Aquatic Field Studies

The objective of our field study at the Coquitlam River and the Oxbow Pond was to see what types of vertebrates live in different qualities of water and see the difference in how they interact with their separate environments. We were looking at the hydrosphere and the biosphere of how they intertwine with each other connecting this with our 4 spheres unit. 

When my group was doing our field studies at the Coquitlam River site trying to find invertebrates but sadly could not find any and collecting water samples. Using the water sampling kit that was given to us by SFU we figured out the water quality of the water samples, The pH level was 6, Nitrates were 10ppm, Phosphates were 0.4, Dissolved Oxygen was 92, Turbidity was 2 and the total Dissolved Salts were 50. The approximate water quality index was 79 which indicates that the water quality of the river is in good health.  

In the Oxford Pond site, we had found multiple invertebrates, 1 stonefly, 2 fish at the larval stage, and a stick bug to name a few. We have also tested the water quality. The pH level was 6.5, Nitrates were 10ppm, Phosphates were 5, Dissolved Oxygen was 90, Turbidity was 8 and the total Dissolved Salts were 100. The approximate water quality index was 72, meaning the health of the water in the pond was decent and able to support life. 

Comparing the 2-water test results we had from the Coquitlam River and the Oxford Pond we found that the water from the Coquitlam River was better quality than the Oxford Pond. This is due to the fast water flow which Is cleaner than still or slow water however we had found more invertebrates in the pond this may be due to the less human intervention the pond.  

I really enjoyed learning some of the technics when doing field studies helped me learn what good water quality is more than meets the eye like the pond water for example, I hypothesize that the quality of the pond water was drastically lower than the river samples, but it was closer than I thought I have learned that things go deeper than what you think. This would be more memorable for me if we had visited more diverse types of bodies of water