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Monday November 12th 2012
• QU: What is the subcontinental divide?
Current Event due Friday
• OBJ: Aquifers, Watersheds
Subcontinental Divide
• On one side the water flows to the Mississippi and the other side flows toward Lake Michigan
Ogallala Aquifer
Aquifer
• Aquifer: An aquifer is a body of saturated rock through which water can easily move.– permeable and porous
Aquifers
• ½ of the United States population draws water from aquifers
Ogallala Aquifer
• Ogallala Aquifer aka High Plains Aquifer– Average depth of 200 feet– Enough water to cover all 48 states at a depth of 2
feet– Texas and Nebraska have the most land above it
Ogallala Aquifer• Largest groundwater system in North America– Groundwater: water located beneath the earth's
surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations.
Why care about the High Plains Aquifer?
• Used for hydroelectric, wells, irrigation, grazing– Provides 40% of feedlot to beef in US– 50% of all of the worlds grain is from land irrigated
by the Ogallala Aquifer– Directly responsible for $20 billion in revenue
Ogallala in Danger
• Farming draws 1 ½ feet in a year but rain only replenishes ½ inch/year– Recharge zone: An area of land through which
water percolates to be stored as groundwater
Aquifers in Danger
• Pesticides, dumps, over use• Very little economic incentive to change
Efforts to Change
• Farming strategies to slow the movement of water• Less pesticides• Rotating crops to vegetation that needs less water
*All Costly and Very little economic incentive to do*
Aquifer compared to Watershed• Watershed: Watershed refers to the land over
and through which water flows to reach a common water body. It has two components - surface drainage and groundwater drainage.
Map of US Watersheds
Watershed
• We are part of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin
Video
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z9c_KZK2t4&NR=1
Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin
• Includes 30 million people in US and Canada• 7% of U.S. produce and 25% of Canadian
produce
• 1998 Canada approved permit– Take 160 million gallons from L. Superior to be
sold in Asia—later cancelled agreement• Huge conflict• Highlighted issue of transboundary conflic
Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin
Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin
• Governors and Canadians came together in 2001 to create the GLSLRB Sustainable Water Resources Compact– Regulates diversion and water management– Doesn’t remove prior agreements
• Compact pioneered collaborative and whole-basin schemes
Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin
Compact Loophole and Exceptions
• “Bottled Water Loophole”– Cannot use any container greater than 5.7 gallons
to remove water• Doesn’t include items that include water– Paint, clothes etc.
Working to Create More Drinking Water
• Desalination: – Destillation: heat water until evaporates and it
condenses as freshwater– Reverse Osmosis: uses high pressure to force
saltwater through a membrane filter with pores small enough to remove the salt
Disadvantages…
• Expensive, uses a lot of energy, the pumping kills marine life, produces very salty wastewater when dumped threatens surrounding life.
Tuesday November 13th 2012
• QU: When a resource or service is privatized what is actually occuring?
Current Event Due Friday
• OBJ: Water Wars Movie
WedNesday November 14th 2012
• QU:One advantage of hydroelectric power is that it produces little air pollution compared to other forms of energy. START WRITING HERE: Considering that hydroelectric power involves a disruption in the flow of a river, should we continue to invest in it? Why or why not?
**Current Event Due on Friday**Chapter 7 and 11 test on Monday
• OBJ: Water Wars Movie
Thursday November 15th 2012
• QU: Choose a solution to the world water crisis discussed in the film that you found most interesting. START WRITING HERE: Explain why this stood out to you. Do you think it is effective? Why or why not?
**CURRENT EVENT due TOMORROW**
• OBJ: Water Wars Movie
Friday November 16th 2012
• QU:
**Aquatic Biomes, Water Test on Monday**
• OBJ: Current Events, Review
Monday November 19th 2012
• QU: How did you study for this test?
**Turn in E.C. Review**
• OBJ: Chapter 7 and 11 Test
Tuesday November 20th 2012
• QU: Rate the test from 1-10. (1 is easy, 10 is hard)
**Journals Due Today**
• OBJ: Caves (Planet Earth)
