Transcript Water Quality Research - Elizabeth City State University

Water Quality Research
Cymone Morris, Tyler Lannon,
Rickea White, and DaNesha Curry
Burroughs Wellcome Fund
August 17, 2007
Problem

The causes and impacts of water
pollution in and around Elizabeth City.
Outline
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
V. Biosphere
A. Impacts of elevation
A. Death of animals and plants
B. Speed of Runoff
B. Oil spills
C. Soil
C. Things that are hazardous to water quality
IV. Atmosphere
VI. Conclusion
A. Acid Rain
A. Suggestions
B. Thermal Pollution
B. Reflections
C. Atmospheric Changes
C. Acknowledgments
D. References
What is water quality?

Water quality is determined by the
physical, chemical, and biological
characteristics of water.
Surface Runoff and its effect
on water quality
 What is surface runoff?
Surface runoff is the
flow of water, rain and
snow (hydrosphere). It
is also a main
component of the
water cycle.
Causes 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
Does Elevation Influence the
amount and Speed of Runoff?
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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.
Does the Speed of Runoff have
an Impact on Water Quality?
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The speed of runoff has a great impact on
water quality. This is because if the Runoff’s
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.
ELEVATION AROUND
PASQUOTANK RIVER
Does the type of soil have an
Impact on Water Quality?
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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).
What diseases are found in
water of poor quality?
Cause: Source of agent in water supply
Effect: Disease
Sewage, non treated drinking water, files
in water supply
Amebiasis (hand to mouth)
Collects on water filters and membranes
that cannot be disinfected
Cryptosporidiosis (oral)
Sewage, non-treated drinking water
Cyclosporiasis
Untreated water, poor disinfection, pipe
breaks leaks,
Giardiasis (oral fecal) (hand to mouth)
The genera of Encephalitozoon intestinalis
has been detected in groundwater,
swimming
Microsporidia
The impact of water level
on water quality
 High Water Levels
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.
About 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.
Effects 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.
Thermal Pollution
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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.
Atmospheric 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
How does the death of animals
effect the Pasquotank River?
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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.
How 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.
What are the effects of oil
spills on water quality?
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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.
What is hazardous to the water
quality of the Pasquotank River?
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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 animal’s
habitat.
Conclusion
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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.
Suggestions
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Properly dispose of hazardous materials
such as detergents and paints.
Use organic fertilizers
Save Water!!! Don’t leave the water running
when you’re 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
Acknowledgments
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Mrs. Julie Stamper
Dr. Leon Pringle
Dr. Thomas Rossbach
Dr. Jim Botti
Dr. Liz Noble
Dr. William Porter
References
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http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/acidrain.html
http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/pollute.htm
http://www.pollutionissues.com/Te-Un/ThermalPollution.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/acidrain?cat=health
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Acid_rain
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmospher
e/water_watersheds.backup_CopyrightChange
http://ga2.er.usgs.gov/peachtree/droughtsqa.cf
m
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http://www.chesapeakebay.net/air_pollution
.htm
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/544
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/basinwide/chapte
r_2.htm
http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/wate
rpollution.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_pollution
http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/Issues?w
aterQuality.cfm
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http://www.ecsu.edu/ECSU/AcidDept/Geolo
gy/pruqp.htm#_To452353485
http://www.ncfisheries.net/habitat/chppdoc4/
E_SAV.pdf
http://wikipedia.org/
http://www.aacounty.org/SevernRiver/polluti
on1.cfm
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K12/fenlewis/Waterquality.html
http://www.fivecreeks.org/monitor/do.html
Reflections
These two weeks have been wonderful!
We’ve learned how to apply our knowledge
to the events that occur in real life. We’ve
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!