The Honors Earth Science classes went to the Susquehanna River to solve a problem. The problem was not knowing if the is healthy. The classes want to know if the river is healthy, because the students live near the river, and it affects the classes everyday lives. To answer the problem, the classes did a series of tests, and made physical observations at various islands in the river. The students used test kits and other tools to test pH, temperature, phosphate, nitrate, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. The results of the tests were that the Susquehanna River is indeed, very good and healthy. It was discovered that temperature directly corresponds with dissolved oxygen. It was also discovered that there are different types of fish that live in different temperatures. Introduction The problem the students need to solve is whether or not the river is healthy. The overall concept of this trip is trying to prevent dead zones. Dead zones or eutrophication is when algae grows in excessive amounts, blocking the sunlight, which causes a lack of oxygen, which is essential for survival. To find out if the river is healthy, the classes performed chemical tests, scored macro levels, and made physical observations. …show more content…
To do the temperature and dissolved oxygen tests, stick the probe in the water, and it will show numbers. One will be the dissolved oxygen in ppm (parts per million) and the other will be the temperature of the water. To do the pH test, stick the pH paper in the water and compare the color it turns to the scale. To test nitrates, put clear water in a container and dirty water in another, and put powder in them. Shake them and then compare the color they turn to the scale. To test turbidity, take the tube and put the water in the tube and see if you can see through the tube. If the levels of the tests were normal and good, that would mean the river is