Final remarks – GIS and Water Quality AP Environmental Science Mr. Johnston & Ms. Adkison, Spring 2012 Bob Jones High School & James Clemens High School Madison, AL Eric R. Anderson M.S. Candidate, Earth System Science Dr. Robert Griffin, advisor Department of Atmospheric Science University of Alabama in Huntsville

Demo: 2 Explore the GPS points online

 GPS information can be used to “train” satellite data so that we can classify elevation, land cover, etc. much more efficiently  Remote sensing allows us to identify not only broad categories like trees, grass, concrete, water, but we can also…  Detect materials based on their chemical compositions, such as hydrocarbons in paints, precious minerals  Distinguish synthetic green from natural green 3 Bringing GPS into more advanced analysis with GIS and remote sensing

grass

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1. Chemical and biological assessments of water quality (use GPS to keep track of the sites) 2. What were your DO, pH, nitrate measurements? 3. Do these agree with what you might expect? 4. What are some explanations for these observations? 5. Determine the area of influence or drainage basin for these points (using GIS) 6 Water quality field sampling

7  Which way does the water flow?

8  Note the change in resolution!  Which way does the water flow?  Note the change in resolution! Flow direction

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 Explore GPS points in ArcMap online and delineate a drainage basin  Measure the area of influence and land cover types  We’ll use a remote sensing product that required field validation points that were taken in a similar manner that we gathered GPS points of land cover types around campus… just on a bigger scale!  Lab: Determine the area of influence (drainage basin)

11 Estimate croplands in this drainage basin

12 Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2008

13 Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2008

14 Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2011

15 Estimate croplands in this drainage basin 2011

16 Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic

Reviewing… My goals  Introduce you to GIS, GPS and remote sensing  Enable you to explore how these tools can help you understand environmental science  Focus on water resources, water pollution, and related topics, while also recognizing the interdisciplinarity of geography and environment  Stimulate critical thinking on environmental data, analysis methods and social-ecological systems  Help prepare you to get a 5 on your AP test! 17

Considerations  GIS as a tool  Key water concepts  Water resources/pollution issues at home and abroad  The many applications of GIS and remote sensing 18

Why GIS?  A tool that is used extensively not only in the environmental field but also  Job market  “the big picture” and making spatial decisions 19 business defense / intelligence education government health and human services natural resources public safety transportation utilities communications

Important concepts 20

What is a watershed? Watershed boundary Drainage network Watershed

Fig. 14-3, p. 308 Unconfined Aquifer Recharge Area Precipitation Evaporation and transpirationEvaporation Confined Recharge Area Runoff Flowing artesian well Recharge Unconfined Aquifer Stream Well requiring a pump Infiltration Water table Lake Infiltration Unconfined aquifer Confined aquifer Confining impermeable rock layer Less permeable material such as clay

Fig. 21-4, p ppm Biological oxygen demand Dissolved oxygen (ppm) Types of organisms 8 ppm Recovery Zone Septic Zone Decomposition Zone Clean Zone Fish absent, fungi, sludge worms, bacteria (anaerobic) Trash fish (carp, gar, leeches) Clean Normal clean water organisms (Trout, perch, bass, mayfly, stonefly) Normal clean water organisms (Trout, perch, bass, mayfly, stonefly) Clean Zone Trash fish (carp, gar, leeches)  Dilution and decay of degradable, oxygen-demanding wastes and heat in a stream. Water Pollution Problems in Streams

Human-environment interactions Returning to… 24

(from Gill et al. 2007) MM5 Simulated July Temperature Difference MM5 Simulated July Rainfall Difference Initial MM5 simulation (Oglesby et al. In Press) results show that a deforested Maya landscape causes large decreases in rainfall and increases in temperature. The Maya Agriculture-Deforestation Model links in greater detail, simulations of land-use practices with their climatic effects.

Water Conflicts in the Middle East - A Preview of the Future  Many countries in the Middle East, which has one of the world’s highest population growth rates, face water shortages. Figure 14-1

Water Conflicts in the Middle East - A Preview of the Future

Human-environment interactions  Ancient vs. contemporary  Try to compare availability of data and information then and now  Understanding patterns and principles then and now “Plowed fields have replaced forests, domesticated animals have dispersed wildlife. Trees are plowed, mountains smoothed, and swamps drained. There are as many cities as in former years there were dwellings… Everywhere there are buildings, everywhere people, everywhere communities. Proof of this crowding is the density of human beings. We weigh upon the world; its resources hardly suffice to support us. As our needs grow larger, so do our protests that already nature does not sustain us.” Tertullian A.D. 200 (Carthage)

Human-environment interactions  Ancient vs. contemporary  As Tertullian postulated, many societies have not been sustained  Thousands of cultures have existed… 99% have collapsed

30 Can we appreciate our new perspective?

Resources GIS in APES materials  Earth System Science degree at UAHuntsville  NASA DEVELOP [paid!] internships 