MAPS

-ie. soils map of alberta, pine beetle occurrance

TIME SERIES

MODELLING

*to define model parameters

*to calibrate model

*to validate model output

ANSWERING QUESTIONS

-how did this tree get here?

-date

-location

-objective

-who you're working with

-weather conditions

-basic observations

-notes on in-field lectures

-time

-location

-observations/sketches

-things you may have missed

-events that may cause outliers

-things you might want to indicate in lab report

-review

-photographs (always write down time of photo, what you were looking at, reason, etc). photos are not replacements for sketches

-maps

-potential error

-changing conditions

Temperature and Precipitation

Also..

-Relative Humidity

-Wind

-pressure

-clouds

-visibility

-radiation

Semi-arid... 386mm/yr

-chinooks

-severe weather

-extreme events

-lanscape context

-drives local site conditions

-impact on study variables

-change over time

**look at powerpoint slide on weather maps (lec.3)

-scale

-spatial variability

-temporal variability

-impacts of microclimate, topography, and local obstacles

-more accurate if you are there

-manual and automated

-twice daily vs continually recorded data

-field observatiosn while completing other data collection

-represents shape of the earth

-semi-minor axis is the polar radius

-semi-major axis is the equatorial radius

-there are different types of reference ellipsoind, including NAD83, WGS84, Clarke 1866, and Airy 1930.

Latitude (parallels)

-veritcal distance N or S of equator from earth's centre

-max 90 degrees N or S

-length of 1 degree is 111.3195 (equator) to 110.9462 (poles)

Longitude (meridians)

-horizontal distance E or W of a prime meridian, measured from the earth's centre (max 180 E or W).

-lenth 1 degree is (cos(lat))*(length 1 degree lat).

***Map must have a purpose***

PROJECTION

-how you flatten the sphere

Azimuthal (planar) represents best where it touches

-preserves distance, area, shape near centre

-best for polar maps

Conical projections are best for mid-latitudes

-scale is correct along touching latitude

Mercator is best for world maps

-size and shape are distorted towards poles

-exists transverse (poles touching) and oblique (at an angle)

UTM

-based on transverse mercator

-60 E-W zones, 6 degrees wide

-numbered 1-60 eastward, beginning at the 180th meridian

-Canada covers zones 7-22

-rectangular 100 000m grid system superimposed on each zone.

-if outisde 84N and 80S, cannot use UTM

-60 zones. If using UTM, have to say the zone

-can convert b/w geographic and UTM coordinates

SCALE
-verbal, ratio, or graphical

-largest number = smallest scale

SYMBOLIZATION

-use symbols to represent complex things

-LOST

-purpose!

-

-

-

-

Three ways to show relief: Color, contours, shading

geoid= average sea level around land surface based on amount of water in ocean.

*understanding a topo map will help you understand where to put research site, etc.

Gully on topo map: V pointing uphill

Ridge: V pointing downhill

Valley: big, flat, low-lying space, with contour lines pointing away and water flowing in (contours point upstream)

**map distance does not equal ground distance**

TYPES
longitudinal transect: parallel to feature of interest

cross/transverse transect: perpendicular to feature

-they are designed to answer different questions

Transect types:

-hydrological

-climate

-topographical

-ecological

Rise over run = Gradient

Slope % = rise over run * 100

Slope angle = arctan(rise/run)

Ecology: interaction between biotic and abiotic components of the environment

Habitat: Biotic/abiotic conditions of places where specis live

Niche: How species exploit available resources for survival, growth, and reproduction

See Canadian Ecozones chart.

What variables define an ecozone?

-precipitation

-temperature

-latitude

What varies between ecozones?

-climate

-soils

-vegetation

-wildlife

Look at images on ppt (lec 5)

Why grasslands?

-dry climate with large temperature range

Grasses

-narrow leaves

-large

-Die down under heat stress (large ___ masses)

-grow quickly

Grassland Subreagions

1)dry mixed grasses (largest, most east)

2)mixed grasses (central, and cypress hills)

3)Northern Fescue

4)Foothill fescue (most western)

Mid, SE Alberta:

-chinook reduce temp range

-more snow = wetter

Plants: N & W wheat grass, porcupine grass, flowers

-habitat assessment

-monitor species health and spread (climate change, invasive species, are areas stressed or susceptible to disease?

