Around 70% of the world is covered in water, and over time water tends to change. Oxygen levels can rise, temperatures may decrease, and different environmental changes may be introduced. Naturally, water stands to be at a pH level of 7, that being neutral in acidity. However, due to the changes in water over time it seems, that too is changing over time. Even more so changes come from multiple sources outside of the environment, this includes cities and agricultural lands. In fact, a small percentage of water bodies are near agricultural areas, which also may influence a change in the water, with the introduction of nitrates and phosphates, from agricultural runoffs. Nitrates and phosphates are known to have high oxygen levels, which will affect bodies of water further. On an ecological scale, such changes put the aquatic inhabitants in danger. With this being known groups of scientist went to investigate the changes in water bodies by measuring the nitrate and phosphate levels in comparison to the dissolved oxygen levels, as well as the pH, temperature, and turbidity to see if any real significant changes have occurred. …show more content…
With water bodies that are near agricultural areas, with fluctuations of the levels of nitrates and phosphates that are introduced to the water bodies, the dissolved oxygen levels are affected. Turbidity is also another important measurement of water quality as it affects not only the pH levels of the water but also the temperature of the water. Turbidity itself measures the light refractiveness found in water used to quantify the quality of water (Mann et al.,
What is your PH level? You don’t know? Well it should be around 7.35 to 7.45 according to AlteredStates.net. PH stands for power of hydrogen. PH level is a measurement of the hydrogen ion concentration in the body. Now imagine you’re peeling an orange with a cut on your finger. When the juice from the orange comes into contact with your cut, it sends a burning feeling to your brain. This occurs because an orange has a PH level of around 2-3 which is acidic burning unprotected cells around the cut. Now imagine you’re stepping into the ocean which has been made acidic causing your cells to burn. This is called Ocean Acidification. Ocean Acidification is the change of our beautiful ocean water into acid. The Oceans acidity is rapidly increasing in certain areas in the pacific due to our actions on this planet, namely Carbon Dioxide Pollution. It is not only endangering ocean life but also Human life on Earth. It is linked to Global Warming but Ocean Acidification is a problem that stands on its own. Therefore, it is evident that we must take action about Ocean Acidification.
“The pH of a solution is a measure of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution and as such is a measure of the acidity or basicity (sic) of the solution. The letters pH stand for power of hydrogen and the numerical value defined as the negative base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions.” (PH, 2002). The pH scale is from 0 to 14. When the pH is higher, the hydrogen ions are fewer and the substance considered alkaline. This means when a pH unit increases by one, there is a tenfold change in the hydrogen ion. For example, if a substance has a 7 pH, it has 10 times as many as hydrogen ions available as 8 pH. A lake having a water pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is considered to be neutral. Researchers tested Peckham Park lake water monthly from August 2015 to April 2016 for water pH levels. A water quality PH test strip taken from a jar and dipped into the lake. After a few minutes, the strip will turn a color and this color determines the pH. The jar the strips came in has a chart of the colors on the back which compared to the color on the strip. The lake tested monthly using the PH test strips, which show the pH level, hardness, toxic, etc. using color-change
Abstract: During this lab, the pH of water in soil from a man made garden, a deciduous forest, and a river bank were tested after leaving it in containers for one, two, and three hours, coming out to a total of three trials with three different soils all together. After testing the pH of the water when being added to the soil for the desired amount of time and comparing it to the original water with no soil added, is then when each pH difference was observed and recorded in a a notebook, while pictures were taken of the experiment being conducted.
We did 3 different test to help conclude the water quality. The first testing/station i did was to see what kind of critters were living in the water. Then, my next group was to take a test to see if eutrophication was in the water. We also took
Overall, the more macroinvertebrates in the water, the healthier the stream. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is. It is measured on a scale from 0-14. 0 is the most acidic, 14 is the most basic, and 7 is neutral. It is the measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxide ions in the water. Acidic water has more hydrogen ions, and basic water has more hydroxide ions. When water’s pH is around neutral (7), that is a suitable and healthy living environment for fish, and indicates a healthy stream. If the water is too acidic or too basic, it can be harmful to the aquatic life. Dissolved oxygen is a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the water. As the amount of dissolved oxygen drops below normal levels in water bodies, the water quality is harmed and creatures begin to die off as a result of eutrophication. The higher the level of dissolved oxygen, the healthier the stream. When there is a lot of dissolved oxygen present it makes for a safe environment for fish to live and reproduce. Having all this healthy fish can provide us with food, so overall the more dissolved oxygen, the better. Nitrates are a compound found in fertilizers that is used to help plants grow. It is what is given off as a result of the use of nitrogen in water. The organisms in the soil eat the nitrates and it helps the metabolism and the health of organisms. Plants, such as Algae use nitrates as a source
Each person got to test either the phosphates, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, or the ph in the creek. Phosphates and nitrates are nutrients found in water due to fertilizers, decaying plants and bacteria. Dissolved oxygen is the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in the water. As we recorded our results, we discovered that the dissolved oxygen levels were very high, which is good because the higher amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, the healthier the creek is. The phosphates levels in the creek were all perfect zeros, which is great because having nutrients in the creek is not healthy. The nitrate levels were slightly higher, at 0.9. That is not bad at all, but it isn’t perfect, showing signs of pollution. The ph levels in the rocks were neutral, right at seven. If they were lower than 7, that would mean they have acids in them, and if they were higher than 7, they would have alkaline in them. Alkaline, or bases, neutralizes acids. The number of rocks that we found that neutralized acid was 65, and the number of rocks that did not neutralize acids were 29. This shows that about one-third of the rocks in the creek do not neutralize acids.
