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Category: Science 9H

Aquatic Fields Studies Self Reflection

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Solution Fluency-Water Filter Challenge

In your group Define/Discover:

How can we filter the waste water from Edible Agriculture so that it can be released back into the Pitt River?

  • Are there chemicals in the water?
  • What is the Ph of the water?
  • How far does the water have to travel?
  • Are there e larger pieces of debris in the water?
  • Is the water coming off plant or live sock fields?
  • What pesticides or fertilizers might have been used?

 

The water was not clear. There was hair, conifer needles, wood and other debris visible in it. After siting for a couple of days, dirt had settled at the bottom. The water smelled like vinegar. There were no visible oils on the surface. The flame test came out orange and the ph was 5. (7 is neutral)

In your group Dream:

If we can thoroughly filter the water, we can prevent harm to the environment due to chemicals or other run off waste in the water.

 

In your group Design/Deliver:

We will use a plastic bottle as the frame, then layers of sand, carbon, filter paper, cotton and clothe to filter out the debris and the majority of the pollutants. As the water filters through the bottle, the debris becomes stuck un the filtration system, so that we are left with clear water. The plastic bottle is only a prototype. If we were actually using this as a filter, we would probably place the filtration systems into removable sections of a tank, using gravity to carry the water through the filter.

 

 

 

 

Materials:

  • Filter paper
  • Carbon
  • Sand
  • Cotton
  • Cheese cloth
  • Plastic bottle

Model:

 

In your group Debrief:

Our filter worked relatively well. The water came out clear, however the vinegar smell remained. This proved that there were still chemicals in the water. The ph. levels did not change, nor were we able to complete a second flame test.

If we were to do this challenge again, we would find a more accurate way to determine what chemicals were in the water as well as a way to better balance the Ph. Doing more than just the flame test could have helped us in our research as well. Our team work could have improved, as we did most of the tasks in pairs and didn’t always communicate our findings. Overall, we were able to complete this task and learned a lot about how to compromise on a solution.

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Chemical Change Lab

Purpose:

How can we identify a substance created by a chemical reaction?

Procedure:

For this lab, we followed most of the instructions on the lab sheet provided. However, there were a few minor changes. Instead of 25ml we only used 10ml and we used Sodium Carbonate and Strontium Chloride instead of the original Calcium Chloride and Lithium Carbonate. These changes did not affect the lab process, but we used less chemical and chemicals that we had available.

 

After measuring out 10ml of both Sodium Carbonate and Strontium Chloride, we combined the in one beaker. When combined, the liquids that had previously been clear looked white as thou there was a fine power in it. We poured the new liquid through a piece of filter paper and into a clean beaker. The liquid was then clear, and a white powder had collected in the filter paper.

 

We already had samples of both the Sodium Carbonate and Strontium Chloride as powder, so we passed both three the flame of a Bunsen burner. The flame was approximately 3cm high, and a clear blue in colour. We got a sample of each powder onto our metal rod with a loop at the end, then passed tit trough the flame. The sodium burned a bright orange, while the strontium was more of a red or pink colour.We did the same test on our mystery powder as well. We discovered that it burned orange, there for was most likely Sodium.

Data & Observations:

Observations

  • Properties of reactant A (Sodium Carbonate) :Clear liquid, no colour, no odor, slightly denser than water, room temperature
  • Properties of reactant B (Strontium Chloride): Clear liquid, no colour, no odor, room temperature

 

Observations of changes

  • white, liquid, room temperature, mild indistinct odor
  • Separated into fine powder and clear liquid. Liquid matched both reactant A and B.

Flame test results

  • Reference ion 1 (Sodium): Burned a bright orange, White powder, fine, room temperature, solid, no distinct odor.
  • Reference ion 2 (strontium): Burned a red/pink, White powder, fine, room temperature, solid, no distinct odor.
  • Unknown solid (product of reaction): Burned a bright orange, White powder, fine, room temperature, solid, no distinct odor, slightly wet from separation from liquid.

 

Analysis:

There are two possible option for what the powder and liquid are. Mixing Sodium Carbonate and Strontium Chloride could have created either Strontium carbonate or sodium chloride. (SrCO3 or NaCl)

 

Conclusion:

The flame test showed that the mystery powder burned white, like sodium therefor the powder must be sodium as well. Form this, we can decide that the Mystery liquid and powder (Which we obtained by mixing Sodium Carbonate and Strontium Chloride), was Sodium chloride. Had the powder been strontium, it would have burned red. This method of identification is not always exact, but it can give a good idea of the contents of a compound.

Please click on this to see the Photos. Sorry, I was unable to insert them directly into my post.

Climate Change Infofluency

My Question: How do indoor swimming pools effect climate change?

