Essential Standard

8.E.1.4 Conclude that the good health of humans requires:• Monitoring of the hydrosphere• Water quality standards• Methods of water treatment• Maintaining safe water quality• Stewardship

Where do you think

Monitoring the Hydrosphere most likely takes place?

Monitoring the Hydrosphere

The hydrosphere is all of the water on Earth.

It is important to monitor the hydrosphere so we can predict droughts, hurricanes, floods, etc.

Three of the ways we monitor the hydrosphere are:

-Spectral Analysis

-Remote Sensing – works best over LARGE AREAS

-Ground Truthing – works best with SMALL areas

oSpectral analysis involves looking at the spectrum of electromagnetic energy reflected or absorbed from the Earth’s surface.

Spectral Analysis

oEnergy from the sun travels as electromagnetic waves.

oEach type of wave has a different wavelength and different amount of energy.

Solar Energy

o Some wavelengths of energy are absorbed by some surfaces and reflected by others.

o Wet soil absorbs 80-90% visible light energy; snow reflects 80%

o Depends on the type of energy

EM and Earth’s Surface

o A reflectance curve is a graph that shows how a surface reflects wavelengths of light from the sun.

o An upward curve shows that more energy is reflected; a downward curve shows that energy is absorbed

Reflectance Curve

EM Brainpop

o Satellites use the reflectance of energy to create images of Earth’s surface to monitor different areas

o Computers perform a spectral analysis read the reflectance curve

Back to Spectral Analysis

Remote Sensor Technology

o Remote sensing is a way to collect information about something without being there

Remote Sensing

Satellite image of algae bloom

Remote Sensor Technology

Remote Sensor Technology

Satellite image of water temperature –

Warmer temps – increase in algae blooms

Computer generated image of algae bloom –

Viewing these in sequence shows

Area affected

Changes to size

When combined with other factors, temp, flow, could help show connections

Satellite Technology = more broadly

Monitoring the Hydrosphere

 Remote SensingTechnology

 -Satellite and aerial images-Works best over large areas-Computer analyzed into color coded representations-Used to track current conditions and changes over time-Measures: photoplankton, temperature, pollution levels 

o Forestso Scientists use remote sensing to learn about the distribution and health

of forests, deforestation, etc

o Soilo Scientists can detect and monitor droughts because dry soil reflects

more visible light that wet, making the reflectance curve look different

o Watero Scientists can detect and monitor water pollution (evident from the

growth of algae). Snow turns into glacial ice the reflectance changes so scientists can monitor changes in snow and ice and effects of temperature

o Land useo Urban sprawl is the spreading out of a city. City planners can predict or

manage growth of a city or protect natural areas.

Uses for Remote Sensing

o Land Remote-Sensing Satellite

o Series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the USGS

o Hawaii

LandSat

GPS = Global Positioning System

Brain pop GPS

GPS – tracks position of objects in terms of latitude & longitude & elevation

Remote Sensing – takes a picture of this algae bloom

GPS pinpoints it’s exact position (lattitude:longitude)

Monitoring the Hydrosphere

 GPS

Global Positioning System 

 -Continuous transmission of data in real time by radio waves-Calculating Earth position of objects using latitude, longitude & elevation-Tracks movement  

Buoy System

Surface buoy systems measure water temperatures & current air temperatures & winds

Sonar – remote sensing for location of objects-not monitoring water properties & qualities

Monitoring the Hydrosphere

 ComputerizedBuoy System 

 -Surface buoy systems measure water temps & current, air temp & winds

-Deep water buoy systems measure seismic activity (tsunamis prediction)

GIS =

Geographic Information Systems

National Geographic Maps

GIS – more broadly

Monitoring the Hydrosphere

 GIS

Geographic Information System 

 -A software program that captures, analyzes & displays data that is received remotely

-Creates different map layers for the same area – each layer (water temp, nitrate levels, pH, DO)

GIS The Neuse River Basin

All Trails

Ground Truthing

This works best over small areas.

It is when a person visits a site and gathers data to draw a map of the site.

It is used to verify images captured with satellites.

How can we use remote sensing and technology to monitor (check) the hydrosphere?

What is remote sensing?

What types of technology can we use to monitor the Earth?

Remote sensing is viewing images of (i.e.) earth from satellites orbiting the planet.

Satellites, ground truthing – using a GPS, etc.

We can use the satellite images to monitor the sizes of lakes, rivers, etc. to determine if the size has become smaller due to drought or other circumstances.

What is missing from the second image that is found in the first?

1. a city

2. water

3. vegetation

4. vegetation and water

1) blackish-blue areas indicate a presence of water

2) greenish areas indicate vegetation

3) light purplish/white areas contain large amounts of concrete (ie and city)

4) the image on the left shows large amounts of water and vegetation, whereas the image on the right shows the absence of these water based items.

What could have caused the water based objects from the left image to be absent from the right image?

1. the images are of different locations

2. the left image was taken in spring while the right image was taken during the summer

3. the left image is an image before a severe drought and the right image is an image taken after the drought

4. the left image is of the area flooded while the right image is the normal image of the area

Option 3 best explains what is seen in the two images.

As a matter of fact, the images are of Lake Oahe in the Dakotas, a reservoir of the Missouri River. It is the nation’s fourth largest reservoir. The left image was taken in May 2000 and the right image was taken in April 2004. The images were taken to study the effects of a severe 6-year drought.

3. the left image is an image before a severe drought and the right image is an image

taken after the drought

EXTRAS

TeacherDomain – water conservation

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.conserve/

WS: List 3 water savings devices

Water saving home; http://www.h2ouse.org/

Build your own aquifer http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_aquifer.html