Acid Rain Experiment

At the first station I was at, we were looking for macroinvertebrates and crustaceans. When we found one of the insects we had to determine which group they belonged in. One way to determine if the water is polluted is to look at which group the critters are mostly from. My group and I tested this by taking turns going into the creek and finding a rock to bring out. When we brought the rock out of the water and back to our group we had to make sure to turn the rock over because the critters normally live on the bottoms of the rocks and most likely would fall off if you didn’t turn it over. After we all took turns a couple of times

Our class has concluded that the conodoguinet creek is not polluted. If we test the Conodoguinet Creek for signs of pollution, then the creek will be polluted. That was my hypothesis for the creek, but it was wrong. There are many creatures that are pollution sensitive, which means they can’t survive in pollution. We found many of these creatures in the stream. Also, we have tested the creek for pollutants and other chemicals. Lastly, acid rain is a problem, so we tested the rocks for neutralizing acid. Here are some reasons why we think the creek is not polluted.

“The pH of a solution is a measure of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution and as such is a measure of the acidity or basicity (sic) of the solution. The letters pH stand for power of hydrogen and the numerical value defined as the negative base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration of hydrogen ions.” (PH, 2002). The pH scale is from 0 to 14. When the pH is higher, the hydrogen ions are fewer and the substance considered alkaline. This means when a pH unit increases by one, there is a tenfold change in the hydrogen ion. For example, if a substance has a 7 pH, it has 10 times as many as hydrogen ions available as 8 pH. A lake having a water pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is considered to be neutral. Researchers tested Peckham Park lake water monthly from August 2015 to April 2016 for water pH levels. A water quality PH test strip taken from a jar and dipped into the lake. After a few minutes, the strip will turn a color and this color determines the pH. The jar the strips came in has a chart of the colors on the back which compared to the color on the strip. The lake tested monthly using the PH test strips, which show the pH level, hardness, toxic, etc. using color-change

Even though, fertilizers are needed to supply essential nutrients to the growth of plants; an excess of them is one of the major issues contributing to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Fertilizers are mainly composed of two elements: nitrogen and phosphorus.(4) Throughout the years, millions of pounds of this nutrients are applied all around the Chesapeake Bay Watershed; everything not absorbed by the soil or taken up by plants eventually reaches the Chesapeake Bay through storm-water runoff. This nutrients end up creating algae blooms in the water, which reduce the amount of sunlight available to underwater grasses; not allowing plants to photosynthesize and produce the food they need to survive. Algae then decomposes creating dead zones killing fish and other species since oxygen is needed for any organism to live. (5)

About two hundred forty one thousand two hundred twelve people live in Cumberland County, and all of those people somehow pollute the Conodoguinet Creek. The Conodoguinet Creek is a tributary to the Susquehanna river, which is the longest river on the American East Coast, spanning 464 miles long and draining into the Atlantic ocean. Many things, such as livestock, construction sites, fossil fuels and fertilizers, all go into the Conodoguinet creek. Now, that is A LOT of pollution that can (or will) go into the creek. This does not just affect the Conodoguinet Creek, but everything that the creek drains into, like the Susquehanna river, then the Chesapeake bay, and then the Atlantic ocean, which covers over 20% of thie whole globe! As you

Did you ever wonder how things you do everyday effect the Chesapeake Bay watershed and Its tributaries? Well, It turns out to be not so good. One of the main causes for the Bay’s bad health are nutrients which are caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water. Plants and animals need nutrients to survive but when too many nutrients are in the water they fuel the growth of algae blooms and create conditions that are harmful for aquatic creatures.

Either or both of those two things could have runoff from the land and drained into the creek. They are negative to the creek. Our results showed that the creek was containing little to no phosphate. The average number after 15 tests was just 0.3- zero being the best. Similarly, nitrate is a salt or ester, but it is made of nitric acid, containing the anion NO3. It is found in runoff from fertilized farms and treatment plants. The same process was used for testing nitrate levels. The average level out of eight tests was 0.8, which is a higher than phosphate but still relatively low. Both of those test results were very positive. It showed that the creek was low in eutrophication. Another chemical test is testing for dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen is microscopic bubbles of oxygen (O2) that are in the water and there for aquatic organisms to breathe in, which is necessary for almost all organisms. The testing process was similar to that of nitrate and phosphate tests. After testing the water, we got an average level of 11.4. More dissolved oxygen allows for more gaseous bubbles for organisms to breathe in. Therefore, a higher number is better. Twelve is the highest level of dissolved oxygen possible. Thus, since 11.4 is very close to 12, the dissolved oxygen level was very good. Dissolved oxygen can be changed in a number of ways. First, stagnant, or not moving, water has a much lower level of dissolved oxygen. Also, hotter water has less dissolved water. Lastly, chemicals like phosphate and nitrate can cause the growth of algae (which will be discussed in more detail in paragraph three), taking away oxygen. Additionally, the students tested for acid rain pollution. The tests falling under the acid rain category would test for acidity or alkalinity in water. We took a pH test, which is a level expressing the