When we think about climate change, we immediately think of emission from our cars and fossil fuels. Yes, the burning of fossil fuels does play a big role in climate change, however, there are other elements that are often over looked. Take swimming pools for example. The most obvious effect of swimming pools is the water. A 24 meter, 6-lane pool, with a depth of 2 meters holds 190,204 gallons of water. Equivalent in weight to approximately 63 school buses. Although that may sound like a lot of water, the water is often recycled. It is filtered and chemicals are added to keep kill bacteria and germs. In order to maintain the 24 meter, 6-lane pool, with a depth of 2 meters, it takes a fair bit of electricity or natural gas. The pool must be heated, filtered, the water pumped for these systems. Then there are all the chemicals for the pool too. Let’s say the pool is indoors. Like at a rec-center. Then there is lighting, often a leisure pool as well that may have water features that require a pump and maybe a hot tub. All of these features require electricity to maintain the water and the water must be heated as well. Indoor pools require a lot of energy to maintain. Can we reduce their impact?

Solution 1) Solar Energy
For solutions, there is always solar energy. As rec-centers often are long, low buildings, there is a lot of roof space for solar panels. It would not work in winter either. Solar panels could be used to generate electricity to power lights, heaters and filtration systems. Besides the classic solar panels, there are other methods to gather solar energy. By running the water through small pipes on the roof, it can be heated directly by the sun. Since solar panels are expensive, this would be a slightly more cost effective option.

 

 

Solution 2) Insulation
Windows let out a lot of heat even when they are closed. By adding curtains, the windows are insulated, and more light is reflected on the inside of the building. If less heat escapes, there is less need for heating. Another insulating option is a sod roof (also known as a green roof). A sod roof is a roof covered in plants, usually grasses. It can help to insulate the building and absorb carbon dioxide from the air. From the long-term cost reduction for heating from insulation, more money can be invested into things like solar panels and other green energy sources.

 

Solution 3) Us
We can help reduce the speed of climate change in many ways. There is of course the obvious one where we take shorter shower but there is also something smaller. In most shampoos there are tiny plastic beads called microbeads. Although they may seem tiny and insignificant, they add up to a big problem. Since they are so small, they pass through the filtration systems and into the ocean, where they cause problems for marine life. In order to reduce the microbeads going into our oceans, there are ecofriendly shampoos and soaps available.

 

1) What questions did you need to research in order to research your topic?
• How much energy does it take to heat a 6 lane, 24-meter pool?
• How much water?
• How can we prevent light and heat escaping through windows?
• what chemicals?
• Does Heating use fossil fuels or electricity?
• Where does our electricity come from?

2) What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?
• Inspiration webs
• Microsoft word
• Easy Bib
• Pexles

3) What was the process you used to investigate the topic?
• Ask

Acquire

Analyze

Apply

Asses

4) How did you verify and cite the information you found?
• Easy bib
• More research

5) How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better?
I feel that I was able to use the info fluency skills well. I think my sources are reliable and I was able to cite them using easy bib. I found this challenge a bit challenging since over the weekend I was camping therefore could not do much research. The prosses of info fluency was easy for me to understand since most of the aspects I have been doing since elementary school. It’s cool that these skills now count as a course. In terms of improvement, I could have found more creative solutions. Also, my sources could have been more varied.

 

Bibliography:

“Global Warming Effects.” Global Warming and Climate Change Effects: Information and Facts, 4 Feb. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/.

Imboden, Otis. “Solar Power Has Benefits as a Source of Alternative Energy.” Solar Power Information and Facts, 15 Sept. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/solar-power/.

Klinkenborg, Verlyn, et al. “Up on the Roof.” National Geographic, 11 Sept. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2009/05/green-roofs/.
Ministry of Energy. “Electricity & Alternative Energy.” Province of British Columbia, Province of British Columbia, 5 Dec. 2018,

Harvey, Brian. “Green Building.” WBO Student, 2019, worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/article/home/ar753139/energy%20efficiency.
WBO Student, worldbookonline.com/student-new/#/article/home/ar518880/solar%20energy.

“Green Buildings Could Save Our Cities.” Green Buildings Boost the Energy Efficiency of Cities, 22 Dec. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/urban-expeditions/green-buildings/benefits-of-green-buildings-human-health-economics-environment/.

Ministry of Energy. “Energy Efficiency Programs.” Province of British Columbia, Province of British Columbia, 3 Oct. 2018, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/electricity-alternative-energy/energy-efficiency-conservation/programs.

Ministry of Energy. “Ministry of Energy, Mines & Petroleum Resources.” Province of British Columbia, Province of British Columbia, 23 Sept. 2019, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/energy-mines-and-petroleum-resources.

Ministry of Health. “Recreational Water Quality.” Province of British Columbia, Province of British Columbia, 9 July 2019, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water/water-quality/recreational-water-quality.

“Solar Swimming Pool Heaters.” Energy.gov, www.energy.gov/energysaver/solar-swimming-pool-heaters.

“Plastic Microbeads: They’re Bad. But Together We Can Stop Them.” The Story of Stuff Project, storyofstuff.org/plastic-microbeads-ban-the-bead.

Parker, Laura. “To Save the Oceans, Should You Give Up Glitter?” National Geographic, 2 Apr. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/11/glitter-plastics-ocean-pollution-environment-spd/.

