Water Quality 8th Grade 2013 - 2014

Factors of Water Health Physical Variables Chemical Variables Non-living components that indicate the health of a water source. Example: Temperature Turbidity Water Movement Chemical components that indicate the health of a water source. Example: Dissolved Oxygen and other gases pH Nitrates Salinity

Things in Common between Physical and Chemical Variables Constantly changing due to natural and man-made forces Can influence water quality

Factors that create an Ecosystem Abiotic Biotic Nonliving things/factors that affect living organisms. Example: Habitat (pond, lake, ocean, desert, mountain) Weather (temperature, cloud cover, rain, snow, etc.) Living things/factors that affect living organisms. Example: Plants Animals Fungi Protist Bacteria

Things in Common between BIOTIC and ABIOTIC Factors Both create an ecosystem Both affect organisms living in an ecosystem

Water Quality The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. The measure of the conditions of water compared to the requirements for human usages.

Temperature A measure of the amount of heat using a numerical scale. Marine species have preferred water temperatures in which they can live

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) The amount of oxygen in water available for use by marine organisms. Can be “breathed” in by fish and other marine life.

Nitrates Made of one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms Enter water by contaminated fertilizers, septic tank leakage, sewage, and land erosion.

Phosphates Made of one phosphorous atom and four oxygen atoms Enters water from human and animal waste, laundry, cleaning products, and industrial waste. . Can stimulate the growth of producers.

pH A measure of how acidic or basic water is. pH 1 – 6 = acidic pH 7 = neutral pH 8 – 14 = Basic

Turbidity The measure of how clear or how cloudy the water is. Dirt, sand, algae, etc. can make it harder for sunlight to travel through the water.

Bioindicators Living organisms such as fish, insects, algae and plants that are studied to identify the quality of water.

Water Quality Standards Benchmarks established and regulated by local, regional and federal agencies to outline pollution control programs and determine the quality of water.

Water Treatment The process used to remove contaminants from water to make it usable by humans.

Stewardship The act of being responsible for overseeing and protecting, caring for, and preserving something.