Otter Creek Question

Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 43

Hi Salisbury Students!

When I visited your school a couple of weeks ago, I saw Otter Creek. It looks like a very nice stream. Hopefully while Amy and I are collecting water samples on the Lena River you will be collecting and analyzing water samples from Otter Creek.

So I'd like to know a bit more about Otter Creek. My main question is "where does the water in Otter Creek eventually end up?". Imagine that you're drifting on a tiny raft on Otter Creek - assuming that you didn't get stuck somewhere, where would you go?

Thanks,

Max

Guest

Dear Max,
The answer to the Otter Creek is, that we would float up to Lake Champlain from there we would go to the Richaleu, from there you would go to the St. Larwence, and from there you would go to the Atlantic Ocean.

Guest

Dear Max,

Hi! We thought about your question. Our answer is that the Otter Creek flows into Lake Champlain. Then from Lake Champlain it flows into St. Lowrence River.Then into the Atlantic Ocean. That is where you would end up.

From,
Allison and Emily

Guest

Otter Creek would end up in lake Champlain and then the Saint Lawrence river then the Ricilou river and then in to the Atlantic Ocean.[/b]

Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 43

Hi Corey, Loren, Shanyn, Ira, Emily, Allison, Carl, Justin, and Cody!

Wow, you guys taught me something, and I'm really excited about it! I had no idea that the water in Otter Creek eventually ended up in the St. Lawrence River. And I'm really excited that it does! And I'll tell you why.

Last week I was at a scientific conference. Lots of scientists were there, discussing their research projects and thinking about important new questions. All of the scientists were either hydrologists (scientists who study water in the environment) or oceanographers. And all of the scientists work in the Arctic. One question we discussed was whether we should start thinking more about the St. Lawrence River. Normally, scientists who work in the Arctic don't think about the St. Lawrence, but in fact, it is relevant.

The St. Lawrence River is relevant to the Arctic for at least 2 reasons. First, the St. Lawrence is a really big river. Its annual discharge is 447 km3 per year. (I know it is hard to imagine how much water this is, but for comparison, the annual discharge of the Lena River is about 580 km3 per year - so they are both very big rivers). But the really exciting thing is that the water coming out of the St. Lawrence River and entering the North Atlantic Ocean might also impact the ocean circulation just like the Lena River water (which first enters the Arctic Ocean but then the Arctic Ocean water flows into the North Atlantic).

So I think that it is REALLY COOL that the WATERSHED you live in (the St. Lawrence River Watershed) is somehow connected to the watershed where the students in Zhigansk live (the Lena River watershed). And the water from the Lena River and the St. Lawrence River eventually mix together in the North Atlantic Ocean.

GREAT!

Max