Seneca Lake Lab Report

Research Question: How does the temperature of water affect the amount of zooplankton in the water?

  

Independent: sample sites

Dependent: temperature of the water  

 

Introduction: Seneca Lake is approximately 3.7 miles at its widest point and 630 feet at the deepest point. As the packet says, the lake can get as warm as 72 degrees F and as cold as 38 degrees F. The lake contains several types of macroinvertebrate that live all over the lake such as stonefly larva, crayfish, and mayfly larva. Seneca Lake is the largest lake when it comes to total area and is also the deepest of all the Finger Lakes.

Hypothesis: I hypothesis that as the temperature increases so does the amount and variety of macroinvertebrate will increase as well. This is supported by a website I found, it states that as the site gets warmer the variety of macroinvertebrate and the quantity of them increase as well.

Method: The only way to keep these sample locations constant is to use the same boat and procedure for each location this will keep my findings constant. To limit variability using the same net to collect the macroinvertebrate and the same thermometer to collect data from each of the three location.

Procedures:
1. Go to a very shallow depth location on Seneca Lake.
2. Measure for temperature at this location.
3. First you need to make sure you have a firm grip on the nets rope to collect macroinvertebrate information correctly.
4. Next you MUST make sure the clasp at the bottom of the net is closed.
5. Lower the net over the side of the boat and walk along the side, back and forth, slowly.
6. Bring the net up and wash the plankton into a cup at the end of the net.

 

Now repeat 1 through 6 for the next two locations

Question: If we preformed this experiment at Seneca Lake, what kinds of macroinvertebrates would we find in certain temperatures?

Citations:

 "Lake County Water Atlas." Seneca, Lake: Ecology. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
 
"Does Water Level Affect Benthic Macro-invertebrates of a Marginal Lake in a Tropical River-reservoir Transition Zone?" Does Water Level Affect Benthic Macro-invertebrates of a Marginal Lake in a Tropical River-reservoir Transition Zone? N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

 "Seneca Lake." - A Guide to Hotels, Bed and Breakfasts in the Finger Lakes. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Effect on Carbon Cycle

1) car gives off fossil fuels
2) BBQ'ing burns coal

The biome of the Orangutan

The orangutan lives in the tropical rainforest. The general area it lives in is southeast Asia. The tropical climate range of a rainforest is 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, humidity is between 77 to 88 %, and rainfall is often more than 100 inches a year. Rainforests now cover less than 6% on the earth. there is very little seasonal change, but during some times there's less rain fall occurring, and in monsoonal areas, there's a real dry season. Different flaura and fauna are commonly found in a tropical rainforest. Flaura- Orchids, Lianas, and Buttress Roots. Fauna- Macaws, Toucan, and Spider Monkeys. 

Water Quality of Furnace Brook

Introduction:  We tested the turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature of the Furnace Brook Creek. We did this to see how macroinvertebrates are affected by the environment, and climate, which macroinvertebrates live in certain areas, and what macroinvertebrates can survive in different types of  stream / water quality. Different macroinvertebrates like to live in different water qualities. Such as Stoneflies and Water Pennies enjoy good water quality, high dissolved oxygen levels, nonturbid waters. Caddisflies, Craneflies, and Crayfish just need fair water qualities and their satisfied.

Research Question:  Which location would have a healthier environment; rocky and fast speed waters or non rocky and slow speed waters?

Hypothesis:  I predict that the rocky and fast speed waters location will be a healthier environment

Variable Identification:  

controlled variable method to control Location 1 Location 2 Location 1 Location 2 shady area shady area under a bridge covered by trees below drain above drain upstream downstream non-rocky rocky slow velocity fast velocity

Experimental Setup : The experiment was performed in shady areas near Corcoran High School. A small vial and two dissolved oxygen testabs were used to test how much ppm of dissolved oxygen is in the water. A 10 mL test tube and one pH range testab was used to test the pH level of the water. To determine temperature a thermometer came into play. when turbidity needed to be measured a secchi disk was needed also

Procedure:  

Turbidity:

1. Fill the jar ,with the secchi disk on the bottom inside, to the line indicated
2. Wait a few minutes, look and compare the secchi disk to the icons on the chart of turbidity

