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Action Projects Water Water Quality Testing Submitted by: Contact: Correlations to CA State Content Standards for Science Some people believe that we should call Earth the "water planet" because water covers 70% of the Earth’s surface. While much of the Earth’s surface is covered with water only a small portion of that water is readily available for us as potable water (less then 1%). The hydrologic cycle demonstrates the need to care for the quality of this water as we essentially have the same water molecules continually cycling the Earth’s surface and its atmosphere. All life is dependent on water so we must ensure quality water for all life on earth. By participating in this project you will be collecting data about your local water resource so that you can gain a better understanding of the quality of water near you. You will be contributing knowledge about national and global trends in water quality that are currently based on samples taken from only a few representative sites. You will collect water samples from a nearby water source. You will measure a variety of parameters thus determining water quality. The parameters you will test for include things such as temperature, pH, total dissolved solids, nitrates and phosphates. The different parameters on their own only give you fragmented bits of information but when analyzed together you begin to determine the actual quality of the water. The temperature of water is actually the amount of solar energy absorbed by the water. Measuring the temperature of a water sample provides insight into the amount of biological activity and the rates of chemical and metabolic reactions thus determining suitability of habitat for specific species. The pH of water is a measure of the relative alkalinity or acidity of the sample. Many species have trouble surviving if pH drops under 5.0 or rises above 9.0. Changes in pH can alter water’s chemistry, which can be detrimental to native species, and can affect the solubility of some metals. Total dissolved solids refers to anything dissolved in water other than the pure water molecule and suspended solids. It gives you a quick indication of the amount of minerals, salts, metals, cations, or anions dissolved in water. Measurements above 3000 mg/l surpass acceptable drinking levels. Nitrogen, phosphorous and carbon are the three major nutrients necessary for growth of plants found in fresh and saline waters. Excess of any of these nutrients ruins the required balance will kill some plants while others such as algae will thrive and can have seriously negative impacts on the habitat and water quality. In order to make an accurate assessment of the water quality we need to consider all of these parameters together as they are all interconnected and often effected by the same influences natural or anthropogenic. Once we have a better understanding of the quality of water we can investigate the reasons why the water is in the state it is in. www.kernsite.com/uwp/waterqua.htm
www.museumca.org/creeks/resc.html www.nwi.fws.gov/ www.epa.gov/surf/ |
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EarthTeam Network
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