Annual Rates of Precipitation Maryland and the District of Columbia have similar average annual precipitation patterns (based on a period of 30 years from 1951-1980) with 42 inches and 43 inches, respectively. Although the precipitation pattern distributed evenly throughout the year, the spring and summer months (May – September) get approximately 2.5 inches more precipitation compared to the rest of the year (USGS, 1999). Furthermore, apart from the seasonal variation in the precipitation rates, there has been an increase in the annual precipitation rate of Washington, DC, since 1965 (see methods/discussion Evapotranspiration According to a USGS study, approximately one-third to one-half of total precipitation becomes runoff in central Maryland and the District of Columbia (USGS, 1999). Evapotranspiration makes up the difference between amounts of precipitation and runoff. AET = P – Q Where AET is actual evapotranspiration, P is the precipitation depth, and Q is runoff depth. Combined evaporation and transpiration from plants (evapotranspiration) is balanced by inflows as precipitation and outflows as runoff. Based on a research conducted by McGuiness (1963) for a period of seventeen years (1933-1949), the Rock Creek basin received an average precipitation of 43.5 inches, in which 12 inches was surface runoff. Therefore, if the precipitation and runoff values are substituted into the equation above, actual evapotranspiration rate of the basin equals 31.5 inches. However,
Each year, at least 7.8 trillion gallons of water are drawn up from the Ogalla Aquifer to irrigate the crops planted on the High Plains. These cros are the main food sourrce for our entire country. Tragically, irrigation is depleting the aquifer faster than it can replenish itself, and that is the problem. In fact, only the tiniest fraction of the water is ever replaced in the Ogallala Aquifer. If the water were ever fully depleted, the aquifer would need 6,000 years to refill naturally (Zwingle 83). The only way the Ogalla can be replenished is by water seeping down through the layers of soil until it reaches the aquifer. This water comes from the small amount of precipitation in the region, as well as from streams, reservoirs, canals, and irrigation (McGuire and Sharpe).
How does the vegetation surface type affect the amount of runoff? Speculate why this happens.
More to the south the rain increases, and the length of the summerdry season shortens. Rainfall totals more than 200 inches per year in some places.
Warmer temperatures in Arizona in river has been leading to more evaporation. The water that is being used by plants and soil experience evapotranspiration which has accounted for a loss of at least half-million acre-feet of water annually.
Drought condition exists throughout most of Arizona. Variable amounts of rainfall throughout last year’s where was significantly below the normal with surface water flows, reservoir levels, and well water pumping levels are at some of their lowest ever recorded all of that act as indication of drought occurrence. Drought is a normal recurring feature of climate, not a rare or random event. Climate influence water quality throughout temperature, precipitation, and wind by affecting the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water. For instance, temperature fluctuation results in more stress on aquatic organism within water body, in the same way wind fluctuation has a direct effect on evaporation rate. Municipal water providers in Flagstaff, Williams, Mayer, Pine, Strawberry, and in areas near Sierra Vista, Sonoita, and Picacho have suffered from some potable
“Every homeowner should consider a rain garden to decrease the amount of pollutants running into the watershed” (Morris 305).
Over the years, this area became humid with 36 inches of rain per year. Temperatures in
On average, the temperate deciduous woodland should receive around 750-1500mm of rain per year. If this number is greatly exceeded, then the soil will become saturated and the area will flood, suffocating the plants as they do not have access to sufficient oxygen and carbon dioxide. On the contrary, if there is not enough rainfall then the plants will also die because they do not have access to a plentiful supply of minerals that the water contains such as nitrogen and magnesium.
The runoff carries pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediments into the Bay. In urban areas the standard city block creates five times more runoff than a forested area. About 30% of runoff in an urban area is evaporated, 55% stays runoff, and the other 15% soaks into the land with a variation of deep and shallow infiltration. About 40% of runoff in a forest evaporates, 10% stays runoff, and the extra 50% seeps into the ground with a variation of deep and shallow infiltration. The runoff is actually the fastest growing source of pollution for the Chesapeake
Heavy precipitation events that historically occurred once in 20 years are projected to occur as frequently as every 5 to 15 years by this late century. Short term droughts are expected to intensify in most regions. Longer term droughts are expected to intensify in larger regions in the Southwest. Flooding may intensify in many U.S regions. Climate change is affecting the groundwater availability also. Sea level rising and storms surges are expected to compromise the sustainability of coastal freshwater and
Growing up, we all went through the water cycle lesson and we will never forget it. The reason being, we encounter the water cycle throughout our entire life and it will always effect our systems and more importantly our water system. As illustrated in the picture, our water cycle includes the processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, which then goes to many places. During evaporation, the sun is used as a main power to make this happen. The sun’s rays beat down onto the ground creating all of the moisture and water to fizzle into a gas state into the atmosphere and get stored away into the clouds. When it is stored into the clouds it is condensing. Condensation means that the gas is again forming itself back into its liquid state to get ready to return to Earth. The condensation then forms into precipitation. Precipitation comes in many different forms. You can see it as rain, snow, sleet, or hail making its way back to us. What happens to it then depends on the area. The water might end up as runoff, or become
Washington, D.C. has different types of weather year round. The average annual precipitation is 40.78 inches. It rains annually about a 115 days in Washington, D.C. The average temperature is 55.7 F most of the year there. The winters can get really harsh there also. But from coast to coast Washington D.C. is the best known city in
Hydrologic studies has always been the subdiscipline of environmental science that has most intrigued me; probably because the eco- and geological systems that comprise surface and shallow groundwater systems are so inexorably entwined and very delicate. Both of the virtual labs were interesting, and paint a clear picture of how we affect our hydrosphere and how that, in turn, affects us. Spotsylvania County and the city of Fredericksburg share four water treatment facilities that pull water from the Mott's Run Reservoir, the Ni River, and the Rappahannock River, which is the largest river in the local area, the other two being smaller tributaries that feed into it. The Rappahannock River is a significant body of water, providing the potable water for roughly a quarter-million people. Toward the coast the river sees mostly recreational and some light industrial use, and further upstream it is affected by many small to midsized agricultural operations that take place on the land adjacent to the river.
The western prairies provinces (WPP) have an area of two million km2, these regions are the main agricultural and food producing regions in all of Canada (Schindler, 2006). As global warming increases, more water will be used for irrigation for crops. Every year, 2.5 km3 of water is used for irrigation on 1 million acres of land. The water comes from reservoirs and lakes that trap snowmelt run-off from the Rocky Mountains, however only twenty percent of this water is returned to the rivers. The WPP temperatures have increased by 4 degrees since 1970 (Schindler, 2006. Most of the rural areas are not receiving 14-24% of their previous annual precipitation in the 1900’s. The summer flows have decreased 20-84% due to the increased warming through its effects on evapotranspiration and evaporation (Schindler, 2001). Low water flows can cause an escalation of water retention that results in increased nutrient retention, thus proliferating Eutrophication. (Helmer,1999). This imbalance between water evaporation, water usage and water replenishment will create scarce resource for Western Canada’s near future.
There is less and less water than before the, about half of the original. So during rainy seasons, there's too much. During the dry seasons, there is too little water to go around.