Temperature:

1. Fill the jar to indicated line
2. Hold thermometer in the water in the jar
3. After a couple of minutes check the thermometer for the temperature

Dissolved Oxygen:

1. Dip the small vial in the jar to fill it up with water
2. Drop two dissolved oxygen testabs into the vial
3. Twists the cap onto the vial; makes there no bubbles
4. Mix by inverting the vial over and over, do this for about four minutes
5. Wait five more minutes, then look at the dissolved oxygen color chart
6. See what color on the chart corresponds with the color of you water in the small vial

pH:

1. Fill the test tube to the 10 mL line
2. Add one pH wide range testab
3. Twist cap on the the test tube and mix by inverting until tablet has dissolved
4. Now, compared the color of the sample to the colors on the pH chart

macroinvertebrate samples:

1. Place the kick net in the water, and put a rock at the bottom so it doesn't go anywhere   
2. Go about five feet upstream from the net
3. Move rocks, soils, any kind of sediments to free the macroinvertebrates; the stream will carry them top the net
4. After a few minutes, fill up paint tray, and gu9ide the net over so the macroinvertebrates fall into the paint tray
5. Now, observe what macroinvertebrates are in the paint tray and us the macroinvertebrate identification key to tell which ones were captured

Stream Velocity:

1. measure out 40 feet
2. drop a golf ball from zero
3. time how long it takes the golf ball to get to 40; repeat this four more times
4. after all five times take the average, then divide 40 feet and the average float time for the golf ball. your answer will be feet/second.

Data:  

	Total biomass in sample (g)
	Stream A	Stream B
stone fly	11	2
midge larve	8	20
caddisfly	1	1
scuds	4	4

• 
  

Results :

• The blue represents the first data collection (first location), the red represents the second data collection (second location).

Discussion:  This data shows that there's more stone fly in the first location then the second, more midge larva in the second then the first, and the same amount of caddisfly and scuds in both the first and second

Evaluation:  There were several weaknesses and errors during this experiment. Most were from human things, like the drain and the bridge. the drain caused us to lose a lot of data that could have been captured.

Conclusion:  My data did not fully prove my hypothesis. all the data shows about the second location is that there were more midge larve

References – Macroinvertebrates - Environment." Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

Biomagnification Case Study

Biomagnification, occurs when the concentration of a substance, such as DDT or Mercury, in an organism exceeds the background concentration of the substance in its die. Biomagnification increase results into persistence, food chain energetic, low or non-existent rate of internal degradation or excretion of the substance.  Mercury is used to make thermometers, barometers and other scientific instruments. Mercury conducts electricity and is used to make silent, position dependent switches. Mercury vapor is used in streetlights, fluorescent lamps and advertising signs. Mercury itself is a naturally occurring element that is present throughout the environment; also in plants and animals. Human industrial pursuit such as coal-fired electricity generation, smelting and the incineration of waste increases the amount of airborne Mercury which eventually finds its way into lakes, rivers and the ocean, where it is consumed by unsuspecting fish and other marine life. When Mercury falls in rain or snow, it may flow into bodies of water like lakes and streams as it flows it gets picked up by organisms. Bacteria in soils and sediments convert mercury to methyl-mercury. In this form, it’s eaten by tiny aquatic plants and animals. Fish that eat these organisms build up methyl-mercury in their bodies. As bigger fish eat the smaller ones, the methyl-mercury is concentrated further up the food chain. Then after every small organism gets eaten by a bigger one the food chain finally reaches humans. There have been actions taken to limit mercury pollution. “Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, EPA has developed the first national standard limiting releases of mercury and other toxic air pollutants from existing coal- and oil-fired power plants. As proposed in March 2011, this standard will require power plant owners to cut overall emissions of mercury by more than 90 percent using widely available, proven pollution control technologies.”

Work Sited 

"America's Biggest Mercury Polluters: How Cleaning up the Dirtiest Power Plants Will Protect Public Health." America's Biggest Mercury Polluters: How Cleaning up the Dirtiest Power Plants Will Protect Public Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. 

test post

Test Post