GEO 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Flood, Oxbow Lake, Lake Ecosystem
12 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Lecture 14 - fresh water quantity and quality. Precipitation that doesn"t evaporate or infiltrate runs off the surface, back toward sea. Best measure of water v carried by river is discharge, the amount of water that passes a fixed point in a given amnt of time (usually expressed as m^3/s). Ponds - generally considered small bodies of water, shallow enough that sunlight reaches bottom + rooted plants grow over most of bottom. Lakes - larger deeper bodies of water that hold standing fresh water year-round. Both will eventually fill w/ sediment, or be emptied by an outlet stream. More shallow = more sunlight at bottom = increase in productivity + growth. So eventually they"ll turn into a wetland, although it takes a long time. This succession is stopped, and kept ponds and lakes from filling in, bc of glaciers that scrapes everything clean. Lush plant growth stabilizes soil, prevents erosion, allowing more aquifer infiltration -> ground water can recharge.
