Green Science - Water Quality Testing
Students from around the globe team up to test fresh water in this collaborative project. Students compare the water quality of their local river, stream, lake or pond with other fresh water sources around the world. The focus of the project is to:
Project Questions/Explorations
The questions below are suggested for help in determining a hypothesis for the project, follow-up discussions or further exploration. Students could address some of these questions or try to make comparisons of their own and include in their Final Reports.
- Assess the quality of water based on physical characteristics and chemical substances.
- Look for relationships and trends among the data collected by all project participants.
Project Questions/Explorations
The questions below are suggested for help in determining a hypothesis for the project, follow-up discussions or further exploration. Students could address some of these questions or try to make comparisons of their own and include in their Final Reports.
- How did the Dissolved Oxygen level of your water sample compare to the BOD level? Did you see any relationship between the two? If so, what was it?
- How did the Dissolved Oxygen level of your water sample compare to the Carbon Dioxide level? Did you notice a lot of plant life in the water? How might this relate to Carbon Dioxide levels?
- Is there a relationship between Dissolved Oxygen levels and the types of plants, animal, or other organisms you observed in the water? If so, describe the relationship.
- Is there a relationship between BOD levels and the types of plants, animals, or other organisms you observed in the water? If so, describe the relationship.
- Do you think that your water source is a good environment for organisms to survive based on pH levels? Why or why not?
- Is there a relationship between Nitrate and Phosphate levels and observed algae or plant life in the water? If so, describe the relationship.
- Is there a relationship between Turbidity level and the type and variety of organisms observed in the water? If so, describe the relationship.
- Is there any relationship between Dissolved Oxygen levels and Turbidity? Between BOD levels and Turbidity?
- Look at the database of results. Do you see a relationship between Dissolved Oxygen levels and water Temperature? If so, describe the relationship.
- Look at the database of results. Do you see a relationship between Temperature and BOD level? If so, describe the relationship.
- Did any of your results indicate poor or good water quality? If so, which ones? Explain your reasoning.
- Are any of your results not what you expected them to be? Which ones? Explain your reasoning.
- Look at all the schools' data collected for this project. Do your relationships hold true for other school's results as well?
- Pick one other school collaborating in this project and make a comparison between your water supplies.
Water Resources
USGS Water Science for Schools *Great Resource for general information about fresh water quality and use*
USGS Water Resources
How Stream Flow is Measured
EPA Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water
Surf Your Watershed
Safe Drinking Water Information
The SOS Macroinvertebrate Key
Pond Life Identification Kit
Environmental Testing Kit Info
LaMotte Environmental Science Education Products
Chemetrics Water Testing Kits
PASCO scientific
Vernier
USGS Water Science for Schools *Great Resource for general information about fresh water quality and use*
USGS Water Resources
How Stream Flow is Measured
EPA Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water
Surf Your Watershed
Safe Drinking Water Information
The SOS Macroinvertebrate Key
Pond Life Identification Kit
Environmental Testing Kit Info
LaMotte Environmental Science Education Products
Chemetrics Water Testing Kits
PASCO scientific
Vernier