Title: Water Quality Research
1Water Quality Research
- Cymone Morris, Tyler Lannon, Rickea White, and
DaNesha Curry
Burroughs Wellcome Fund August 17, 2007
2Problem
- The causes and impacts of water pollution in and
around Elizabeth City. -
3Outline
- I. Introduction
- A. Problem
- B. What is water quality?
- II. Hydrosphere
- A. Surface Runoff
- B. Diseases found in poor water quality
- C. Impact of water level
- III. Lithosphere
- A. Impacts of elevation
- B. Speed of Runoff
- C. Soil
- IV. Atmosphere
- A. Acid Rain
- B. Thermal Pollution
- C. Atmospheric Changes
-
-
V. Biosphere A. Death of animals
and plants B. Oil spills
C. Things that are hazardous to water
quality VI. Conclusion A. Suggestions B.
Reflections C. Acknowledgments D. References
4What is water quality?
- Water quality is determined by the physical,
chemical, and biological characteristics of water.
5Surface Runoff and its effect on water quality
- Surface runoff is the flow of water, rain and
snow (hydrosphere). It is also a main component
of the water cycle.
6Causes and effects of runoff
- When the water runs along the ground it picks
up soil contaminations, (man-made chemicals)
petroleum, (crude oil) pesticides (bug
preventions, and fertilizers. These contaminants
then go into our water causing its quality to
decline
7Does Elevation Influence the amount and Speed of
Runoff?
- In areas of high elevations such as mountains,
runoff effects can be more apparent in the form
of flash floods and mudslides. - Areas around the Pasquotank are already at a low
elevation. - Runoff carries sediment, raising the bed level
which causes increased flooding.
8Does the Speed of Runoff have an Impact on Water
Quality?
- The speed of runoff has a great impact on water
quality. This is because if the Runoffs speed
picks up, it can pick up more sediment and
man-made chemicals such as fertilizer and
pesticides. - Forests and Swamps are much more capable of
slowing water than farmlands and grasslands. - Impervious surfaces such as parking lots and
roads increase the speed of Runoff because there
is nothing to slow it down.
9ELEVATION AROUND PASQUOTANK RIVER
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11Does the type of soil have an Impact on Water
Quality?
- The soil acts as a natural filter when water
percolates down into the groundwater. - Soil type has a significant effect as well as
soil depth, and how clean the soil is, and
surrounding vegetation. - Different types of soil have different rates of
percolation. For example, water percolates
through sand much faster than clay (this is
because of the size of the soil particles sand
has much larger particles than clay).
12What diseases are found in water of poor quality?
13The impact of water level on water quality
- When the precipitation builds up it causes an
area to flood. Flooding washes materials from
land (lithosphere) into the water, often causing
a decline in water quality.
14About Acid Rain
- Acid rain is a term used to describe how acidic
materials build up in the atmosphere and return
to earth in the form of precipitation. - Cause The burning of fossil fuels creates nitric
acid and sulfuric acid.
15Effects of acid rain
- Acid rain has a negative effect on the quality of
water. Low pH levels in water kills plants,
diminishes oxygen and increases bacteria growth,
furthermore decreasing water quality.
16Thermal Pollution
- A sudden change in water temperature
- Cause Rainfall flows on asphalt and becomes
heated and is then deposited into nearby water. - Effects Increased temperature results in the
reduction of dissolved oxygen causing rapid
growth of algae and bacteria, which in turn
decreases water quality.
17Atmospheric changes and water quality
Negative Effects
Increased amounts of sulfur and nitric oxides
result in acid rain or dry deposition of these
acidic particles Increased atmospheric
temperatures can contribute to thermal pollution
by raising water temperatures Storms that occur
in the atmosphere can provide the soil with more
water than it can absorb or result in increased
flooding and runoff
18How does the death of animals effect the
Pasquotank River?
- Animals such as herring, white perch, and catfish
live in the Pasquotank River. - If one animal from the food chain dies, other
animals will die because each animal lives off
each other. - When the animal decompose in the water their body
begins to decay making the water contaminated
making it unsuitable for humans to use.
19How does the death of plants effect the
Pasquotank River?
- Just like animals, plants have a big impact on
the Pasquotank River. Plants in the river
provide oxygen to the animals as well as a home .
So if the plant begin to die off then that will
cause the animals to die off also. Leaving the
water contaminated.
20What are the effects of oil spills on water
quality?
- Oil pollution is a growing problem, that
particularly devastates coastal wildlife. - Most man-made oil pollution comes from land based
activity such as factories, ships, and oil
tankers. - When oil starts to leak into the river it harms a
numerous amount of things such as the oceanic
habitat and the animals living in the river, and
it contaminates the water which provides the us
with less drinking water.
21What is hazardous to the water quality of the
Pasquotank River?
- There are many things known to cause the decline
of water quality such as runoff from farms which
includes fertilizers, animal waste, and
chemicals. - Dissolved oxygen occurs when organic waste
consumes oxygen making it harder for animals to
live. - Large amounts of hazardous substances like nitric
acid can kill vegetation and destroy an animals
habitat.
22Conclusion
- Through the Earth System Science (ESS), our team
was able to discover the ways that the four
spheres interact and impact our water quality. - For example, the atmosphere releases
precipitation which forms runoff (hydrosphere)
causing erosion (lithosphere) and damages the
biosphere.
23Suggestions
- Properly dispose of hazardous materials such as
detergents and paints. - Use organic fertilizers
- Save Water!!! Dont leave the water running when
youre not using it! - Recycle and dispose of trash properly
- The use of BMP (Best Management Practices) would
greatly help the situation in the Pasquotank
River
24Acknowledgments
- Mrs. Julie Stamper
- Dr. Leon Pringle
- Dr. Thomas Rossbach
- Dr. Jim Botti
- Dr. Liz Noble
- Dr. William Porter
25References
- http//ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/acidrain.html
- http//www.mbgnet.net/fresh/pollute.htm
- http//www.pollutionissues.com/Te-Un/Thermal-Pollu
tion.html - http//www.answers.com/topic/acid-rain?cathealth
- http//www.eoearth.org/article/Acid_rain
- http//www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmosphere/water
_watersheds.backup_CopyrightChange - http//ga2.er.usgs.gov/peachtree/droughtsqa.cfm
26- http//www.chesapeakebay.net/air_pollution.htm
- http//www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/544
- http//h2o.enr.state.nc.us/basinwide/chapter_2.htm
- http//www.umich.edu/gs265/society/waterpollution
.htm - http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_pollution
- http//www.fws.gov/contaminants/Issues?waterQualit
y.cfm
27- http//www.ecsu.edu/ECSU/AcidDept/Geology/pruqp.ht
m_To452353485 - http//www.ncfisheries.net/habitat/chppdoc4/E_SAV.
pdf - http//wikipedia.org/
- http//www.aacounty.org/SevernRiver/pollution1.cfm
- http//www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/fenlewis/Waterqua
lity.html - http//www.fivecreeks.org/monitor/do.html
28Reflections
- These two weeks have been wonderful! Weve
learned how to apply our knowledge to the events
that occur in real life. Weve been to The Great
Dismal Swamp, where we learned why it is
important to protect our swamps. The trip to the
Currituck Sound allowed us to gain hands-on
experience on how scientists collect and analyze
data. Through Problem Based Learning (PBL) and
the Earth System Science (ESS) we have all gained
invaluable skills that will last a lifetime!
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