is vastly regarded for sport which is the primary reason it is so popularly spread out. Stretching all the way from U.S to Lebanon.

CATTAIL

Cattails are the most common freshwater vegetation, they have a hotdog shape bloom and spawn out of shallow water and have been known to expand up to 13 feet tall.

Avg 3-10 feet

ARTESIAN WELL An artesian well is a series of pipes put

underground to get access to otherwise unavailable below ground level.

OASIS RANCH

Oasis Ranch is the Largest artesian well in the world and is located in Roswell NM. It is one of the most important factors in freshwater preservation from pollution

Freshwater is defined as having a low salt concentration — usually less than 1%. Plants and animals in freshwater regions are adjusted to the low salinity, the level of salt content in water, and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt concentration (i.e., ocean). There are different types of freshwater regions. Such as ponds, lakes ,streams and Rivers.

Rivers are bodies of flowing water moving in one direction. Streams and rivers can be found everywhere — they get their starts at headwaters, which may be springs, snowmelt or even lakes, and then travel all the way to their mouths, usually another water channel or possibly a rivulet, which is a tiny stream.. The water is also clearer, has higher oxygen levels, and freshwater fish such as trout and heterotrophs can be found there. Towards the middle part of the stream/river, the width increases, as does species diversity — numerous aquatic green plants and algae can be found. Toward the mouth of the river/stream, the water becomes murky from all the sediments that it has picked up upstream, decreasing the amount of light that can penetrate through the water. Since there is less light, there is less diversity of flora, and because of the lower oxygen levels, fish that require less oxygen, such as catfish and bass, which describe any generic freshwater fish, can be found

Lakes and ponds are large, natural bodies of standing water. They are fed mainly by rainfall and melt ing snow, and they consist of various different l ife zones.The f irst l i fe zone in freshwater lakes is called the l i t toral zone. The l i t toral zone is found near the shore where rooted plants grow. I t is the most productive zone of a lake, because i t gets abundant sunlight and i t receives nutrients from land run-off . The l i t toral zone sustains f loating plants, surfaced plants, submerged plants and phytoplankton. There are also large quanti t ies of decomposers and some animal species, such as frogs, f ish and insects.Under the l i t toral l ife zone there is the l imnetic l ife zone. This is the zone on the surface of the lake, extending to the depth where sunlight penetrates. Depending on the available nutr ients i t contains phyto- and zooplankton, and various f ish species.Under the l imnetic l ife zone is the profundal l ife zone. The profundal l ife zone is the deep, dark water that cannot be reached by penetrating sunlight. In this zone we can only f ind f ish that can survive in cooler, darker circumstances.Finally, at the bottom of freshwater bodies there is another l ife zone called the benthic l ife zone, mainly inhabited by decomposers and insect larvae.

Salt Water

The largest saltwater life zones on earth are not very hard to find, as these are in the oceans. Oceans cover about 71% of the earth's surface and are very important for the preservation of all life on earth. Oceans play an important part in the hydrological cycle, because precipitation (rain) consists of evaporated oceanic water and in the regulation of the earth's climate. Oceans also participate in other matter cycles. Oceans are the living environment for about 250,000 species of marine plants and animals, including plankton wich are a general term for any organism that drifts in salt water . Unfortunately, oceans are also dumps for human waste, because the (polluted) water of all inland water bodies eventually ends up in oceans.Oceans can be divided up into the coastal zone and the open sea, wich will be explained in the following slides

The coastal zone makes up only 10% of the oceanic environment, but i t contains 90% of all marine species. Coastal zones are the most nutrient-rich life zones of the oceans.Coastal zones can be divided up into several different l ife zones. One life zone that can be found in a coastal zone is an estuary. Estuaries are enclosed areas of coastal water where seawater mixes with freshwater from inland streams and rivers.Temperatures and salinity levels of estuaries always depend upon the size of the flow from saltwater oceans and freshwater rivers and streams.In clear and warm coastal waters of tropics and subtropics, coral reefs may form. Coral reefs are the most biologically divers aquatic l ife zones. In coral reefs many species l ive and interact with one another in complex ecological relationships. An example of a large coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Also when the costal zone are a great number of phytoplankton, which are plankton that harness photosynthesis for nutrients

