First Order StreamsDefinition | A headwater stream with no tributaries leading to it | Characteristics: | Small Insects | No fish |
GroundwaterPrecipitation that runs off the ground | stored beneath the earth´s surface | 22% of all freshwater is groundwater | victim to contaminants like septic waste, fertilizers, chemical spills, mining, etc. |
VelocityThe Distance water flows during some period of time such as meters per second. | A decrease in slope leads to an average increase in stream velocity | most fish species are unaffected by velocity |
pHDefinition: | Concentration of hydrogen ions in solution | Usage | helps determine stream health | Scale: | 0-14. | 0 is very acidic, 14 is very basic | 7.0 is ideal for water |
Organic MatterDefinition: | Any substrate that is made of living things or the remains of living things | Examples: | plankton, algae, wood, decaying organisms, leaves |
| | Second Order StreamsDefinition: | Two first order streams joined together | Characteristics: | Plants | Game Fish |
DefinitionsHeadwaters | Where a stream or river begins | Mouth | Where a stream or river ends by flowing into a larger body of water | Watershed | a region drained by or one that contributes water to a stream, lake, or other body of water | Substrate | The material that organisms live in or around |
Algaeautotrophs: Plant-like protists that make their own food | form the base of most aquatic food chains | freshwater algae use energy from the sun and dissolved nutrients to make food |
Dissolved OxygenDefinition: | Oxygen dissolved in water | Effects | organisms rely on oxygen for life | Affected By: | higher temperature= lower Dissolved oxygen |
Dissolved SolidsExamples | Magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium | effects | Excessive nutrients cause algal blooms which deplete oxygen and create dead zones |
| | Third Order StreamsDefinition: | The point where two second-order streams meet | Characteristics: | Algae | Fish | Other Aquatic Organisms |
Stream loadBed Load | Suspended Load | Dissolved Load | sediment too heavy to be carried in suspension | sediment carried within the body of flowing water | dissolved minerals that enter the stream from (generally) groundwater | sand, pebbles, boulders | fine sediment; silt and clay | magnesium, aliminum | | | measured by turbidity | measured by conductivity |
TurbidityDefinition: | the amount of suspended matter in the water | Factors that affect turbidity | increase in erosion | heavy rains/snow | Warmer Temperature=higher turbidity |
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