View
4
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
Watershed Detectives:
Making Science Relevant
Jessica GordonCity of Austin Watershed Protection
Jessica.Gordon@austintexas.gov
Watershed Detectives:
Making Science Relevant
• The Fish Kill Mystery– Austin-based, hands-on watershed investigation
(7th – 8th Grade)
• Flash Flood Alley: The Power of Water– Flood Safety Awareness Activities (6th-8th
Grade)
• Field Investigations – Field trips to local caves, streams, and
springs (6th-8th Grade)
Turn Around Don’t Drown
• Flooding is the #1 weather-related cause of death in Texas
• 75% of those deaths are caused by people driving across a flooded
road or bridge
• You can lose control of your vehicle in as little as 6” of water.
• Most cars will float and be swept away in 18” of moving water.
Students will:
1) Understand factors that cause flooding and how
flooding affects their community.
2) Build a model of a low water crossing to
demonstrate that the force of water can push a car
off the road.
3) Use GIS and atxfloods.com to determine if they live
in a floodplain and if there are low water crossings
on their way to school.
TEKS: 7.8A-C, 8.3B-C, 8.9C
Flood Safety Curriculum
Engagement Videos
• Austin Roads Flood in a
Flash:
www.austintexas.gov/depar
tment/flood-safety-
preparedness
• Flash Flood Alley:
Swept Away:
youtu.be/tYBo6t4_6_U
Engagement Photos
Students brainstorm about flooding in their
community and possible causes thereof.
Bastrop Park Rd 1A 1/25/2012 Shoal Creek (Lamar and 10th) 11/15/02
Shoal Creek 1981 Colorado River 1935
Exploration
Students will:
– construct a watershed
model that includes a
low water crossing
– create flooding
conditions
– observe a car wash off
the road in their model
Explanation
• Students discuss what the floodplain is on their
model, why the car washed off the road, and
advantages/limitations of their models.
• Students will learn more factors that affect
flooding in Central Texas
• Teacher will address common misconceptions
about the frequency of 100-year floods.
Factors Affecting Flash Floods Alley
Copyright 2005 FloodSafety.com
Geography, Geology, Topography,
Weather Patterns:
•Balcones Escarpment
•Steep terrain
•Storms coming from Pacific Ocean,
Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico
colliding over Central Texas
•Heavy Rainfalls
•Rocky and clay-rich soils
Extension/Elaboration
• Do you live in a floodplain? Do you travel over any
low water crossings on your way to school?
– Students will use www.atxfloods.com and a GIS
web viewer (http://arcg.is/2axqRiF) to find out if
they live in a floodplain and to identify where low
water crossings are located in Austin and learn
how to find out information about emergency road
closures.
• Flood Safety & Preparedness:
www.austintexas.gov/department/flood-safety-
preparedness
Watershed Detectives Web Map
http://arcg.is/2axqRiF
Evaluation
• Students will:
– discuss/answer questions about floodplains, factors
that affect flooding, 100-year floods, low-water
crossing safety precautions, how flooding reshapes
landforms and affects ecosystems, etc.
– conduct a streamflow-to-pounds conversion
activity
Guiding Questions
• Are floods a natural part of the environment?
• How do floods impact the ecosystem?
– How can floods reshape the land? What types of
new environments might be created?
– How might floods be helpful to the environment as
well as destructive?
• What factors affect flooding in Central Texas?
• What is the chance of an 100-year flood
happening? Can three 100-year floods occur
in the same year? Explain why or why not.
Water is a Powerful Force
• Each gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds, so a
cubic foot of water (7.48 gallons) weighs
62.31 pounds.
• Multiply the amount of cfs of water that is
flowing by 62.31 to get the force (in pounds)
that is hitting an object every second.
• 100 cfs = 6,231 pounds of force.
• 10 inches of rainfall in 24 hours can push some
Austin creeks to flood with 500,000 lbs of
water per second.
Stop Animation Video
Recommended