1122 Lab 3(Surface Water)
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Georgia State University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
1122
Subject
Geology
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
6
Uploaded by DeanAardvark1909
Name: Melvin Collins
TA: Felix Opoku
Lab 3- Surface Water
GEOL 1122
Before answering the questions for each section, make sure you have watched the video(s). After
you have completed this worksheet, save it and upload it to the assignment folder for Lab 3 in iCollege. Please use your own words
to answer the questions, and include as much detail as possible
.
Lab Objectives
At the end of this lab, students should be able to:
Understand “where is water found and how much is there?” on a global scale
Name and explain major reservoirs and fluxes in the hydrologic cycle
Know the distinguishing features of wetlands and ponds/lakes
Understand how river velocity and sediment transportation capacity changes along a river
network and why this changes.
Understand the importance of urban stormwater infrastructure and how it relates to social
and environmental justice or the lack thereof Part 1: Introduction
To answer these questions, first watch the “Lab 3, Part 1: Introduction” video on iCollege. Please
answer the questions in your own words.
1)
Hypothesize a process by which water from the ocean moves to the land surface. Please give a detailed answer with your reasoning fully explained. (4 pts) One process would be rain when it gets really hot and the water from the ocean starts to evaporate and condensate that water vapor rises into the atmosphere and eventually falls as rain onto land. 2)
Pick three of the fluxes listed on the right side of this slide. For each of the three fluxes you pick, please search the internet to explain the process, in addition to naming the two reservoirs involved. In other words, your answer needs to include the starting and ending reservoirs for this process
. (4 pts)
Evaporation occurs when heat forces water from oceans and other bodies of water
to change into gaseous (water vapor). The two reservoirs would be the Lakes & Atmosphere. Heat energy from the sun can cause bodies of water like lakes to turn into gas and become water vapor. While in the atmosphere it will eventually condense and fall back to the ground as rain and this process will repeat itself.
Transpiration: When plants take up liquid water from the soil and release water vapor into the air from their leaves. Two reservoirs would be soil moisture and the
atmosphere the plant absorbs water from the soil (soil moisture) and releases water in the form of vapor into the atmosphere.
Infiltration: the process of water being absorbed into the ground of porous soil two reservoirs would be Snow and groundwater. The snow would melt into the water and seep into the ground. 3)
Use the internet to find a lake or wetland in the state of Georgia. Please write a thoughtful, well-developed paragraph (of at least five sentences) describing this lake or wetland. Important things to include are: (1) How and when did this feature form? (2) What organisms use this feature as a habitat? (3) what social, historical, or economic functions does this feature serve? (6 pts) A lake I decided to choose is Lake Allatoona which is one of the most famous lakes in Georgia used by the U.S Army Corps of engineers. Lake Allatoona was created due to a dam in 1949 blocking the Etowah River which was about 73 years ago. The lake's purpose of being created was to authorize flood control so it has a drainage system, hydroelectric power generation, water supply and water quality, recreation, and fish and wildlife management. And speaking of wildlife there is plenty of deer, bear, turkey, quail,
rabbit, 3 types of bass, and other species. 4)
Please answer whether or not you think you live within a watershed (please explain your reasoning
). (2 pts)
I do believe I live on a watershed because Cobb County is approximately 300 square miles with 3,200 miles of stream channel. And also, it makes sense why were able to have a water supply. Water constantly moves around through the city and urban areas. 5)
Please hypothesize whether or not a piece of land can be part of more than one watershed
simultaneously (fully explain your reasoning). (4 pts) At the moment I will say no because I think land can only drain to one reservoir. I believe a watershed can be combined into one stream and flow into one big reservoir. The reason why I say this is because water likes to flow and change its path. You can’t control the path it takes and it won't split between two different sources it will just flow through one channel. Part 2: Why Do Rivers Curve?
Watch the linked YouTube video “Why do Rivers Curve” in its entirety to answer these questions in your own words
.
6)
According to the video, how are mountain streams different from rivers and streams that run through plains? (4 pts) Mountain streams are different from rivers and streams that run through plains because mountain streams fall down steep mountainsides that are a lot rockier and heavy which makes its path non–moveable. While a stream that runs through plains moves slower and can move freely due to the soft soils of the plains.
7)
Explain the process by which streams/rivers running through flat areas begin to curve. Please use as much detail as possible, and make sure to include the role that water velocity plays (i.e., make sure to describe how water velocity is different in different parts of the stream/river). (4 pts) The rivers in flat areas begin to curve when there is a disturbance on the side of the banks of rivers. The river will then start taking the sediments and dirt there and it will take more and more from it. Over time the flow of the river will be diverted onto one side and curve as the other starts to slow. Because the flow
on that side doesn’t move as fast it can’t sweep away the sediments meaning that all that sediment begins to fall and build up making the water even shallower. Eventually, it will keep accumulating to form new land on the inside bank while the fast-moving water on the outside bank sweeps out the curve to keep more momentum and carry it across and slam into the other side due to its high velocity creating the same process again. 8)
What is the relationship between the width of a stream/river and the distance between consecutive meanders? If the width of a stream is 3 meters, what is the expected length of
one S-shaped meander in this stream (explain how this was calculated)? (4 pts)
The bigger the width of a river, the longer it will take to meander. The length of one S-
shaped mender is 6 times the width of the channel. So, if the width of a stream is 3 meters, then the S-shaped meander would be 18 meters
. To get this all you have to do is multiply 6 x 3, 3 is the width of the normal stream while the S-shaped meander is usually 6 times the width of the channel, so you multiply it to get 18 meters.
