Nitrate Test Lab Report

The pH scale is 1 to 14, 7 being the best quality. To the right is a pH scale. 7 is what the water should be. 7 is also what we had for the creek average. We had a higher number of rocks neutralizing acid (limestone is the stone found mostly in the creek) than the ones that don’t. this means that the acid rain we get is mostly neutralized by limestone in the stream. We get acid rain from Philadelphia. This is because of the massive steel companies. All of the toxic smoke comes over and comes down in the conodoguinet as acid rain. So the creek is non-acidic and non-alkaline.

The chemical characteristics observed and documented were pH, temperature, phosphate, nitrate, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. Each of these chemical levels were documented and found differently. Most were found using a kit or a device. The numbers found, would tell us how polluted the stream was and how much nutrients were in the water. Each chemical has a scale for telling what a good level is and what a bad level is. If an excess amount of nutrients was found in the water, algae could be formed. When algae is formed it blocks sunlight from shining into the water, which creates dead zones. This is called eutrophication. A dead zone is an area where there is no life. This can cause major problems like population issues and more. If the algae continues to grow in the river, the whole body of water can die out, and people as well as other organisms are very dependent on the Susquehanna. While on the river though, there was an absence of algae, so sunlight is able to get through the water, which is very good.

The Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Enrichment on Water Samples from Encanto Lake and the Rio Salado River.

Table 1. This table shows the recording of the amplitude, period, and BPMs for the ventricular contractions before and the effects of the Cold Ringer’s after.

Overall, the more macroinvertebrates in the water, the healthier the stream. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is. It is measured on a scale from 0-14. 0 is the most acidic, 14 is the most basic, and 7 is neutral. It is the measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxide ions in the water. Acidic water has more hydrogen ions, and basic water has more hydroxide ions. When water’s pH is around neutral (7), that is a suitable and healthy living environment for fish, and indicates a healthy stream. If the water is too acidic or too basic, it can be harmful to the aquatic life. Dissolved oxygen is a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the water. As the amount of dissolved oxygen drops below normal levels in water bodies, the water quality is harmed and creatures begin to die off as a result of eutrophication. The higher the level of dissolved oxygen, the healthier the stream. When there is a lot of dissolved oxygen present it makes for a safe environment for fish to live and reproduce. Having all this healthy fish can provide us with food, so overall the more dissolved oxygen, the better. Nitrates are a compound found in fertilizers that is used to help plants grow. It is what is given off as a result of the use of nitrogen in water. The organisms in the soil eat the nitrates and it helps the metabolism and the health of organisms. Plants, such as Algae use nitrates as a source

Each person got to test either the phosphates, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, or the ph in the creek. Phosphates and nitrates are nutrients found in water due to fertilizers, decaying plants and bacteria. Dissolved oxygen is the amount of gaseous oxygen dissolved in the water. As we recorded our results, we discovered that the dissolved oxygen levels were very high, which is good because the higher amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, the healthier the creek is. The phosphates levels in the creek were all perfect zeros, which is great because having nutrients in the creek is not healthy. The nitrate levels were slightly higher, at 0.9. That is not bad at all, but it isn’t perfect, showing signs of pollution. The ph levels in the rocks were neutral, right at seven. If they were lower than 7, that would mean they have acids in them, and if they were higher than 7, they would have alkaline in them. Alkaline, or bases, neutralizes acids. The number of rocks that we found that neutralized acid was 65, and the number of rocks that did not neutralize acids were 29. This shows that about one-third of the rocks in the creek do not neutralize acids.

Water uptake capacity of NCs enables them to entrap exudates upon contact with suppurating wounds which is desirable for their effectiveness as wound dressings. The increase in size and agglomeration of AgNPs from NC-1 to NC-3 might have resulted in more blockages of pores of CNCs which could be responsible for a decrease in water uptake capacity of NC-2 and NC-3 as compared to NC-1.

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

or three to do the tests. There were three different elements to test for (phosphate, nitrate, and dissolved oxygen). After EVERY GROUP did a test for each element we than found the averages of each element. Phosphate’s average was 0.1 parts per million, Nitrate came in at 0.9 parts per million and dissolved oxygen had a grand total of 9.8 parts per million. These numbers were average, they weren't great but they were not awful. These numbers also proved that the creek is not

Turbidity and nutrient levels occur within Australia’s river systems, generally coincide in Australia's river systems. A large proportion of the suspended sediment in Australian rivers results from vegetation removal, leading to gully and stream bank erosion and sheetwash. Phosphorus is overwhelmingly associated with such particulate loads (The National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2002).

At this station, we tested the creek water for phosphates, nitrates, and dissolved oxygen. What we found for phosphates was an average of 0.3 phosphates. For nitrates, we found an average of 0.8 nitrates. For the dissolved oxygen, we got an average of 11.4. This shows that the Conodoguinet Creek is pretty healthy. We also tested for acidity and alkalinity. To do this, we needed to use a pH scale. A pH scale goes from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline). A good place for the water to be is 7, this means that the water is not acidic, nor has alkaline in it, but it is neutral. The water in the Conodoguinet Creek was at 7, so it was

Dissolved Oxygen, pH levels, Temperature Change, Fecal Coliform, BOD, Nitrate, Phosphates, Turbidity, and Total Solids were each tested in the stream at least one time. If more time and enough supplies were given, then certain tests should be done more than once. Temperature Changes should be tested every other month because it is quick and a change in temperature can affect the health of the organisms living in the stream and therefore the quality of the stream. Temperatures can also drastically change in a short amount of time and there is a large difference in water temperatures in summer and winter. Another test that should be done every other month is dissolved oxygen because it is related to the temperature of the water. Cooler waters have a greater capacity for dissolved oxygen than warmer waters. This test is important because due to human activity and industrial processes, can increase water temperature and therefore decrease the dissolved oxygen levels. Certain organisms living in the stream need a sufficient amount of dissolved oxygen to survive. Another test that should be done more often is the

Our creek, Little Mill Creek hasn’t been doing too well lately, it’s too polluted. What we need to improve is the nitrate levels. This seems most important because we CAN solve it! Nitrates are chemicals that can be found in sewage and in feces. The top causes of nitrates in creeks are from dogs and birds.

The primary goal of this my analysis is to estimate long-term mass loss of nitrate in Saylorville Lake and compare my analysis with those of Schoch et al. (2009) and Okereke et al. (1988) to determine if Saylorville Lake is a nitrogen sink. Approximate annual percent mass loss of nitrate and hydraulic loading rate (HLR) in the reservoir, and compare my finding with those of David et al (2006) and Garnier et al.(1999); to determine nitrate reduction Saylorville Lake. Recent studies done by David et al. (2006), Schoch et al (2009) and Okereke et al. (1988) from 1981 through the period of 2006, on Shelbyville lake indicate high to low nitrate inputs. Similar observations were also indicated by Garnier et al.(1999) in three reservoirs in France.

Many new developments are being built by freshwater sources such as lakes and rivers and with this construction, riparian areas are being destroyed. Both of these actions negatively impact the amount of dissolved oxygen at the source. Industries such as construction and logging may send large amounts of organic matter into streams (Zaimes 2007). This organic matter would then be decomposed by microorganisms, which use up oxygen in this process. This process creates a eutrophic system where oxygen levels are depleted. Additionally, destruction of Riparian areas would decrease the tree cover and increase the water temperature. The significance of this temperature increase is that the water would be able to hold less dissolved oxygen. Many aquatic