InTeGrate Modules and Courses >Water Science and Society > Student Materials > Ponding the Waters: Impacts of Dams > Other impacts > Pollution
InTeGrate's Earth-focused Modules and Courses for the Undergraduate Classroom
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These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
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For the Instructor

These student materials complement the Water Science and Society Instructor Materials. If you would like your students to have access to the student materials, we suggest you either point them at the Student Version which omits the framing pages with information designed for faculty (and this box). Or you can download these pages in several formats that you can include in your course website or local Learning Managment System. Learn more about using, modifying, and sharing InTeGrate teaching materials.

Pollution

In addition to the increased nutrient concentrations from agricultural return flow downstream of dams, the reduction in flow velocity in slackwater behind dams leads to reduced flushing of pollutants that enter the river. In areas subject to high rates of municipal or industrial wastewater discharge, or to agricultural runoff, this can lead to significant impairment of water quality in the reservoir itself, and in upstream tributaries (for example, see Three Gorges: A "Mega-Dam" and its Impacts). High nutrient fluxes can also lead to eutrophication of the reservoir. Additionally, the increased surface area of reservoirs leads to large evaporative losses and subsequent increases in water salinity, especially in arid and semi-arid climates.

These materials are part of a collection of classroom-tested modules and courses developed by InTeGrate. The materials engage students in understanding the earth system as it intertwines with key societal issues. The collection is freely available and ready to be adapted by undergraduate educators across a range of courses including: general education or majors courses in Earth-focused disciplines such as geoscience or environmental science, social science, engineering, and other sciences, as well as courses for interdisciplinary programs.
Explore the Collection »