SECTION II

In Water
 Aquatic Systems
• Water chemistry
• Temperature
• pH
• Turbidity (Light penetration)
• Dissolved oxygen
• Nutrients
• Currents and Tides
• Pressure
• Human Influences
Water Molecules
Dielectric constant of water
Hydrologic Cycle
Rainfall and Land Storage of Water
Aquifer structure
 Water storage on Earth
Reservoir Quantity Turn-over
(Cubic km) Time (years)
Ocean 1,380,000 37,000
Polar ice, glacier 29,000 16,000
Groundwater (Actively 4,000 300
exchanged)
Freshwater lakes 125 10-100
Saline lakes 104 10- 10,000
Soil moisture 67 280 days
Rivers 1.32 12-20 days
Atmospheric water vapor 14 9 days
Turbidity: Light penetration
Thermal and Light Stratification
Temperate lakes and water mixing

Spring overturn
Oceanic zones: Water temperature

above 20 °C

5 or 6 °C

400 °C

0 to 3 °C
TIDES: Moon and Sun forces
Currents and Nutrients: Upwelling Zones
Dissolved Oxygen in Water
Pressures in the water
• 1 atmosphere for
every 10 meters of depth
 Salinity
• Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt
content of a body of water.

• 35 g dissolved salt / kg sea water = 35 ppt =

35 o/oo = 3.5% = 35,000 ppm
 Salinity
• Fresh water (typical city water in United States) : < 100 ppm
• Water supply typically restricted to : 500 ppm
• Fresh water - official salt concentration limits in drinking
water US: 1000 ppm
• Typical limit agriculture irrigation : 2000 ppm
• Brackish water, mildly : 1000 - 5,000 ppm
• Brackish water, moderately : 5000 - 15,000 ppm
• Brackish water, heavily : 15,000 - 35,000 ppm
• Sea water : 30,000 - 50,000 ppm (approx. 35,000 ppm)

• Brine > 50,000 ppm

• Dead sea : 330,000 ppm
Dissolved salts in sea water
Component: Mass (grams)
Pure water: 965.31
Chlorine: 19.10
Sodium: 10.62
Magnesium: 1.28
Sulfur: 2.66
Calcium: 0.40
Potassium: 0.38
Minor constituents: 0.24
Trace constituents: 0.01
SUM: 1000.00
 Water chemistry: pH
• Pure water: pH 7 (at 25oC)
• Unpolluted rain: pH 5.6 (Soft water)
• Acid rain: pH 4.2- 4.7
• Lakes, streams, ponds: pH 6-8
• Sea water: pH 8.3 (Hard water)
• Surface water: pH 6.5 – 8.5
• Ground water: pH 6.0 – 8.5
 Reading Assignment
• The Hydrologic Cycle
• Chapter 3 Ecology by Molles (2016)
End