Acidity is the level of acid in a substance such as water, soil, and even wine. Dissolved Oxygen, or D. O., was another test. Dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen that is present in the water. Group P’s data showed 8, 8, 12 for D. O. Groups A’s data was 10, 8, 7. Group W’s data was 12, 11, 12. The average was 9.8. This is a high but excellent number. We want this to be high so more organisms like fish can live there. The pH scale said for groups P, A, and W that the pH was 7 which is neutral.
A comprehensive investigation on how nutrients in waterways were increasing, was undertaken by a body of individual scientists and their findings were as follows;
One of the things students tested in the creek was the chemical composition. We were testing for eutrophication and acid rain pollution. As was aforementioned, eutrophication is extra nutrients in the water. It comes from runoff from the land through the form of overfertilization and sewage treatment plants. The tests performed to test for eutrophication were nitrate and phosphate tests. The phosphate and nitrate tests were conducted by filling a cup with water and breaking the tip of an ampule so it would fill with water. The liquid in the ampule would change color based on the amount of phosphate or nitrate in the water. Phosphate is a salt or ester of phosphoric acid containing PO43− or a related anion or a group such as —OPO(OH)2 in fertilizers and sewage treatment plants. Either or both of those two things could have runoff from the land and drained into the creek. They are negative to the creek. Our results showed that the creek
Dissolved Oxygen, pH levels, Temperature Change, Fecal Coliform, BOD, Nitrate, Phosphates, Turbidity, and Total Solids were each tested in the stream at least one time. If more time and enough supplies were given, then certain tests should be done more than once. Temperature Changes should be tested every other month because it is quick and a change in temperature can affect the health of the organisms living in the stream and therefore the quality of the stream. Temperatures can also drastically change in a short amount of time and there is a large difference in water temperatures in summer and winter. Another test that should be done every other month is dissolved oxygen because it is related to the temperature of the water. Cooler waters have a greater capacity for dissolved oxygen than warmer waters. This test is important because due to human activity and industrial processes, can increase water temperature and therefore decrease the dissolved oxygen levels. Certain organisms living in the stream need a sufficient amount of dissolved oxygen to survive. Another test that should be done more often is the
Several species and organisms rely on water to survive. Some organisms use it as a source to drink and others uses water as their living environment. This experiment is to calculate many aspects of the water that surrounds Corpus Christi. Water is the key to life on Earth and thus why water is so important. According to the Lab Report water quality is the quality of water and if it is considered acceptable drinking water. Water quality consist of its chemical, physical and biological characteristics. These properties can be studied through pH testing, nitrogen testing, Phosphorous testing and many other useful ways. Water quality is important because it allows scientist to identify if the water is in a good condition to drink or sustain life overall and it dramatically effects how healthy it is. The objective of this lab was to experiment if the water quality around the Corpus Christi is a reliable source of water for organisms and to reach an understanding of the water quality of the water surrounding Corpus Christi.
High amounts of nitrate from agricultural field watershed contaminate the groundwater, creating a consumption hazard. A nitrate level greater than 10 mg/L causes negative health effects for the local population and aquatic organisms.
Measuring the water quality is important because water quality is absolutely vital for the river to be a healthy environment for the organisms around it. Water quality, if good, will support native fish, various microorganisms, various species of plants, and bird populations. The quality of a river’s water is commonly decided by its physical, chemical, biological and aesthetic traits. A healthy environment is one in which the water quality supports a healthy ecosystem; many of our own personal uses depend on the quality of the water that will be used drinking, fishing, recreation, and many other important uses. [2]
All around the world, countries are fighting to keep their drinking water clean. Whether it’s streams, rivers, or lakes, countries have taken great measures to maintain high quality drinking water for both human consumption and animal consumption. Countries must first understand the sources of the polltion, then determine the best methods to eliminate the pollution. Clean drinking water is a valuable resource and a the key to human survival. Plants and animals also depend on water for their growth, so all water must be kept clean. The major contributors to water pollution can be classified in three categories, industrial, agricultural and municipal.
Does pollution actually affect the pH levels of water? And if so, does it make the pH level higher? Our experiment will test the hypothesis that the more polluted water is, the higher it’s pH level. We collected four samples of water from four separate locations to test its pH level based on a pollution scale we have created. On the pollution scale, 0 is clear, 1 is clear with specks of dirt, 2 is murky, 3 is a greenish tint, and 4 is brown with dirt. We will test each water sample and find it’s pH levels to conclude whether our hypothesis is correct or incorrect. We have gathered research on pollution, pH levels, and results of similar experiments to gain more background research.