Is the Conodoguinet creek polluted? I thought it was, but multiple tests from my peers and I proved my hypothesis wrong. To prove our hypotheses, my peers and I did multiple tests of the organisms living in the creek. We also tested the water quality. You may be wondering, “ How does this apply to me?” “ Why should I care?”, the fact is that the Conodoguinet runs through 100 miles of Pennsylvania. It runs through farms, towns, communities, and maybe even your backyard. So, making sure we protect it should concern all of us.

The purpose of this lab is to simulate the effects of slightly acidic rainwater on rocks and minerals.

The Conodoguinet Creek flows 101 miles through the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania. We traveled to just a small portion of the Conodoguinet Creek. In our area eutrophication and acid rain are common. Eutrophication is caused by sewage treatment plants, home sewage systems, and fertilizer runoff. Acid rain is caused by fossil fuel burning. If we were to test the Conodoguinet Creek for signs of acid rain, eutrophication or other types of pollution, then it would test with high levels of pollution. That way my hypothesis and what I thought about the pollution in the Conodoguinet Creek before I went there and tested the water.

Ocean acidification is a big problem in society but hasn’t been given the recognition needed. Before the industrial era began, the average pH at the ocean surface was estimated at 8.2 (slightly basic; 7.0 is neutral). In 2013 the average pH level was 8.1. Although the change may seem insignificant, similar natural shifts have taken 5,000 to 10,000 years but because of societal development this change occurred between 50 to 80 years. It was hypothesised that by the lowering the PH level of the experiment water it will have a decomposing effect on the organisms (shells).Three shells were placed in separate beakers with different levels of pH and were tested for the changes of mass (intervals of 2 to 3 days). Sample 2 of the experiment showed

In the schoolyard assessment conducted of Glenelg, it was discovered that the offsite river that collects the schools pollutants had had excess phosphate, nitrates, and nitrites. These chemicals aren’t harmful in healthy amounts but the 0.25 ppm of phosphate, 10 ppm of nitrate, and 1 ppm nitrite is past the natural norm. When the amounts of phosphate and nitrates increase, so does the growth of plankton and algae. These aquatic plants use up a lot of oxygen and block sunlight, stealing needed resources from other aquatic life. Excess nitrites, when consumed, can alter the hemoglobin in blood to methemoglobin, which reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. Adding more no mow areas would also help solve this problem, as well as not using and fertilizer or pesticides and cleaning up the schools property, (“What is Water Pollution”, 2017). The results of the Schoolyard Assessment show that the Glenelg water is not the best that it could be, but improving the vegetative cover, lessening the pollution in the area, and improving the water quality is necessary for the overall improvement of the

This experiment will evaluate the damage caused to plants by acid rain. Acid rain is any form of precipitation, such as fog, rain, or snow, with acidic components. (What is Acid Rain?, n.d.) The effects of acid rain on the environment are important to understand because it affects plant life, animals, and waterways. Additionally, people can be harmed by the pollutants that cause acid rain. It is important for scientists to perform this experiment so that they can better understand the effects of acid rain, how to prevent acid rain, and how to overcome the damages caused by acid rain. During the experiment, a vinegar solution acting as acid rain will be applied to radish seeds in both a petri dish and seeds planted in a

Pour 30 mL of water in the petri dish labeled ”water” and 30 mL of the diluted sulfuric acid into the petri dish labeled “Acid Rain”.

When looking at the effects of acid rain there is a scale on with scientists use. The pH scale has units from 0 – 14. Acidic substances have a pH number from 1 to 6, the lower the number the higher the corrosiveness. Alkalis are bases and are nonacidic substances and they have pH values for 8 to 14, the higher the value the higher the alkalinity. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7 and it is neither an acid nor a base. Rain, snow, hail etc with a pH value below 5.6 is considered acid rain. If there is a high acid and high bases are in the air, they mix and form normal rain when they fall to earth. This is a normal occurrence in nature. When rain falls with a pH near 5.6 the alkaline chemicals in the environment, found in rocks, soil etc absorb and neutralize this acidic rain. If rainfalls with a pH lower then 5.6, the environment is unable to neutralize the acid rain. When this rainfalls it damages whole ecosystems and even destroys man made structures.