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Under Where? Underground Water and Its Contribution to Streams

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Water
  • Aquifers
  • Chemistry
  • Ground Water
  • Infiltration
  • Rainfall
  • Snowfall
  • Streamflow
  • Water Cycle
Cover for the 'Under Where?' article. The main image is a photograph of a rocky waterfall.
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When snow melts or rain falls, some of the water runs off into streams or rivers. Most of the water, however, goes down into the soil. The water that stays close to the soil's surface flows laterally and down hillsides. Scientists in this study wanted to know how much this soil water, compared to other sources of water, contribute to stream flow in certain areas. They also wanted to know how levels of snowfall affect groundwater's contribution to stream flow.

 

Under Where? Underground Water and Its Contribution to Streams

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Freshwater - Vol. 18 No. 1

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  • In this FACTivity, you will use the knowledge you have gained from the reading “Under Where?” and other articles in this journal, as well as other sources of information about...

    FACTivity – Under Where?

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Water
    • Creative Writing
    • Group Activity
    • Hands-on
    • Water Cycle
    In this FACTivity, you will use the knowledge you have gained from the reading “Under Where?” and other articles in this journal, as well as other sources of information about...
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    • Download FACTivity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
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    Part Of

    Under Where? Underground Water and Its Contribution to Streams

  • The purpose of this FACTivity is to demonstrate how house plants use water and compare this process with an outdoor plant’s use of soil water. Materials: Potted house plant with...

    Alternate FACTivity – Under Where?

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 2-3 Classroom Periods
    • Water
    • Class Activity
    • Hands-on
    • Houseplant
    • Underground Water
    • Water Cycle
    The purpose of this FACTivity is to demonstrate how house plants use water and compare this process with an outdoor plant’s use of soil water. Materials: Potted house plant with...
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)
    • Explore Activity
    • Download FACTivity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Under Where? Underground Water and Its Contribution to Streams

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Glossary

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  • intact

    (in takt): Not broken or damaged.

  • land cover

    (land kə vər): Data that documents how much of a region is covered by forests, wetlands, impervious surfaces, agriculture, and other land and water types, like wetlands or open water.  Definition from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

  • laterally

    (la tə rəl lē): Side to side.

  • localized

    (lō kə līz(d)): Within a limited area.

  • precipitation

    (pri si pə tā shən): A deposit on the Earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow.

  • reservoir

    (re zǝ vwär): An artificial lake where water is collected and kept in quantity for use.

  • runoff

    (rən ȯf): Water from rain or snow that flows over the surface of the ground and finally into streams.

  • snowmelt

    (snō melt): Water from melting snow that flows over the surface of the ground into streams and rivers.

  • snowpack

    (snō pak): A seasonal accumulation of slow-melting packed snow.

  • streamflow

    (strēm flō): The movement of water in streams, rivers, and other channels.

  • turbidity

    (tər bə də tē): A measure of the cloudiness or muddiness of a water body.

  • upslope

    (əp slōp): Being or moving to or toward the top of a slope.

  • watershed

    (wȯ tǝr shed): A region or area bounded on the edge by a dividing ridge and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water.

  • Headshot of Dr. Fengjing Liu.

    Fengjing Liu

    Hydrologist

    My favorite science experience is doing research to understand how water and contaminants move and how they are linked within a watershed.
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  • Photo of Carolyn Hunsaker standing inside an instrument shed pouring a water sample from the automated sampler in the background.

    Carolyn Hunsaker

    Ecologist

    My favorite science experience was identifying a major gap in knowledge and designing and implementing a large-scale experiment with a diverse team of people. Our team believes this experiment’s findings...
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  • Photo of Dr. Roger Bales in a snowy wooded area, checking a measuring device.

    Roger Bales

    Engineer | Environmental Scientist

    In my research, I switch between science and engineering. I get excited when our detailed, difficult measurements of the water cycle are successful and provide insight to predict how the...
    View Profile

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Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • Civic Ideals and Practices
  • Culture
  • Global Connections
  • Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Time, Continuity, and Change

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

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What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

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  • Meet the Scientists

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  • Introduction

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  • Method

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  • Findings & Discussion

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  • Reflection Section

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  • Number Crunches

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  • Glossary

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  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


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Lessons

  • In this lesson, students will create a storyboard to graphically represent the main points from the research article they read. This can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.

    Lesson Plan – Storyboard (Freshwater)

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    • Story Telling
    In this lesson, students will create a storyboard to graphically represent the main points from the research article they read. This can be used with any Natural Inquirer article.
    • Explore Lesson Plan
    • Download Lesson Plan (PDF)
    • Explore Lesson Plan
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    Part Of

    Freshwater - Vol. 18 No. 1

Education Files

Project Learning Tree

If you are a trained Project Learning Tree educator, you may use “Rain Reasons” and “Water Wonders” as additional resources.

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