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Water Chemistry

Water Chemistry. Caitlin Feeney February 1, 2010. pH. pH refers to the relative number of Hydrogen ions in solution Larger amounts of hydrogen ions means a more acidic solution More hydroxide ions however causes the solution to be more basic. Effect of pH on Aquatic Organisms.

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Water Chemistry

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  1. Water Chemistry Caitlin Feeney February 1, 2010

  2. pH pH refers to the relative number of Hydrogen ions in solution Larger amounts of hydrogen ions means a more acidic solution More hydroxide ions however causes the solution to be more basic

  3. Effect of pH on Aquatic Organisms A solution with pH of 4.5 has ten times the amount of hydrogen ions as a solution of pH 5.5 Therefore, there is a large difference between say pH 5.0 and pH 3.0 Due to this, even small changes in pH can cause stress to aquatic organisms

  4. Water Hardness Water hardness refers to the relative amount of dissolved magnesium and calcium ions The level of water hardness is tested with CaCO3 in degrees of hardness (dH) 0-4 dH is very soft water 18-30 dH is hard water

  5. Salinity • Water salinity is the total amount of dissolved salts in a water sample • This test checks for calcium, magnesium, and sodium ions but does not identify which one it is testing for • Salinity can be tested via an Electrical Conductivity test or a Total Dissolved Solids test

  6. Nutrients • Nitrates and Phosphates can cause eutrophication in an ecosystem • This occurs when there are too many nutrients and algae and other aquatic plants grow too much

  7. Dissolved Oxygen • Dissolved Oxygen levels are very important to water quality • Higher levels of DO found at colder water temperatures and vice versa. • Aquatic organisms prefer high dissolved oxygen levels and low temperatures

  8. Watershed Delineation Caitlin Feeney February 1, 2010

  9. What you need: • Contour map of region in question • Ruler • Pencil • Colored pencils/crayons

  10. Delineating a watershed • First, trace the main river or lake in the watershed from source to outlet • Next, using a ruler, draw a mark perpendicular to the line every 2cm • Using the ruler, extend these marks to the edge of the map • Follow each line to the highest level of elevation and mark it

  11. Delineating a watershed • When each highest level of elevation has been found, connect the dots • This should give an approximate outline of the watershed • For practice, delineate the sub-watersheds using any main tributaries or streams

  12. Sources • http://science7acidbase.wikispaces.com/file/view/ph-chart.jpg/30396242/ph-chart.jpg • http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-chem.html • http://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ecs/plants/technotes/pmtechnoteMT61/wtr_salin_test.html • http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/waterquality.html • http://www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/images/methods/topo4.jpg • http://www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/WS_delineation.html

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