Carla Mooney - Explore Rivers and Ponds!: With 25 Great Projects

Nomad Press

A division of Nomad Communications

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Copyright 2012 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.

Illustrations by Bryan Stone

Educational Consultant, Marla Conn

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Introduction
The World of Water

Chapter 1
The Freshwater Biome

Chapter 2
Ponds and Lakes

Chapter 3
Streams and Rivers

Chapter 4
Wetlands 56

Chapter 5
Conservation and Protection

Have you ever looked at a map of the earth, or a globe? Youve probably noticed that a lot of our planet is covered in water. Most of this is salt water in the oceans. Only about 3 percent of the earths water is fresh. And of that very small amount, most is solid ice in glaciers or hidden deep underground.

globe: a map of the earth on a round ball.

glacier: a huge mass of ice and snow.

freshwater: water that is not salty. It is less than 1 percent salt.

Because so much freshwater is frozen or hard to reach, it cant be used by humans, animals, or plants. In fact, the freshwater we can use covers only a tiny part of the earths surface. Think of it this way: if all the water in the world were the size of a globe, the freshwater we can use would be just a tiny drop about the size of a marble.

bog: an area of wet, spongy land that is full of peat.

peat: dark brown, partly decayed plant matter found in bogs and swamps.

amphibian: an animal with a backbone that lives on land and in water, such as a frog, toad, or salamander. An amphibian is cold-blooded, so it needs sunlight to keep warm and shade to keep cool.

ecosystem: a community of living and nonliving things and their environment. Living things are plants, animals, and insects. Nonliving things are soil, rocks, and water.

environment: a natural area with animals, plants, rocks, soil, and water.

habitat: the natural area where a plant or animal lives.

So what exactly is freshwater? Its water that is not salty. Freshwater is found in many different places that are called bodies of water. Lakes, streams, ponds, brooks, creeks, rivers, bogs, marshes, and even a tiny puddle on your driveway are all freshwater.

Whats the big deal about freshwater? It is important because wherever you find freshwater, youll find life! Some of these forms of life are big enough for you to see. Others are so tiny you need a microscope to see them. But theyre in there.

A wide variety of animals, birds, amphibians, insects, and plants make their homes in or near freshwater ecosystems. Every freshwater habitat holds a world of wacky, weird, and wonderful life. In fact, freshwater is such a great place to live that more living things make their home in freshwater than anywhere else on Earth.

You use freshwater every day. You drink freshwater. You use it to take a bath or shower. If you help your parents to water houseplants or a garden, you are using freshwater to keep the plants alive. You even use freshwater to flush your toilets!

pollute: to make dirty or contaminate.

groundwater: water that is underground in spaces between rocks.

In this book, youll explore all types of freshwater bodies and habitats. Youll learn how each is formed. Youll see what types of plants and animals make their homes there. And youll find out what happens when something pollutes or disrupts these freshwater habitats.

There is more freshwater stored as groundwater than the total amount of water found in lakes and rivers.

Freshwater ecosystems are everywhere you look. These ecosystems include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands. In fact, any pool of water that is mostly salt-free can be called a freshwater ecosystem, even one that is only up to your ankles. Freshwater ecosystems can exist in puddles, ditches, and gutters. Together, freshwater ecosystems, large and small, make up Earths freshwater biome. So where does all this freshwater come from? And why isnt it salty?

wetland: an area where the land is soaked with water, such as a swamp.

swamp: an area of wet, spongy ground that grows woody plants like trees and shrubs.

biome: a large area with a similar climate, and the plants and animals that live there.