Exploring Map Layers for Regions in Pennsylvania
Sharon Dykhoff, Washington D.C. Metro Area - Science Teacher at Dominion Christian School - Dominion Christian School, Susan Brantley, The Pennsylvania State University, Liza Brazil, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc.
Initial Publication Date: March 25, 2016
Introduction
Students are introduced to the importance of topography when studying surface and groundwater. Students will look at a map of oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania, a topographic map of Pennsylvania, and a map of network streams in Pennsylvania. Students will make connections about how topography may influence the impacts of drilling on streams.
Conceptual Outcomes
- Students will learn about the importance of topography when studying surface and groundwater, where oil and gas wells are drilled in Pennsylvania, and why it is important to monitor streams even in areas where gas drilling does not occur
Practical Outcomes
- Students will be introduced to using HydroClient
- Students will be introduced to interpreting maps
Time Required
1 hour
Computing/Data Inputs
None
Computing/Data Outputs
None
Hardware/Software Required
Internet browser
Instructions
Explore the map below of PA Unconventional Oil and Gas Wells. You will see the density of wells is quite high in the northeastern part of the state (Susquehanna, Bradford, and Tioga Counties).
![[creative commons]](/images/creativecommons_16.png)
Provenance: Liza Brazil, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.
Now, open up HydroClient again and use Enter a location to type "Pennsylvania, United States" as shown below.
Provenance: Liza Brazil, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.
Think about why is it useful to know the shape of the land when studying surface and groundwater.
Looking at the map below of PA water wells (Source: PA DCNR 3/21/13), PA Springs (Source: PA DCNR 3/21/13), and 4th Order Streams (Source USGS), notice the extensive network of water sources in Pennsylvania.
Provenance: Liza Brazil, Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc
Reuse: This item is offered under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ You may reuse this item for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide attribution and offer any derivative works under a similar license.
Pick a stream and predict which way the water flows based on the topography shown previously.
Think about why it is important to monitor streams in areas where gas drilling does not occur, like southeastern Pennsylvania.
Additional Activities and Variants
Related Steps
