How Polluted Is U-High's Stream

Introduction:
In this experiment, the investigators have attempted to solve the questions of, “How polluted is U-High’s stream?” and, “How can water quality be measured?” They initially believed the creek to be of good quality. Many organisms within the water rely on dissolved oxygen, including fish, macroinvertebrates, and oxygen. Fish and macroinvertebrates use dissolved oxygen to breathe through their gills and bacteria relies on dissolved oxygen to decompose dead organisms. Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that has water molecules mixed in as a result of the spread of air and the process of green plant photosynthesis producing waste. The dissolved oxygen range for water quality is 1-14 parts per million (ppm). This means that for out of a million
If the range is high, the pH is 8.5-14. This means the water quality is poor and the ecosystem is unhealthy. The ecosystem is also unhealthy if the range is 1-6.5, which is considered low. The best range for the pH to be is 6.5-8.5, which is good quality water and healthy. If water quality is abundantly alkaline, then it will contain too much acid, but you don’t want the water to be too basic either. pH of 7.0 is the best for water. Nitrogen is an element similar to oxygen due to the fact that it it fuels many processes within organisms. If too much nitrogen enters an aquatic ecosystem, eutrophication can result, which can kill the entire aquatic ecosystem. Generally the range for nitrogen is 1-5, but theoretically 1-∞, with a value of 1 being great, and 5 being terrible (measured in mg/L). Phosphorus is a common chemical element, and when it is bonded with oxygen atoms, it forms phosphate. Phosphate is important for all organisms, soil, and water. Excess phosphorus indicates that the water is polluted and problems within the water begin to occur. Some include the growth of aquatic plants such as algae, bacteria will decompose dead plants, and fish die as a result of decomposition that removes the dissolved oxygen from the
Aquatic invertebrates are animals without backbones that live in the water. If there are a lot of different types of invertebrates eating in many ways, that is a good sign. Invertebrates are stationary so even though the pollution has moved on, you can check the invertebrate for the pollution. Invertebrates live for long periods of time so their bodies can be used to measure pollution at low concentrations. If certain types of invertebrates are in the area, they may be indicators of good nutrition in the area and increased algae population. Depending on the water quality, only certain invertebrates can live in a area. Essentially, all organisms in the creek ecosystem take in water, so if the water contains any toxins or lacks any compounds essential for survival, the ecosystem will suffer. Additionally, if a contaminant like lead gets into the ecosystem, say, via water, then it can stay in that ecosystem and continue doing harm even after it stops flowing in from the source. Additionally, if the toxins in the water disrupt invertebrate feeding chains, the entire ecosystem could suffer, as a trophic level would essentially be