Transcript The Great Pond?

The Great Pond?
RCCOC Water Site #1
Is it healthy?
Based on observation alone,
the water ecosystem is good.
Is the great pond a biodiverse ecosystem?
How do we know?
We based our conclusion on the following
findings:
pH
Dissolved Oxygen
Turbidity
Temperature
Macroinvertebrates
Nitrates
pH...power of Hydrogen
pH is a measurement of the acidic or basic quality of water.
The pH scale ranges from a value of 0 (very acidic) to 14
(very basic), with 7 being neutral. The pH of natural water is
usually between 6.5 and 8.5
pH can be affected by industrial waste, agricultural runoff, or
drainage from improperly run mining operations.
The pH of the great pond at the time of collection was 9.0.
Dissolved Oxygen
Dissolved oxygen analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen
(O2) dissolved in an aqueous solution. Oxygen gets into water by
diffusion from the surrounding air, by aeration (rapid movement),
and as a waste product of photosynthesis.
DO is measured on a range of 0-16 mg/L.
Fish need at least a DO level greater than 3 mg/L.
The DO of our site is 11 mg/L
Temperature
Temperature is the measure of the degree of
hotness or coldness of a body or environment.
It greatly impacts the amount and diversity of
aquatic life in the water.
At the time of collection, the air temperature
was 39 degrees Celsius and the water
temperature was 33 degrees Celsius.
Turbidity
Turbidity is muddy or opaque, as a liquid
clouded with a suspension of particles.
Suspended particles in our water behave
similarly to dust in the atmosphere. They
reduce the depth to which plants grow by
taking up carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus
and other nutrients, and releasing oxygen
Rating Turbidity: 60+ cm = Best; 30-60 =
Good; 10-30 = Fair; <10 = Poor
The turbidity rating at our site was 60 cm
Nitrates
A salt or ester of nitric acid, containing the
group NO3. Nitrates dissolve extremely easily
in water and are an important component of
the nitrogen cycle.
It is measured on a scale of 0-30 ppm and
then converted to mg of NH4/L.
The nitrate level at our site ran .12 to .13 mg/L
Macroinvertebrates
Aquatic invertebrates including insects,
crustaceans, mollusks and worms which inhabit
a river channel, pond, lake, wetland, or ocean
and that are visible to the naked eye.
Macroinvertebrates found at our water site:
Group 1 - Very Intolerant of
Pollution
Mayfly Nymph
Caddisfly Larva
Group 2 - Moderately
Intolerant of Pollution
Damselfly Larva
Dragonfly Larva
Scud
Group 3 - Fairly Tolerant of
Pollution
Leech
Group 4 - Very Tolerant of
Pollution
Water Worms
Left Handed Snail
Biodiversity
The existence of a wide
variety of plant and
animal species in their
natural environments,
which is the aim of
conservationists
concerned about the
indiscriminate destruction
of rainforests and other
habitats.
Species found at Site 1
Plant Species
Skunk weed
Pond weed
Coontail
Water Primrose
Oak, Redbud, Persimmon, Cedar
In Conclusion, the great Pond is a pristine
water ecosystem with Great Biodiversity.
Swmn
Sherry Stewart
Wendy Joice
Marty Vance
Nancy Lisk