9)
Explain the formation of an oxbow lake in as much detail as possible. (4 pts)
Oxbow lakes occur when a river continues to meander and curve and eventually meets itself. Once it meets itself, the river will then follow a straighter path and will not have that slingshot velocity of it bumping and taking sediments away from the banks. The super-curved area will slowly close off from the river and become a lake. Part 3: Streamflow
Watch the linked YouTube video “Streamflow” in its entirety to answer these questions in your own words.
10) Please define the following terms: headwaters, tributary, main channel, and delta/mouth. (4 pts)
Headwaters: It is the start of the stream, and it is also the furthest away from the stream endpoint.
Tributary: Small streams that add up to a larger stream
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Main channel: The main source of source of flowing water and usually the biggest. This is the course of the river.
Delta/mouth: The end of the stream and the water here carries and deposits sediments like silk and clay.
11) Please explain how sediment grain size changes from the headwaters to the mouth of a river system. Make sure to include how water velocity is involved with this. (4 pts)
Sediment grain size changes from the headwaters to the mouth because of the erosion it faces when traveling long distances. The sediment size as it begins the flow is usually larger like boulders. As it flows through the watercourse, it is eroded due to the velocity increasing as it goes downstream. The faster velocity can carry larger sediments further downstream of the headwaters the sediments can be eroded down to sand and gravel and near the mouth the sediments will be finer and consist of clay and silt. If the stream is soft
and the velocity is too slow to transport the sediments, then the sediments will just pile up. 12) Pause the video at the Hjulstrom Diagram presented at 3:54 and predict what will happen (at a flow velocity of 1 cm/second) for clay, silt, sand, and gravel (i.e., whether each of these will be transported, eroded, or deposited, or a combination). (4 pts) For clay and silt, it will be transported because of its small grain size. Sand will also be transported because of its small grain size and can be carried at a slow velocity. Sand can be eroded at low velocity because it is easier to pick up but the velocity at 1 cm/second would be slow for erosion to occur. Clay, silt, and gravel will not erode because it can only erode at higher velocities. And last, as for gravel I believe it will be deposited, and not transported because the velocity is way too slow and the gravel is way too big for it to
be even carried. 13) List the reasons given in the video for why stream velocity generally increases with distance downstream (4 pts) For one stream velocity typically increases with distance downstream because of the increase in channel size and the decrease of the roughness in the channel. And 2 with fewer obstacles in the river, the water will have an easier time flowing and could be encouraged to flow fast since nothing is in its way. 14) First, give the definition of a hydrograph. (Note that while this video shows a period of months on the x-axis, hydrographs can be generated for any time period.) The graph below shows a hydrograph for a single storm event at Snapfinger Creek near Decatur, Georgia. The x-axis represents minutes since the start of the storm event. The y-axis represents discharge in units of cubic feet per second (although not metric, this is a unit for streamflow commonly used by the US Geological Survey). Using the diagram, locate peak discharge on this hydrograph and estimate the approximate magnitude (amount) of this discharge, as well as the approximate minute since the start of the storm event that this peak discharge occurred. (4 pts)
A hydrograph is a graph that measures the discharge versus time past a specific point in a
river. The peak discharge of this graph is at 230 CFS and the approximate minutes is 250 mins. And the approximate magnitude is 230 CFS
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
0
50
100
150
200
250
USGS 02203950 (December 28, 2012)
Time (minutes)
Discharge (CFS)
Part 4: Atlanta’s Proctor Creek
Read the linked article on iCollege in its entirety to answer these questions in your own words. 18) Summarize the reasons given in this article for the flooding problems and pollution that have long been associated with Proctor Creek. In your answer, hypothesize about how hydrologic processes in this watershed (that is mostly covered by concrete) are different from those in a forested watershed (hint: think about some of the fluxes listed in the introduction video) (4 pts) The flooding and pollution problem is due to how the area was built and developed being where the headwaters are located. The downtown area is located in a low-lying area that is below street level. Even the sewer systems are outdated, so the pipes go directly into the creeks so when it rains the pipes get overwhelmed polluting the streams and the floods hit the streets. Also, this Is a lot more different from forested watersheds because concrete watersheds aren’t able to drain water into the ground easily. And as a result, concrete watersheds will lead to more flooding. And to add forest watersheds are known for regulating streamflow, can seep up stormwater runoff, and add to the groundwater. The trees can also remove pollutants from the water unlike the tree-less urban setting
19) The US EPA defines the term “Environmental Justice” as follows: Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. EPA has this goal for all communities and persons across this Nation. It will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. Using this definition, write a well-developed paragraph (at least five sentences) about how residents in the neighborhoods comprising the Proctor Creek watershed have historically and are currently experiencing environmental injustice (8 pts)
When it comes to the residents of Proctor Creek currently experiencing environmental justice, they aren’t getting treated with the respect that they are supposed to be treated. For one they’ve been ignored about their sewage issues for years and it all started in the past when African American residents sought out to sue the company who were dumping in the creek. Around that time there were a lot of racist and prejudiced laws such as the Jim Crow laws and because of that many of the residents were made light of in their situation. However presently, even though it's not as bad as before there are still some issues that haven’t been fixed like floods
of sewage forcing people out of their homes. And even though there is a current case against the city nothing has been done to fix Proctor Creek. This makes this a prime example of environmental injustice since there is clear unfair treatment towards the residents due to their race, and they don’t have a place where they can truly live, learn, and work in a safe clean environment.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help