All photos came from Pexles

Aquatic Field Studies

 

Over the course of this week, as a class we have completed a variety of water quality test. Our study sites were a section of the Coquitlam River, that runs beside gates park and the oxbow pond behind the school. We did a variety of water quality tests and identified the invertebrate found in these bodies of water.

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According to our water quality testes, the river has a higher approximate water quality index, at 89.76 there for is healthier and less polluted than the pond. The water quality index goes from 1 to 100. The higher the number, the healthier the water. Even before we began our studies, the river was evidently cleaner. It smelled better too. The oxbow pond’s approximate water quality index was 74.14. in order to determine the approximate water quality index of both study sites, we measured the air temperature, water temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Nitrates, Phosphates, Turbidity and Total Dissolved Salts, as seen on the tables below.

 

Coquitlam River
Test Results Units Q-Value Weighting Factor Weighted Q-Value
Dissolved Oxygen 92 % Saturation 95 0.23 21.85
pH 6 pH units 88 0.15 13.2
Temperature Change 3o oC 80 0.14 11.2
Nitrates 0 mg/L NO4 98 0.14 13.72
Phosphates 0.4 mg/L PO4 76 0.14 1.64
Turbidity 2 NTU 95 0.11 10.45
Total Dissolved Salts 50 mg/L 87 0.10 8.7
Approximate Water Quality Index:                                                                                                    89.76

 

 

Oxbow Pond
Test Results Units Q-Value Weighting Factor Weighted Q-Value
Dissolved Oxygen 90 % Saturation 92 0.23 21.16
pH 5 pH units 54 0.15 8.1
Temperature Change 2o oC 85 0.14 11.9
Nitrates 0 mg/L NO4 98 0.14 13.72
Phosphates 5 mg/L PO4 14 0.14 1.96
Turbidity 8 NTU 80 0.11 8.8
Total Dissolved Salts 100 mg/L 85 0.10 8.5
Approximate Water Quality Index:                                                                                                         74.14

 

From our aquatic invertebrate studies, we can assume that the Coquitlam River is cleaner, as there are pollution sensit

 

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ive organisms as well as pollution tolerant organisms. Although there is a wide range of pollution tolerance within organisms we found, many of the organisms were pollution tolerant therefore must live in a healthy ecosystem. The pond, however, had only somewhat pollution tolerant and pollution tolerant organism, therefore is more polluted.

 

Coquitlam River Diversity:

 

Invertebrates Quantity Pollution Tolerance
Caddisfly Larva-

 

1 Pollution Sensitive
Mayfly Larva 16 Pollution Sensitive
Pond Snail 2 Pollution Tolerant
Watermite 1 Pollution Tolerant
Stonefly 2 Pollution Sensitive
Cranefly Larva 1 Somewhat Pollution Tolerant
Dragonfly Nymph 2 Somewhat Pollution Tolerant

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Oxbow Pond Diversity:

 

Invertebrates Quantity Pollution Tolerance
Aquatic sow bug

 

3 Somewhat Pollution Tolerant
Alderfly Larva 1 Somewhat Pollution Tolerant
Dragonfly Nymph (sub-order) 5 Somewhat Pollution Tolerant
Watermite 1 Pollution Tolerant
Dragonfly Nymph 3 Somewhat Pollution Tolerant
Fish* 5
Spider* 3

*Does not qualify as an aquatic invertebrate, therefore is not counted for studies.

The water quality is related to the diversity and number of invertebrates found in a water way because although most invertebrates prefer clean healthy

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water, some have more pollution tolerance than others. The lower the water quality index, the harder it is for invertebrates to live there. For example, in a geyser, there will not be many invertebrates. Maybe some lichen and bacteria, but not much else. In the Coquitlam River however, there will be a wider variety of invertebrates, as the temperature is cooler. Same goes for dissolved oxygen, nitrates and all the other aspects of the water quality test.

 

 

Reflection: I loved these activities because it was hands on and engaging. We got to see for ourselves the conditions of both the river and pond. Also, it was simply fun. I learned a lot about the various types of aquatic invertebrates as well as why things like dissolved oxygen and pH matter. It was cool to learn how to test for the water quality and learn about the various conditions that impact it, aside from the obvious human pollution. For me, these activities could not have been more meaningful. Being out side and literally knee deep in our studies really helped my understanding. I thought this was one of the most interesting science units, because of our hands-on experience.

 

 

 

 

 

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Images:

1-Fish found in the Oxbow Pond

2-Heading down to the Oxbow Pond to find critters

3-Alderfly larva found in the Oxbow Pond

4-Dragonfly Nymph (subspecies) found in the Oxbow Pond

5-Aquatic sow bug and fish found in the Oxbow Pond

6-Mayfly larva found in the Coquitlam River

7-Exploring the Coquitlam River

8-Stonefly larva found in the Coquitlam River

9-Caddisfly and Mayfly larva found in the Coquitlam River

10-Snail and Mayfly larva found in the Coquitlam River

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