Arroyo interns collect data for their research project at Quarry Lakes. Quarry Lakes is located in Fremont, CA and is comprised of many different smaller lakes. The interns split into two different groups. One group is testing for water quality and the other for soil quality. This regional park is of interest to interns because they would like to see the health of the soil and water at their local east bay lakes. Here interns conduct water quality tests using GLOBE’s protocols. The water quality kit tests for aspects that classifies a healthy body of water. With these tests, interns were able to determine whether or not the body of water is within normal standards. Interns in this pictured below were testing for dissolved oxygen in the water. With this test, it allows the interns to determine how much oxygen is in the water by using specific chemicals.
The other group tested for the levels of nutrients in soil around the lake. This group explored what nutrients did areas with more plants have than an area with a dry patch. This group followed GLOBE’s soil fertility protocols to determine the levels of nutrients in the soil. Interns dug 10 inches deep into the ground to take a sample for their soil quality tests. Interns were very excited about the results. With that being said, they found meaningful and interesting data points. Once completed, both groups were able to determine whether or not their project yielded any fascinating results. Earth Team Arroyo interns learned about their results through zoom meeting prior to this weekend event to discuss possible outcomes.
