Comparisons of Local Urban Streams
Cameron White
Principles of Chem Reactivity
Dr. Singleton
Comparative Analysis of McCloud’s Run and Indian Creek There are four important traits of any water stream in the natural world. The chemistry of the stream affects the ecosystem of the stream which includes people who utilize the water of the stream for various uses. Many factors play a part into the chemistry of the water such as the temperature, the pH, the turbidity, the conductivity, and the dissolved oxygen (A.K.A. DO) (1). Those are the focus of this study.
Temperature and dissolved oxygen are both related to each other. The dissolved oxygen is inversely proportional to the temperature of the water. Anything decaying in the water will decrease the dissolved oxygen. A value less than 5 mg/L of dissolved oxygen is hard on the fish. When the dissolved oxygen has a value less than 2 mg/L, the fish will die (1). pH helps not only stabilize certain communities of species, but can also be detrimental to certain species. The pH can help us predict what kind of life could be in there. For example, algae produce CO2 which will lower the pH, a lower pH may help us determine if there is a large amount of algae in the stream. It also can indicate how many acidic chemicals are leaking from human influence (1).
The turbidity shows how cloudy the water is, but tells us how much extra sediment there is in the water. This can be a sign of erosion into the water. The value can also increase if the water is cloudy from a recent rain. Turbidity in higher values has a negative effect on the eggs of the fish as well as the aquatic wildlife in general (2).
Conductivity measures the amount of salts in the water. The different salts are broken up and cause the conductivity to be higher when more salts are present. Algae will reduce the amount of carbonate in the water which will reduce the amount of conductivity. On the other hand a large amount of conductivity will have a negative effect on the
Principles of Chem Reactivity
Dr. Singleton
Comparative Analysis of McCloud’s Run and Indian Creek There are four important traits of any water stream in the natural world. The chemistry of the stream affects the ecosystem of the stream which includes people who utilize the water of the stream for various uses. Many factors play a part into the chemistry of the water such as the temperature, the pH, the turbidity, the conductivity, and the dissolved oxygen (A.K.A. DO) (1). Those are the focus of this study.
Temperature and dissolved oxygen are both related to each other. The dissolved oxygen is inversely proportional to the temperature of the water. Anything decaying in the water will decrease the dissolved oxygen. A value less than 5 mg/L of dissolved oxygen is hard on the fish. When the dissolved oxygen has a value less than 2 mg/L, the fish will die (1). pH helps not only stabilize certain communities of species, but can also be detrimental to certain species. The pH can help us predict what kind of life could be in there. For example, algae produce CO2 which will lower the pH, a lower pH may help us determine if there is a large amount of algae in the stream. It also can indicate how many acidic chemicals are leaking from human influence (1).
The turbidity shows how cloudy the water is, but tells us how much extra sediment there is in the water. This can be a sign of erosion into the water. The value can also increase if the water is cloudy from a recent rain. Turbidity in higher values has a negative effect on the eggs of the fish as well as the aquatic wildlife in general (2).
Conductivity measures the amount of salts in the water. The different salts are broken up and cause the conductivity to be higher when more salts are present. Algae will reduce the amount of carbonate in the water which will reduce the amount of conductivity. On the other hand a large amount of conductivity will have a negative effect on the
Cited: 1.) Soloman, E, Berg, L, & Martin, D. (2006). Biology: seventh edition. Belmont, CA: Thompson-Brooks/Cole 2.) Cordone, Almo J., Kelley, Don W. (1961). The influences of inorganic sediment on the aquatic life of streams. California Fish and Game Conservation of Wildlife Through Education. Inland Fisheries Branch California Department of Fish and Game, Volume 47 April, 1961 no. 2