Assess interactions

-substrate

-microclimate

-hydrology

-animals

Used to collect comparable samples from areas of constant shape/size

Square or circular (fixed radius)

Allow you to subsample from areas of constant shape/size

Main thing used for veg surveys

Quadrat size changes depending on area

-Grassland: 0.5-1.0 sq.m.

-Shrubs 2.0 sq.m.

-woodland 20.0 sq.m.

PERCENT COVER

-% area covered by one species or by total (can be >100%).

-%area by species (foliar or basal)

Relative Cover

-% one spp relative to all

DENSITY

-number of individuals per unit area

Relative Density

-density of one species as % of all

FREQUENCY

% of all samples containing > or equal to one of selected species

-gives distribution and abundance

Relative Frequency

-frequency of one species as % of total frequency

DIVERSITY

-# different species in unit area

BIOMASS/PRODUCTIVITY

-volume/weight of plant material per unit area

Impossible to measure entire region

Assume sample is representative

-need enoug to accurately represent region

-avoid bias

TYPES OF SAMPLE

RANDOM

You are not involved in selection of points

-works well for homogeneous areas (ie. same ecozone) or with limited time

-all outcomes equally likely

HOW

-Decide what to sample (individuals, habitat)

-Choose haphazardly (not completely random... subconscious bias)

-assign #s to potential sampling areas

-pick form hat to select sample locations.

SYSTEMATIC

-at fixed intervals

-usually along defined transect (elevation, moisture, substrate)

Belt Transect

-sample in an area next to the line at set intervals

-habitat identification/suitability for certain species

STRATIFIED

-pre-defining sub-areas for sampling

-where small areas within larger habitat are easily defined

-recognizes major differences in community

 (habitat, slope, substrate, microclimate, moisture conditions, grazing pressure, anthropogenic disturbance)

*random or systematic sampling done in each "strata"

3% is fresh

Of that, 0.3% is surface water

Of that, 2% is in rivers (11% swamps, 87% lakes)

The terrestrial hydrological cycle moves 3% of earth's water

CANADIAN FRESHWATER FACTS
-10% of total land area covered by freshwater

(7.6% in 2 million lakes)

(2% in glaciers and icefields)

-80% of fresh water drains north

-85% of population lives on S border

-Also called catchment, drainage basin, river basin

-capture area for precipitation inputs, defined by topography

-extent (sq.km) delineated by a drainage divide identified from maps, airphotos, satellite imagery

-see p 104-6 in coursepack

-on coast, S is cascades, W is coastal mountains, N is Skeena mountains, NE is Rockies

North America

-Arctic (11%)

-Hudson bay (20%)

-Pacific (25%)

-Atlantic (28%)

-gulf of mexico (15%)

AB

-peace-athabasica

-North Sask

-South Sask

-Beaver

-Milk

-some say there are 7-8, but depends on how you define them.

Check out Old Man basin in 7.3

-industry

-natural hazards (flooding, drought)

-irrigation

-recreation

-Oldman Dam

artesian aquifer: only fed from one location

watr table/unconfined aquifer: fed from above

soil above aquifer is "unsaturated zone"

Ground water that recharges over millennia has serious management implications

MILK RIVER AQUIFER

-'60-'92 doubled water usage (livestock)

-'57-'85 - 30-40m drop in water level

Water wastage from flowing wells ~299 million litres/yr

Town of Foremost wells, water level dropped ~90m since initial well installation (1923).

500/1014 wells are researched by AB Env

IMPACTS

-septic tanks

-road salt

-manure spreading

-landfills

-etc

Velocity & Discharge

Water Quality

Channel Form

Floodplain Form

Ecology and Sedimentology

-Soil and Vegetation

-what are the regional soils?

-how do soils vary spatially across the floodplain?

-what drives variations?

-Soil type (substrate) relates to vegetation

v= velocity(m/s)

A= cross-sectional area (sq.m)

Q= discharge (v*A) (m³/s)

thalweg- maximum velocity

When measuring velocity in the field, use two cross sections, and two vertical profiles in each

Velocity should be measured at 0.6 of the depth, as this is when the mean velocity exists.

