67Surface Water Lab Report

Introduction

Using models is very important in science. In this lab, you will design a model that will help you
investigate the relationship between land surfaces and water on Earth.

Problem:
How can we use the relationships between land surfaces and water to understand
conservation of resources and pollution?
Hypothesis:
Water that flows from higher land will carry the pollution down to the lower land and pool there.
Materials:

● one sheet of plain white paper

Procedures:

1. Place several sheets of newspaper or wax paper over a large flat surface, such as a
kitchen counter. Use at least five sheets of paper so that you can protect your work
area. (See video here of demonstration)
2. Crumple the sheet of white paper into a loose wad.
3. Uncrumple the sheet of paper so you can lay it on your work surface. The paper should
not be flat but should be wrinkled and puffed up from the crumpling.
4. Imagine the paper as a miniaturized version of mountains, hills, valleys, and other
landscape features. If your paper is so flat that you can't imagine these features, you
should recrumple it.
5. Use the marker to color the major folds or ridges in the paper, as well as some of the
minor folds or ridges. Do not allow the marker to color any other part of the paper.
6. Place the paper on top of the newspaper on the counter, and then lightly mist the piece
of paper with the spray bottle. Don't spray too heavily: Three to seven squirts will
probably do the job.
7. Stop misting as soon as you see some of the colored water starting to collect in some
of the valleys. Watch for a few moments as stream patterns develop over the paper.
8. If you have access to a digital camera, take a photograph of your work and include it in
your Data and Observations.
 9. Record your observations of each watershed that forms in Table 1. Take note of
headwaters, channels, divides, tributaries, mouths, floodplains, precipitation, and
infiltration in your descriptions.
10. Complete the Questions and Conclusion section of the lab report.

List Variables:

For this investigation, list the independent, dependent, and controlled variables.

Data and Observations:

If you were able to take a photograph of your paper, include a copy of this photo and label
each of your watersheds in the model.

Table 1: Fill out Observations of Watershed Model

Observations Source of Surface Water Location on Model

Watershed 1  Water spread, the ridge spray water  middle of the paper
lines appeared less
defined.

Watershed 2  water starts collecting in spray water  slowly flowing down

Watershed 3  water collects in the the water flowing from the  water starts collecting in one
watershed, the ink starts to second spray
sink into streams that run area
to higher ridges.

Watershed 4  water clearly flows into water flowing with the ink  flows into more areas with wa
watersheds in streams,
which is defined as
bleeding ink.

Watershed 5  watershed is clearly water flowing like streams  water flows along with water
determined, lots of ink is
flowing into runoff. creating runoff
Questions and Conclusion

1. View the surface water animation clip of the Mississippi watershed in the lesson.
Compare what is happening in this animation to what occurred to your watershed
model.

The Mississippi watershed animation shows how water flows from the middle of the
U.S. down to the Mississippi river. A lot of the fertilizer, nutrients and pollution that
affect the Mississippi river and the Gulf of Mexico that originate far up stream. On the
sheet of paper, the ink I used can illustrate the pollution, the nutrients, and the fertilizer
that affect the health of the water in streams, oceans, and rivers

2. Identify and describe all the ways water moved in your watershed model. Be sure to
include headwaters, channels, divides, tributaries, mouth, floodplains, precipitation, and
infiltration in your description.

When I sprayed the water on top of the ink in the mountains and hills it started to sink
into the creases which are at the lowest altitudes. Sometimes the water would connect
to other water sources,

3. How many different watersheds were in your model? How were you able to identify
them?

4. I found that there were 4 main watersheds in my model. I was able to identify this by
looking at where the water webs ran down and where the highest hill was.

5. Earth’s landscape can change over time. What can happen to a watershed as a result?

The watershed pattern changes as landscapes change. An example would be, if a hill
changes the watershed can lose the ability to get water and can also cause the area
around it to change.

6. Based on what you observed in the lab, why does pollution become more than a local
problem?

Because pollution spreads with water it is never strictly a local problem. It can drain
from one place and end up in another. Just like in my lab experiment, the ink on the
paper runs off in many directions and the pollution is kind of like that.

7. In conclusion, how did your prediction of watershed locations match the watersheds in
your model? In what ways could you continue to investigate the behavior of surface
water and the creation of watersheds? How would further investigation provide
research for strategies to solve the spread of water pollution? (Make sure you answer
all the questions)
My prediction matched the watersheds in my model because the water that flowed
higher carried the pollution down just like I predicted with my hypothesis. I could
continue to investigate the behavior of surface water and creation of watersheds by
testing out different marks on the paper with ink and seeing the different way the
pollution and watersheds move.