- Complete weekly entry in field journal
Choose two of the following questions:
- Draw the water cycle in a way that helps you understand and remember how water moves through the landscape, waterways, and air.
- Where does 60% of the water flow go?
- What happens to the remainder of the water?
- How does snow pack influence water storage and seasonal streamflow patterns? What about rain on snow events?
- What is the difference between an aquaclude and an aquifer?
- Why is the southern part of the Central Valley considered to be an alkaline basin?
- Our three biggest natural lakes in California are the Klamath Lake, Lake Tahoe, and Clear Lake. What is unique about each of these lakes?
- Stream inputs (biological, chemical and physical):
- Biological inputs include what kinds of materials?
- What benefits do woody debris provide?
- What kinds of chemical inputs are important for stream processes?
- What happens when stream systems and watersheds become eutrophic?
- What is the difference between alluvial vs. colluvial forces in moving stream sediments around?
- What is a floodplain, and how are flooding regimes important for soils and wetlands?
- Estuaries:
- How are estuaries formed, and what is unusual about them in terms of habitat?
- Are they oligotrophic or eutrophic?
- The intertidal zones are rich with biodiversity. What factors drive that biodiversity?
- What factors are threatening the survival of many of California’s freshwater fish species?
- What are some of the big changes that humans have made in the last 150 years to California’s watersheds?
- How do dams change water flows and temperatures?
- What are some of the challenges we face in terms of water use in California in the future?
Write your answers in your lecture notebook or on a flash card, and bring them to the next class.