7U4L2a Watersheds Introduction

7U4L2a Watersheds Introduction

7.MS-LS2-4. Analyze data to provide evidence that disruptions (natural or human-made) to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations.

Where does our water come from?

All of our freshwater starts as precipitation, which moves continually through the hydrologic cycle.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is not an example of precipitation?

• rain
• clouds
• sleet
• snow

Multiple Choice

Forms of precipitation are-

• only sleet and snow
• rain, sleet, hail, and snow
• only dew and rain 
• only snow and rain

When it rains on land, where does our water go?

• Water that travels and collects on top of the ground is called surface water.

• Water that infiltrates into the ground is called groundwater.

• Often, surface water recharges (or fills up) the groundwater.

Multiple Choice

Where is groundwater found?

• In tiny cracks found underground

• Water that falls from the sky as precipitation

• Lakes, rivers, ponds

• in the ocean

Multiple Choice

Water occurring in a stream, lake, river, reservoir, estuary, wetland or the ocean.

• Waterhsed

• Drainage Divide

• Surface Water

• Ground Water

Multiple Choice

Water that collects in cracks and pores in underground soil and rock layers.

• Groundwater

• Surface Water

• Permeable

• Impermeable

Multiple Choice

The water that fills lakes and rivers

• groundwater
• surface water
• water table
• saturated zone

Multiple Choice

All bodies of fresh water, salt water, ice, and snow that are found above ground

• Groundwater

• Surface water

• Runoff

• Swimming pool

What is a permeable area?

• It's a material that water can pass through

• This includes soil, sand, gravel, and cracked rock

• If a rock or clay area does not let water in, it is called impermeable.

Multiple Choice

This word describes when rock has spaces that allows water to move through

• Permeable

• Impermeable

• Surface Water

• Drainage Divide

Multiple Choice

Sand is ___________, meaning that water can pass through easily.

• Permeable
• Impermeable
• Solid
• Soft

What is an aquifer?

• An area underground that holds a lot of water.

• It is usually made of gravel, sand, and permeable rock.

• People often drill wells into an aquifer to get water for drinking and farming.

Multiple Choice

An underground layer of rock or sediment that holds water?

• Reservoir
• Aquifer
• Groundwater
• Watershed

Multiple Choice

An area of a permeable layer of rock or soil that holds a large amount of water in the saturated zone is called what?

• Aquifer

• Spring

• Well

• Reservoir

What is a watershed?

• An area where all runoff drains or "sheds" into the same water systems

• Usually, this water system is the local rivers that move the water around.

Water can't travel uphill, so...

• A watershed area is determined by topography (surface features of the land)

• If two people live on opposite sides of a divide, you live in two different watersheds!

Multiple Choice

An area of land that drains to a particular river, lake, bay, or other body of water.

• Tributary

• Wetland

• Divide

• Watershed

Multiple Choice

The boundary around a watershed is called the

• watershed.

• divide.

• sub-watershed.

• transpiration.

Where does our water come from?

• Boston is part of two watersheds!

• The southern half of the city (including Dorchester and Mattapan) are in the Neponset Watershed.

The northern half of Boston (where our school is) is part of the Mystic River Watershed.

Open Ended

Write at least one question about or watershed for us to investigate: