Aquatics: 1_Hydrology and Aquatic Environments_ADVANCED

Analyze the benefits and challenges associated with beaver presence in an aquatic ecosystem, and propose techniques for coexisting with beavers based on evidence and reasoning.

• Beavers only cause problems in aquatic ecosystems and should be removed entirely.

• Beavers can create wetlands that benefit biodiversity but may also cause flooding; coexistence techniques include installing flow devices and managing water levels.

• Beavers have no impact on aquatic ecosystems, so no management is needed.

• The only benefit of beavers is that they provide food for predators, with no effect on the ecosystem.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Describe how wildfires can impact hydrology and aquatic ecosystems, using reasoning to explain the potential short-term and long-term effects.

• Wildfires have no effect on hydrology or aquatic ecosystems.

• Wildfires can increase erosion and runoff, leading to changes in water quality and aquatic habitats both immediately and over time.

• Wildfires only affect terrestrial ecosystems, not aquatic ones.

• Wildfires always improve water quality by removing pollutants from the landscape.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Evaluate the importance of subdividing certain hydrogeological regions, such as the Province-Wide Buried Valleys and the Canadian Shield and Athabasca Basin, into subregions for water management planning.

• Subdividing regions is unnecessary because all areas within a region have identical hydrogeological characteristics.

• Subdividing allows for recognition of subregional differences, which is important for localized water management and policy development.

• Subdividing is only done for administrative convenience and does not impact water management.

• Subdividing regions is only important for geological mapping, not for water resource planning.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Why are buried valley aquifers significant for the Prairie provinces of Canada?

• They are the only source of groundwater in the region.

• They contain permeable sand and gravel, making them important groundwater sources.

• They are always visible on the land surface.

• They are formed by volcanic activity.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

How do local-scale and subregional variations in ground elevation contribute to the structure of groundwater flow systems?

• They create shallower groundwater flow systems nested within larger regional systems.

• They have no impact on groundwater flow systems.

• They only affect surface water, not groundwater.

• They cause groundwater to flow upwards.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

Explain how the thickness of sediments above the bedrock can influence both the formation of aquifers and the recharge of groundwater. Use evidence from the text to support your reasoning.

• Thicker sediments always increase groundwater recharge and make aquifers more permeable.

• Thicker sediments can create permeable zones for aquifers but may decrease groundwater recharge to the bedrock units.

• Thicker sediments have no effect on aquifer formation or groundwater recharge.

• Thicker sediments only affect the color of groundwater, not its recharge or aquifer formation.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Using your understanding of sediment types, analyze why till is often considered a poor aquifer material and discuss under what conditions it might still contribute to local aquifers.

• Till is always a good aquifer because it is deposited by glacial ice.

• Till is a poor aquifer because it does not transmit water easily, but it may contain permeable sand and gravel zones that function as local aquifers.

• Till is a poor aquifer only because it is made of clay.

• Till never contains any permeable materials.

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

Strategically assess how glacial processes have influenced the distribution and quality of groundwater resources in Alberta, using examples from the text.

• Glacial processes have no impact on groundwater resources in Alberta.

• Glacial processes deposited diamicton, such as till, which often results in poor water quality but can also create local aquifers where sand and gravel are present.

• Glacial processes only affect the color of the sediment, not groundwater quality.

• Glacial processes always improve groundwater quality by filtering water.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

How does the type of bedrock influence the movement and availability of groundwater in Alberta, and what reasoning can you use to predict groundwater flow in regions with different bedrock types?

• Hard, well-cemented bedrock in the Mountains and Foothills allows groundwater to move mainly through fractures and faults, while softer, porous sedimentary rocks in the Plains allow groundwater to move through pores, resulting in different aquifer systems.

• All types of bedrock allow groundwater to move equally well, regardless of their composition or structure.

• Groundwater only moves through the surface soil and is unaffected by the type of bedrock below.

• The type of bedrock only affects the color of the groundwater, not its movement or availability.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

How do geological differences between the Western Plains and Benchlands (Region 2) and Central Plains (Region 3) influence groundwater availability and water quality in Alberta?

• They have no impact on groundwater systems.

• They determine the extent of aquifer systems, groundwater availability, and water quality.

• They only affect the surface water flow.

• They only influence the temperature of groundwater.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1