Fresh Water Systems
Introduction
Standing Water
Lake
- deeper than a pond
- sunlight does not reach the bottom of the lake (depends on the clarity of the water)
Pond
- not every deep
- can still be large in size
- sunlight reaches the bottom of it
Wetland
- saturated with water all or much of the time
- home to many, many different plants and wildlife
Flowing Water
Stream
River
Watersheds
What Are They
- water that hits the ground and doesn't absorb or get evaporated will run-off along Earth's surface
- this run-off them flows along to larger bodies of water
- watershed includes both water and the land area that drains into it (rivers, streams, lakes, farms, forest and cities)
In Alberta
- Landforms (like hills and mountains) determine how fast the water flows and in what direction
- Upstream portion of the watershed is called headwaters
- The end-point where it flows into a major body of water is the outflow
Relation to Land Use
- Logging and removing forest can also change watershed patterns
- Soil conditions, vegetation and human settlement all impact how water runs-off