Monday, October 23, 2017
02:30 - 04:15; 105 min. -
AP Environmental Science:
Skype: Water -
Chase began a unit on water. We reviewed how the water cycle works. We then examined how water percolates through the rock and soils we discussed in an earlier unit. This gravity driven migration of water, acts as a very effective filter to cleanse and purify the water, in what we call watershed. We compared the water purification properties of the water cycle and watershed. We then discussed the vocabulary of water in the environment. I asked Chase to explain the differences between a confined and unconfined aquifer and how the excess phosphorus and nitrogen, we discussed last week, would affect these structures. We examined artesian wells and springs, saltwater intrusion, and re-direction of rivers and streams. Chase and I watched the movie: the Mono Lake Story; which explores how human need for more usable water nearly killed one of the oldest ecosystems in America. The work of a few individuals, who stood up with truth to power, used the legal system to force leaders to find a way to keep the lake alive, while still using the water from the Sierra Nevada. The compromise is a shining example of how humans who work together can maintain a sustainable healthy environment and still find the necessary resources to service a growing population. I told Chase to be ready for a test on water in the near future. Homework: Answer questions 1-11 of the chapter 9 practice test on page 319.