The open sea contains only about 10% of al l marine species . The open ocean is divided up into three l i fe zones, the euphotic zone, the bathyal zone and the aphotic . The subdivision is based on the penetrat ion of sunlight .The euphotic zone is the upper oceanic zone, where producer species produce oxygen. Nutr ient levels are low and dissolved oxygen levels are high. The euphotic zone makes up about 90% of the oceanic surface, whereas only about 10% of the world 's f ish species are found here . Sunlight penetrat ion rates are high in this oceanic zone, many detritus, t iny pieces of organic matter , can be found in this zone. The bathyal zone is hardly l i t and the aphotic zone is very dark . These zones are only found in the open sea and do not contain any producers , because of a lack of penetrat ing sunlight . In the abyssal zone the water is very cold and dissolved oxygen levels are very low. There are high nutr ient levels that support many of the species found in the open water. Below the abyssal zone, on the bot tom of the ocean, there are many species of decomposers , which break down the organic mater ial of dead oceanic organisms into nutr ients . Bioluminescent f ish, f ish who produce their own l ight , are often found here .The open ocean has a very high productivi ty. This makes the above-mentioned l i fe zones of great importance.

Human effect on The Hydrosphere

The activities of modern society are having a severe impact on the hydrologic cycle. The dynamic steady state is being disturbed by the discharge of toxic chemicals, radioactive substances, and other industrial wastes and by the seepage of mineral fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides into surface and subsurface aquatic systems. Inadvertent and deliberate discharge of petroleum, improper sewage disposal, and thermal pollution also are seriously affecting the quality of the hydrosphere.

We’ll be focusing on two major problems—eutrophication, acid rain. Each exemplifies human interference in the hydrologic cycle and its far-reaching effects.

Eutrophication has been the focus of scientific studies for more than 40 years. Although many definitions exist 1 , it is generally defined as an increase in nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that increase algal growth (Figure 1). Depending on the degree of eutrophication, severe environmental effects can develop, which degrade water quality. For example, increased phytoplankton biomass can decrease clarity, reduce levels of light, and decrease levels of oxygen, all of which ultimately have negative consequences for organisms that live in the lake. The magnitude of eutrophication reached a high point in the 1960s where Lake Erie, the smallest and shallowest of the Great Lakes, was considered a dead lake. Not only are the effects of eutrophication detrimental to lake biota, but they also pose a risk to human health in the form of harmful algal blooms.

Acid rain" is a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. The precursors, or chemical forerunners, of acid rain formation result from b man-made sources, primarily emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides resulting from fossil fuel combustion. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. The result is a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these compounds across state and national borders, sometimes over hundreds of miles.

Acid rain causes acidification of lakes and streams and, and decreases the overall water quality, it also contributes to the damage of trees) and many sensitive forest soils. In addition, acid rain accelerates the decay of building materials and paints, including irreplaceable buildings, statues, and sculptures that are part of our nation's cultural heritage. Prior to falling to the earth, sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and nitrogen oxide (NO x) gases and their particulate matter derivatives—sulfates and nitrates—contribute to visibility degradation and harm public health.

Though eutrophication and acid rain can both be caused by natural factors, the are mostly the source of manmade pollutants, which is any waste matter that contaminates the water. Man made

Water conservation and Preservation

Over 97 percent of the earth’s water is found in

the oceans as salt water. About two percent of the

earth’s water is stored in glaciers, ice caps, and

snowy mountain ranges. That leaves only 1 percent

of fresh water that is readily available to us

for our daily water supply needs. Our fresh water

supplies are stored either beneath the ground, in

Water Table, or in surface waters,

such as lakes, rivers, and streams

We use fresh water for a variety of purposes.

Nationally, agricultural uses represent the largest

consumer of fresh water, about 42 percent.

Approximately 39 percent of our fresh water is

used for the production of electricity; 11 percent

is used in urban and rural homes, offices, and

hotels; and the remaining 8 percent is used in

manufacturing and mining activities

Water conservation is not about “saving” water but rather about having enough clean water at any given time and place to meet our

needs. When can attain clean water through a process called purification, in which water is stripped of its salt and has nutrients added, but this process is expensive of Gifford Pinchot, an American conservationist and politician who served as chief of the U.S. Forest Service between 1898 and 1910, referred to conservation as “The wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men.” The conservation of our water resources depends on our

wise use of these resources. Such wise use, without a doubt, begins at home and in our community. As we attempt to meet the water use needs of a growing population, issues of water quality and

quantity will gain increasing significance in years

natural circulation of water on Earth: the constant circulation of water between atmosphere, land, and sea by evaporation, precipitation, and percolation through soils and rocks, this is the water cycle, and reclamation the restoration, as to productivity, usefulness

CONCLUSION

y

Fin