all the water on Earth's surface
surface water
river and all its tributaries
river system
land area that supplies water to a river system
watershed
rivers grow into...
larger rivers, lakes, wetlands, or oceans
tributary-
network of smaller streams/rivers that flow into a larger river
humans pollute the surface water when they release wastes from______
farming, households, industry, and mining.
runoff and rivers carry pollution throughout __________
watersheds
what can destroy water habitats, kills organisms, increases erosion, and blocks the flow of water and nutrients needed downstream.
building homes, roads, and dams
what is something humans can do to help
preserve wetlands, clean wastewater, and pass legeslation
what do large and connected pores do
allow water to pass through easily, or permeate easily.
what are materials that allow water to pass through easily
permeable materials
what are materials that have few or no pores
impermeable materials
how does water get underground
water from the surface trickles down to where the spaces in the materials are filled with water or saturated.
what is the upper level of underground
water table
aquifer
a saturated layer of rock that holds water
how do people obtain water
by drilling a well below the water table
well-
hole sunk into the ground to reach water
how can humans harm groundwater
by overusing an aquifer or having pollutants leak directly into the ground. water can also be contaminated by surface pollutants. this water then seeps into the ground
most of the Earth's surface is covered by
saltwater
what are some things humans depend on that water provides
drinking water, air, transportation and recreation, and food and products.
drinking water-
humans can take the saltwater out to use it as a drinking source with desalination.
air-
organisms in the air produce oxygen
transportation and recreation-
We use boats which depend on water and need water for recreational activities.
food and products-
we can use organisms in the ocean for food and other products
how can we damage the resources we depend on
over fishing and polluting
what can overfishing cause
severe reduction or complete collapses of ocean ecosystems and resources
what can pollution cause
contaminates surface water with pollutants that eventually reach the ocean which can harm organisms and habitats
what are some ways humans can help reduce water pollution
clean up oil spills, reduce pollutant use, restore damaged habitats