2.2 Perform Hydrological Analysis/ Interpret Ecological Analysis Flashcards
Includes rainfall, snowfall, and hail. The annual amounts, temporal distribution, and intensity or ___ vary geographically.
Percipitation
___ occurs on land and water surfaces. _____ from plants also returns water to the atmosphere
evapotranspiration (evaporation, transpiration)
This is percipitation that runs off the lands surface and flows downhill. Percipitation , soil type, slope, and vegetation all influence the amount of this
Surface Runoff
How are impervious surfaces detrimental to they hydrologic system?
- Significantly reduce groundwater recharge
- Subsequently lower the water table
- Depelete groundwater supplies
- Reduce ecologically important baseflow to streams and wetlands
Refers to water that infiltrates the lands’ surface and percolates downward to the underlying water table
Recharge
Water that is present in saturated ground, where all the pore spaces are completely filled with water
ground water
What is the term where groundwater discharged to streams, lakes, wetlands, or the ocean?
baseflow
What are some long-term negative effects from pumping a water supply or irrigation wells?
Wetland losses, diminished stream flows, depleted aquifers
Elements of natural hydraulic systems
Lakes, springs, rivers, aquifers, ocean
Land area that contributes surface water to a given location; defined and delineated by surface topography.
Watershed
What are the 5 watershed scale terms?
- Basin
- Subbasin
- Watershed
- Subwatersheds
- Catchment area
Defines major river, estuary, or lake drainage area that covers several thousand square miles. May cover major portions of a state or group of states.
Basin
Smaller in area than a basin, ranging from several hundred square miles in area
Subbasin
Subbasin is combosed of a set of even smaller watersheds, usually in the range of tens to a few hundred square miles.
Watershed
water shed is composed of ___ typically ranging in size from a few to several square miles. Often defined as the land are above the confluence of two second-order streams.
Subwatersheds
Measured in acres and can be defined as the land above a given point that drains to the first intersection of a stream
Catchment area
Where are impervious cover characterizations most noticeable?
Small streams and rivers
Watercourses that receive water input
Receiving Waters
What are examples of receiving waters?
Rivers, streams, lakes, oceans, reservoirs, aquifers, or other watercourses
What is of primary concern when creating a watershed plan for a stream?
Channel morphology, water quality, riparian cover, and temperature (think ecosystems within the stream)
What is of primary concern when creating a watershed plan for a freshwater lakes and reservoirs?
Phosphorous loading, sediment inputs, bacterial loading, and shoreline erosion (think standing water. bacteria, sediment, and phosphorous can really change the water)