Can also use the GOFO method (good old fashioned orange)

-orange is a good shape.

Use Manning equation to calculate flow

v=k((R^2/3s^1/2)/n)

R=A/(w+2d)

k= 1 in SI units

R= hydraulic radius = average depth = Y

s = slope

n= Mannings roughness coefficient = (n₀+n₁+n₂+n₃+n₄)m₅

LOOK At n slide! 7.5

-temperature

-turbidity

-pH

-Electrical conductivity (total dissolved solids)

-Dissolved O2

-fecal coliforms

pH coke is 2.4, battery acid 0.3, milk 6.5, ammonia 11.4, and ly 13.5

(look at this as well, same page)

Dissolved solids exist the most in deep aquifers and lakes without outlets, and the greatest ranges are in streams. Rivers have smaller ranges, within the stream range, and rains have the lowest amounts.

LONG PROFILE

Torrent section (highest elevation, beginning of river).. erosion dominates

Floodplain section (deposition dominates)- near mouth of river

REACH SCALE

-slope

-pool riffle sequence

-steep pool sequence

RESTORATION

-Ecology, geomorphology, hydrology

-Return fluvial systems to natural state

-Self sustaining

-Natural Disturbance

-Do we know enough about river systems to know what is natural?

RESTORATION TYPES
-scale: reach vs watershed

-funding/time/knowledge dicatates

-water quality

-fish habitat

-side benefits (ie. recreation)

-use control & experiments to see what works best

HISTORY

-historically low priority

-management for human activity

-recent changes...

---ecosystem based approach

---range of experts

MAIN GOAL

-re-establish conditions under which natural stream states can exist

-don't recreate these states directly

WHY RESTORATION?

-Natural causes (flood, drought, volcanic activity, wildfires)

-Anthropogenic factors (pollution, channel modification (dredging, culverting), clearing vegetation)

Human Activity

-changes flow regime, sediment input/routing, veg, large woody debris

-initial impacts

---channel widening, sediment aggradation, decrease in depth

-Further impacts

---meander geometry, bankfull width, w:d ratio

Conducting Restoration

1)Stream Assessment

-Identify channel reaches

-classify morphology; assess changes

-Assess: disturbance, bed material, bank condition, channel geometry, bankfull, vegetation, ecology, erosion, spp inventory, soil

2)Restoration Plan

-Prescribe restoration (restore original morphology, reduce channel disturbance)

-Identify limits to long-term restoration (long profile, impact of upstream conditions on downstream reaches)

3)Implementation

micro-scale restoration -reach scale

-useful where local alteration is greater than stream damage

-in-stream structures (log weirs, wire gabions)

-change bank/bed material, forms

-introducing large, woody debris

large-scale -

-explosives

-dams

-maintenance required

-can negatively impact downstream systems

4)Monitoring effectiveness

Assessing restoration success

What = success?

-maintain/improve ecology

-storm survival

-return to natural state

Long-term monitoring

-pre-resoration baseline data

-compare with post-restoration

-need baseline to quantify!

Interpret Surface processes

-relief

-landform orientation

-terrain character

-visible landmarks

Endo vs exogenic forces

endogenic force: internal (plate movement)

-earthquakes and volcanoes

exogenic forces: external (glaciation, weathering and erosion)

erosion: sediment is removed

Weathering: sediment stays in same locations

Factors influencing erosion:

-rock hardness

-vegetation cover

-water flow

-slope

-climate/temp

-wind

-water

-landuse

-organisms

Indentifying forces on the landscape

Consider:

-shape

-dimension (3D- breadth, width, depth)

-pattern

-structure (how it is put together - dif from image)

-composition (dif from image)

-distribution

-setting (ie. geologic/climate setting)

EXAMPLES

1)rolling hills - shape, size, height, direction, concentration,

2)incised streams - flow direction, evidence of former flow, sediments, geology

3)erratics - rock type, position in landscape, 'trains'

4)Recent activity - mass movement, recent gullies

Look for anthropogenic clues

-place names

-location of roads

-partitioning of land (political borders)

HELPFUL AIDS@@@@@@!!!

www.eathdetails.com

www.csus.edu/indiv/s/slaymaker/archives/Geol10L/lanforms.htm

Read p240