The Honors Earth Science classes went to the Susquehanna River to solve a problem. The problem was not knowing if the is healthy. The classes want to know if the river is healthy, because the students live near the river, and it affects the classes everyday lives. To answer the problem, the classes did a series of tests, and made physical observations at various islands in the river. The students used test kits and other tools to test pH, temperature, phosphate, nitrate, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. The results of the tests were that the Susquehanna River is indeed, very good and healthy. It was discovered that temperature directly corresponds with dissolved oxygen. It was also discovered that there are different types of fish that live in different temperatures. Introduction The problem the students need to solve is whether or not the river is healthy. The overall concept of this trip is trying to prevent dead zones. Dead zones or eutrophication is when algae grows in excessive amounts, blocking the sunlight, which causes a lack of oxygen, which is essential for survival. To find out if the river is healthy, the classes performed chemical tests, scored macro levels, and made physical observations. …show more content…
To do the temperature and dissolved oxygen tests, stick the probe in the water, and it will show numbers. One will be the dissolved oxygen in ppm (parts per million) and the other will be the temperature of the water. To do the pH test, stick the pH paper in the water and compare the color it turns to the scale. To test nitrates, put clear water in a container and dirty water in another, and put powder in them. Shake them and then compare the color they turn to the scale. To test turbidity, take the tube and put the water in the tube and see if you can see through the tube. If the levels of the tests were normal and good, that would mean the river is
Based on my observations I hypothesized that both Herbert Run and the Commons stream would have a high level of nitrate, conductivity, and turbidity. I hypothesized this because of traffic, liter, and the waste and pollution in both streams. For the Commons Stream, the Conductivity was 1086µS/cm. The turbidity was 0 FAU. Last, the Nitrate level for Commons was 0.08 ppm.
We found a little number of Phosphates and Nitrates in the water. That is healthy because these two chemicals are in fertilizers and detergents, they can harm the creek and all the creatures living in the creek. They get into the water through the eutrophication process. Bacteria eat phosphates and nitrates so that means there is a little number of bacteria in this creek. The dissolved oxygen level of the creek is high which is healthy.
One issue found is the creation of smelly phytoplankton that makes murky unclear waters along with aquatic impurities. Moreover, the reduction of growth due to poor light conditions and dying plants make it difficult for predatory fish to hunt leading to overpopulation. (Chislock, 2013) Eutrophication can be found in many of our water resources such as ponds, estuaries, and bays. One region with high areas with eutrophication is in a lake shared by Kisumu, Kenya and Kampala, Uganda.
Located in a historic Civil War era grist mill by the river, the Brandywine River Museum is home to native artists and much more. Here you can see some of the best American realism painting by Andrew Wyeth, his father N. C. Wyeth who was a renown children 's illustrator, and another family member, Jamie Wyeth. This collection is home to mostly serene landscapes and lovely still life studies. There are also a number of classic example of American illustration by artists such as Howard Pyle and Maxfield Parrish.
The Salmon River is the longest river running entirely within a single state, and remains the longest contiguous undammed river left within the continental United States (Carrey & Conley, 1978) and it provides approximately 20% of the water in the Snake River and accounts for 70% of the remaining salmon habitat for the entire Columbia River Basin (Tang et al., 2012). After 425 miles the Salmon River merges with the Snake River just north of Riggins in Idaho County. The Salmon River emerges from the Frank Church Wilderness headed west, turns north briefly and then turns west again to form a confluence with the Snake River, dividing the state of Idaho into two different time zones: Pacific Time north of the Salmon River and Mountain Time south
In reality, the brook trout is highly valued for its taste and size in many fishing industries. It’s population has gone through a steady decline throughout the years. The brook trout has suffered from habitat loss due to urban sprawl and clear-cutting forests, depriving it of its freshwater home. Let’s take a step to conserve wildlife for the future, preserving it for generations to
The increasing temperature in the Columbia and Snake River Basin will provide less of a habitat range for the cold water species, sockeye salmon. The reason being that if the salmon were to attempt to inhabit these warmer waters the individuals that are unable to physiologically acclimate to these new temperature conditions will die; thus decreasing the relative abundance of the sockeye salmon’s population in these areas. The decrease in the amount of sockeye salmon will in-turn affect the communities and interactions of organisms living in the Columbia and Snake River Basin. b. With an initial population of 500,000 sockeye salmon and only 272,000 making it to the spawning grounds. We are able to estimate that 184,960 of those that make it to the spawning ground were female (approximately 68%).
“These water bodies supply our drinking water, water for agriculture and manufacturing, offer opportunities for recreation and provide habitat to numerous plants and animals.” Pollution is degrading our waters and one of the best forms to study the change in water quality is testing contaminants in fish that inhabit
Activity 1: What is nature? Students should draw a picture, take a photograph, or find a visual example that represents their idea of nature. Students should write one to two sentences about why their example is representative of nature. In class, students will display their visual of nature around the classroom. Students will travel around the room in groups of 3-4 and will view the different pictures of nature and create a t-chart with “common features” within the images and “unique features” within the images.
Eutrophication is defined as “the process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates” (Eutrophication, 2015). Furthermore, scientists have determined a number of human activities that may contribute to eutrophication in bodies of water such as the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico: How Midwestern Farming Practices are Creating a Dead Zone, 2012). For example, prior to the 1950’s when rivers are channelized for navigation and flood control purposes (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…, 2012). A second illustration would be “landscape alteration”, which consists of deforestation and agricultural drainage that alter nature’s runoff buffers and results in additional nutrients entering the water supply (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…, 2012). A third human activity is agriculture, which often requires the usage of chemical fertilizers that leads directly to increased levels of nutrients in bodies of water.
The Cullowhee Creek is a small source of water that runs through Western Carolina University. The creek begins further up the mountain, then runs into the Tuckasegee River, which then flows into the Tennessee river, then the Mississippi, and finally, into the Gulf of Mexico. In this activity, we monitored the creek to determine its health. In the Riparian Inventory activity, we rated various aspects of the creek.
After filling your fish tank with clean water from a tap, use a test kit to check the pH of the water. You can buy the kit from a pet supply store, an online shop or a speciality store. While some fish perform best in water of higher acidity or alkalinity, a balanced pH of 7 is ideal for most fishes. Before introducing the first fish into the new tank, allow the tank to sit for a minimum of one week. This is to make sure that all the impurities in the water settle and that nothing is out of order.
A Case Study on Polluter’s Dilemma I. Background/Point of View On a small plastic manufacturing, Jonica Gunson works as an environmental compliance manager. The company where she is working with is now facing a serious situation that needs to have a fast and decisive decision, decision whether to invest or not to invest money on new technology that will help decrease or as possible eliminate the level of toxic in the water which is flowing from the back of the factory up to lake. Though the company is compliant with the levels of emissions set by the Environmental Management board, the manager sees that environmental procedures for this specific toxic are sheathing behind logical evidence, particularly that there is a protest from a certain scientist that is publish in the newspaper.
Human responses to water elements in Interior environments, Washington State University, Washington. 4. Kaplan, R., Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge University Press, New York.
Pollution of industrial water caused by the discharge of harmful chemicals and substances into water, making it unsuitable for consumption and for other purposes. Although 70% of the land is covered with water, so water bodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, reservoirs and watercourses provide us with fresh water, keep it clean, it is a matter of survival, not only for people, but also for all other life forms. Since the industrial revolution, we have achieved many things; our manufacturing process to become more efficient and productive, science has become more sophisticated, and our lives have changed. But perhaps nothing comes without a price. All the progress and development seen in past centuries have also brought with them a wide range of problems; water pollution is one of them.