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Watershed: Learn what a watershed is and why they are important. A watershed is an area of land that drains into a lake, river, or bay. As rainwater and melting snow run downhill, they carry sediment and other materials into our streams, lakes, wetlands and groundwater. We all live in a watershed. Watersheds are the places we call home, where we work and where we play. Everyone relies on water and other natural resources to exist. What you and others do on the land impacts the quality and quantity of water and our other natural resources
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Stormwater: What is stormwater and why should we be concerned about its affects? Stormwater is a term used to describe water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt or runoff water from overwatering that enters the stormwater system. Stormwater that does not soak into the ground becomes surface runoff, which either flows into surface waterways or is channeled into storm sewers. Stormwater is of concern for two main issues: one related to the volume and timing of runoff water (flood control and water supplies) and the other related to potential contaminants that the water is carrying, i.e. water pollution.
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Seagrasses: Why are seagrasses important to an ecosystem? Seagrass beds are highly diverse and productive ecosystems, and can harbor hundreds of associated species from all phyla, for example juvenile and adult fish, epiphytic and free-living macroalgae and microalgae, mollusks, bristle worms, and nematodes. Few species were originally considered to feed directly on seagrass leaves (partly because of their low nutritional content), but scientific reviews and improved working methods have shown that seagrass herbivory is a highly important link in the food chain, with hundreds of species feeding on seagrasses worldwide, including dugongs, manatees, fish, geese, swans, sea urchins and crabs.
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Watercycle: What is the water cycle? Earth's water is always in movement, and the water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Since the water cycle is truly a "cycle," there is no beginning or end. Water can change states among liquid, vapor, and ice at various places in the water cycle, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years.
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Wetlands: What are wetlands? Wetlands are habitats that fall somewhere on the environmental spectrum between land and water. Since wetlands lie at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, they possess a unique mixture of species, conditions, and interactions. As a result, wetlands are among our planet's most diverse and varied habitats.
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Recycling: What is recycling and why is it important? Recycling refers to the process of collecting used materials, which is usually considered as ‘waste’ and reprocessing them. In this process these used materials are sorted and processed to be used as ‘raw materials’ for the production of new products. Recycling varies from ‘re-use’ in the sense that while re-use just means using old products repeatedly, recycling means using the core elements of an old product as raw material to manufacture new goods. Some of the most common items that are recycled are plastic, glass; paper, batteries, aluminum etc. Recycling is importance because it helps save energy, saves environmental conditions and reduces pollution, saves natural resources, has numerous economic benefits associated with it and saves space for waste disposal. Watch the Videos and take the corresponding quiz to see how much you have learned!!!
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