Across
- 3. Stream 1 would have less ______ ________ than Stream 2 because Stream 1 likely flows through areas with more vegetation or gentler slopes that reduce erosion, while Stream 2 flows through disturbed or logged areas where soil erosion increases sediment in the water.
- 5. A regulating ecosystem service—erosion control and water __________ provided by forests—has been devalued due to human activities such as logging and mining, which remove vegetation and allow more sediment and contaminants to flow into the lake.
- 7. Soil ____________ affects metal contamination because soils rich in clay or organic matter can bind metals and reduce their movement, while soils with less clay or organic material allow metals to leach more easily into groundwater and streams.
Down
- 1. _________ _________ such as mining excavation expose metal-containing bedrock. When rock is broken apart and exposed to oxygen and water, metals can dissolve and leach into runoff, which can then enter nearby waterways such as Stream 4.
- 2. One advantage of converting the mine to a _____ mine is that surface mining allows easier access to the ore and can be more efficient and safer for workers because heavy machinery removes surface layers without requiring miners to work underground.
- 4. Planting grass benefits the soil by stabilizing it and reducing _______, which helps prevent additional sediment and contaminants from being washed into streams and the lake.
- 6. Precipitation at high elevations increases ______ that carries eroded soil and sediment downhill through the watershed and eventually deposits that sediment into the lake.