First Order Streams
Definition |
A headwater stream with no tributaries leading to it |
Characteristics: |
Small Insects |
No fish |
Groundwater
Precipitation 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. |
Velocity
The 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 |
pH
Definition: |
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 Matter
Definition: |
Any substrate that is made of living things or the remains of living things |
Examples: |
plankton, algae, wood, decaying organisms, leaves |
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Second Order Streams
Definition: |
Two first order streams joined together |
Characteristics: |
Plants |
Game Fish |
Definitions
Headwaters |
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 |
Algae
autotrophs: 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 Oxygen
Definition: |
Oxygen dissolved in water |
Effects |
organisms rely on oxygen for life |
Affected By: |
higher temperature= lower Dissolved oxygen |
Dissolved Solids
Examples |
Magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium |
effects |
Excessive nutrients cause algal blooms which deplete oxygen and create dead zones |
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Third Order Streams
Definition: |
The point where two second-order streams meet |
Characteristics: |
Algae |
Fish |
Other Aquatic Organisms |
Stream load
Bed 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 |
Turbidity
Definition: |
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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