Variation of Anion Concentration in Nahant Marsh Pond

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Variation of Anion Concentration in Nahant Marsh
Pond Amy Dupont, Biology Michelle Ferguson,
Psychology Joseph Jones, Nursing Alison Mooney,
Exercise Science
Range of Averaged Concentrations by Location (ppm)
Nahant Marsh is a reserve on the southwestern
side of Davenport. The marsh consists of a pond,
a wooded area, a prairie, and walking
paths. Hypothesis Location in the pond at
Nahant Marsh will affect the concentration of
anions. Purpose and Objectives Does variation in
pond location at Nahant Marsh affect the
concentration of anions in the water? Our purpose
was to determine if a correlation exists between
these two variables. It is likely that the
location in the pond will affect the
concentration of ions because there is drainage
from nearby farms as well as run-off from nearby
urban and industrial sites. We systematically
plotted locations in the pond, sampled water from
each location, determined the concentration of
chloride, bromide, sulfate, nitrate, nitrite,
phosphate, and fluoride in those samples through
the use of ion chromatography, and then
determined if a pattern existed between the
location of the ions and their concentration.
Fluoride, Bromide, and Phosphate Concentrations
by Location
Chloride and sulfate concentrations in ppm by day.
Statistical Analysis
ANOVA Test Results by Location
ANOVA Test Results by Day
Methods Systematically plotted sample sites,
collected samples, filtered samples, tested
samples and interpreted results.
Average fluoride, bromide, and phosphate
concentrations in ppm at eight Nahant Marsh
sampling sites.
Impact There were no significant differences
among sampling locations for all ions tested. We
found that there was variation in Chloride and
Sulfate on the three different days of sample
collection. This could have been caused by
several different factors. The water level was
decreasing due to the removal of a beaver dam
downstream, which may have caused a variation in
concentration over our three-week period of
collecting samples. The weather also could have
changed our results from day to day because there
was rain on two of our sampling days, which could
have affected the concentrations of anions in the
water. The concentration of the seven ions tested
in Nahant Marsh pond-fluoride, bromide, chloride,
nitrite, nitrate, sulfide, and phosphate-are
important. We chose to conduct this experiment in
hopes of determining a possible pattern between
location and concentration of anions and then
discovering if there was an essential cause as to
why such pattern exists. Our experiment revealed
that no pattern existed when comparing the
concentration of ions by location, however, there
was differences in the averages of some ions,
when compared by day. The concentration of ions
could be in response to factors such as drainage,
rainfall, pollution, etc. and could affect the
surrounding environment. Perhaps higher
concentrations of certain ions attract certain
organisms (such as macro invertebrates) to a
particular area. This particular research is
valuable to Nahant Marsh because it could explain
the water quality of the pond and how that
affects the organisms inhabiting it. The research
is also valuable outside of Nahant because it
provides information about the water quality of a
freshwater area. Special Thanks to Andrew
Axup, Matthew Halfhill, Paul Koch, Rich Legg,
Shannon Mackey, and Brian Ritter
Collected Samples
Tested Samples
Filtered Samples
Nahant Marsh Pond Sample Sites
Average chloride and sulfate concentrations in
ppm at eight Nahant Marsh sampling sites.
1 cm 50 meters
Fluoride, bromide, and phosphate concentrations
in ppm by day.