Water budget: Balances input, output, and storage of water in the systemPrecip. – Evap. = ReservoirDefines natural availability of water90% of Earths water is unavailable for human useIce caps, groundwater (usually inaccessible)Estimated that the total water available from US will decrease, and consumptive use will increaseClimate change will change hydrologic cycle for the worstPollutionThere is always enough water for the population, but it is not where we need itCalifornia: Enough water from hydrologic cycle, but its all in Northern Cal, and population is in Southern CalWater Vapor: Main greenhouse gas, and CO2 (anthropogenic) amplifies the effects of water vapor as a greenhouse gasCauses accelerated global warmingCauses more/less precipitation in certain areas displacement of peopleWatersheds: Large drainage basin (highest to lowest point of the basin)Includes land, vegetation, organisms, water bodies, abioticCan include anthropogenic thingsEX: La River (largest), San Gabriel River, Malibu, Ballona, Dominguez, Santa Clara – last one not majorly altered by humansAll drain into the oceanBedrock within watershed determine the soil typeKnow what pollution sources are in water shed to create a cost/benefit approach to managementMake locals feel as though they have ownership to spread mitigationPhysical: Extent of area, terrain, geology, hydrogeographic information (Steepness will effect hydrology, younger mountains  more sediment), local climateChemical: Total Suspended Solids, pH, DO, nutrients, contamination, mineralogy of bedrock affects thisDecomposition = natural source of wasteBiological: plants/animals, threatened or endangered speciesLargest source of pollution to our oceans: storm runoffPoint source (where river hits the ocean) and non (pollution comes from throughout watershedSoln: Collect storm water on campuses and at houses and let it infiltrate into the aquifer, the plants clean up pollutionSimply collecting rain water can supply 130k homes for 1 year (solve 50% of our water needsEndangered Species in local water shedsTidewater goby: threatened bc populations are isolatedCA Least Tern: habitat destructionSteelhead Trout: dams, water diversion stops them from going into streams for breeding. Livestock grazing  Sediment in streams from cow crossing, manure in water  eutrophication. Can no longer spawnBelding’s Sparrow: Threatened. Habitat destruction (wetlands, which wont be increased because of houses)Lyon’s Pentachaeta: flower, only found in SoCal, decreasing because of habitat encroachmentBraunton’s Milkvetch: flower, found only in SoCal, ditto ^^Ocean Basin DrainageAlmost 50% drains into the Atlantic, 13-13% with Indian and Pacific Oceans, 27% into Southern Ocean and Endorheic Basins (Terminal Lakes)Major Rivers/Watersheds: Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, Congo (3 of which drain into the Atlantic Ocean)Amazon: Drains 40% of South AmericaMississippi: All/part of 31 states and 2 Canadian Provinces, 4th largest river in the worldCongo: East African Rift Zone drainage – only spreading center on land  very young rocks  lots of sediment drained into ocean. Largest tropical forestsNile: Drains North. 10 Countries receive water from the Nile and it is a main water source for many countries  water rights issuesMost used of all the rivers (people/sq km)Health concerns with RiversHard to regulate pollution of multiple countriesMississippi: higher rates of cancer downstreamCleaning products in the riverCleaning industry does not say what’s in the products  don’t know what precautions to takeContaminates for decades in rivers because unregulatedBioaccumulation of mercury in watersEnergy production from coal  mercury in H20Releases elemental mercuryMETHYLmercury is extremely dangerousOrganisms turn elemental mercury into methylmercuryAccumulates in fatty tissuesOgallala AquiferWorlds largest freshwater aquifer, across 8 statesLast time it was really filled was in the last ice ageMost recharge zones are in the Northern partFlows North  southIrrigates 1/3 of US Crops, 2 million ppl rely on it for drinking h20Semi-Arid area of US  High precipitation  Low rechargeCaliche: Calcium carbonate, very alkaline, left behind from when h20 evaporates. Impermeable  Water cannot get through to recharge. Mostly in the SouthProblemsRate of Withdrawal>recharge250 years left in Nebraska, but only 25 in KansasAgricultural PollutionOnly 100 feet below surface  pollution from runoffSuperfund site pollution: Nuclear weapons waste (Plutonium stored from plant shut down in CO) in Amarillo, TX  Cone of depression nearing TX H20 supply.Determined that it is getting into groundwaterDeclared Superfund in 1994Superfund Site in PV ShelfLargest DDT and PCB contaminated sediment sitesMontrose Chem Company from Torrance would wash sludge down onto shelfPV Beaches are high energy (large waves, no sand)  Cliffs and kelp. Large waves are taking out parts of the shelf to expose old DDTDDT not inert, it is broken down by microbes into DDD and DDE (better)Montrose had to restore bald eagles to the Channel Islands bc the shells were too thinLA’s Water QualityWater Supply 02/14/2013Water budget: Balances input, output, and storage of water in the system-Precip. – Evap. = Reservoir-Defines natural availability of water 90% of Earths water is unavailable for human use-Ice caps, groundwater (usually inaccessible)Estimated that the total water available from US will decrease, and consumptive use will increase-Climate change will change hydrologic cycle for the worst-PollutionThere is always enough water for the population, but it is not where weneed it-California: Enough water from hydrologic cycle, but its all in Northern Cal, and population is in Southern CalWater Vapor: Main greenhouse gas, and CO2 (anthropogenic) amplifies the effects of water vapor as a greenhouse gas -Causes accelerated global warming-Causes more/less precipitation in certain areas -  displacement of people Watersheds: Large drainage basin (highest to lowest point of the basin)-Includes land, vegetation, organisms, water bodies, abiotic-Can include anthropogenic things -EX: La River (largest), San Gabriel River, Malibu, Ballona, Dominguez, Santa Clara – last one not majorly altered by humans oAll drain into the ocean -Bedrock within watershed determine the soil type -Know what pollution sources are in water shed to create a cost/benefit