NEED A++ - Science- final essay report

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SCI 207: Dependence of man on the environment

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Introduction

Background

Looking at the history of mankind one thing is really common; all the wars were fought for three main reasons wealth, women and land. However looking at the future of this era it can be easily concluded that all of the future wars will be fought for the sake of water. Water crisis is not just going to be a crisis but a threat to the very existence of civilization. Human beings when sent to this earth were the weakest of all forces but with the quality of living standards and use of resources it conquered all forces of nature. Now coming to the present situation of water in the entire world people don’t have access to fresh water supply in most parts of the world. The situation is alarming as the absence of good quality water can cause numerous diarrheal diseases, including Cholera, and other serious illnesses such as Guinea worm disease, Typhoid, and Dysentery. Therefore quality of good water is necessary for living.

Objective

Considering the increasing number of water related diseases and other issues in the world. Our objective was to analyze, organize and summarize the information in order to find the solution that the people are facing with regards the water related issues. How they can provide themselves and their families with water supply that is purely hygienic and doesn’t cause any harm to them and to their families. The further objective was to find the reasons of what is the quality of water that most of the people are drinking. Is tap water good for health for most of the people in today’s world.

Experiment 1: Diversity of Plants

Table 2: Number of Each Plant Species Present in Pot 1 and Pot 2
Species Observed	Number in Pot 1(sunlight)	Number in Pot 2(shade)
Zinnia	0	0
Marigold	0	0
Morning Glory	0	0
Cosmos	0	0
Ryegrass	0	0
Total Number of Species in Pot:	0	0

Hypothesis

I have developed a hypothesis that plants that get the most light will develop in shape better than the plants which exists only in the shadow.

Conclusion

According to Bensel & Turk, (2014), In terrestrial ecosystems, air pollution deposition affects plant physiology; microbial processes; biogeochemical cycles of substances, such as nitrogen; and plant community dynamics. In aquatic ecosystems, acidic deposition results in acidification of waterways, the mobilization of trace metals in surface waters, and ultimately, the loss of aquatic biodiversity.

Based on the experiment and the comprehensive research I reject my this hypothesis and this is because there was limited sunlight the flowers were not able to completely grow in the shadow, there are several stems that grew but I cannot identify to which plant they belong. I would say the eco system is healthy; my home is just not properly set for growing plants. I would say the eco system is somewhat healthy because there was some activity present in each pot.

Experiment 1: Effects of Groundwater Contamination

Table 1: Water Observations (Smell, Color, Etc.)
Beaker	Observations
1 (water)	Clear, small bubbles, no smell
2 (oil)	The liquids separated, oil floats, no smell, slight color change
3 (vinegar)	Liquids combined, clear, vinegar smell, no bubbles
4 (laundry detergent)	Color changed to the color of the detergent, smells like the laundry soap, liquids combined
5 (soil + water)	Color changed to dirt brown, smells like dirt, some dirt has fallen to the bottom of the beaker
6 (soil + oil)	Color changed to brown, oil still sits at the top, no smell, oil separated, some dirt has fallen to the bottom of the beaker
7 (soil + vinegar)	Color changed to light brown, faint smell of vinegar, some dirt at the bottom, small bubbles
8 (soil + laundry detergent)	Color changed to a dark mix of green/ brown, laundry soap smell is still present, most of the dirt has fallen to the bottom of the beaker soapy bubbles

Hypothesis

I have developed a hypothesis and I believe that oil has the ability to contaminate groundwater due to its a thick liquid substance. I believe that vinegar has the ability to contaminate groundwater due to its strong smell. I believe that laundry detergent has the ability to contaminate groundwater due to its harmful ingredients.

Results

a. Oil hypothesis accept/reject = I would accept the hypothesis produced in question one and this was determined by the observations in the experiment.

b. Vinegar hypothesis accept/reject = I would accept the hypothesis produced in question one and this was also determined by the observations found in experiment one.

c. Laundry detergent hypothesis accept/reject = I would accept the hypothesis produced in question one due to the results found in experiment one.

Each contaminant except the oil had an effect on the color, smell and all of the contaminants including the oil had a major effect on the consistency or purity of the water.

Effect of each of the factor

Oil, vinegar, and detergent have a major negative effect on water. According to Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine, the threat to groundwater from these toxic products is real. That's why state and federal resources are devoted to finding these sites and cleaning them up. Many programs exist to clean up sites, from the federal Superfund program to address the worst sites in the nation, to the state cleanup program that includes spill response, leaking underground storage tanks, the state Superfund program, and a focus on cleaning up "brownfields" (properties that have been abandoned or are underutilized because of actual or perceived contamination).

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Magazine (April, 2006)

Containments and Human Activities

Illegal dumping in sewers, rivers, lakes and other water reservoirs are all human activities that could contaminate the water supply. The items I my household that could contaminate the water supply is perfume, body wash or dish soap, and household cleaning products.

Hypothesis

I believe in the ability of my filtration technique to remove some of the solid contaminants and some of the liquid contaminants but certainly not all.

Differences between waters

The contaminated water produced a dark brown color, had a slight dirt smell and there was no visibility. The treated water was a light brown color (after a couple of hours the water did finally clear completely), no smell, and clear visibility.

Steps in water treatment

Coagulation was used in this process. The alum is added to the incoming water and then stirred vigorously in a powerful mixer. The alum causes compounds such as carbonates and hydroxides to form tiny, sticky clumps called floc that attract dirt and other small particles. Sedimentation was also used in which the heavy particles that sank to the bottom during coagulation are separated out and the remaining water is sent on to filtration. Filtration was used in this process in which, the water passes through filters made of layers of sand, charcoal, gravel and pebbles that help filter out the smaller particles that have passed through until this point. The last step where the bleach was added was disinfection. This was to kill any lasting bacteria that may have lived throughout the filtering process.

Result

I accept the hypothesis produced in question one. Although the water did come out cleaner that before it was still not as clear as I would hope nor was it drinkable because not all of the contaminants was removed.

Experiment 3: Drinking Water Quality

Table 2: Ammonia Test Results
Water Sample	Test Results
Tap Water	0
Dasani® Bottled Water	0
Fiji® Bottled Water	0

Table 3: Chloride Test Results
Water Sample	Test Results
Tap Water	0
Dasani® Bottled Water	0
Fiji® Bottled Water	0

Table 4: 4 in 1 Test Results
Water Sample	pH	Total Alkalinity	Total Chlorine	Total Hardness
Tap Water	7	80	4.0	250
Dasani® Bottled Water	3	40	0.2	50
Fiji® Bottled Water	7	40	4.0	50

Table 5: Phosphate Test Results
Water Sample	Test Results
Tap Water	10
Dasani® Bottled Water	10
Fiji® Bottled Water	100

Table 6: Iron Test Results
Water Sample	Test Results
Tap Water	0
Dasani® Bottled Water	0
Fiji® Bottled Water	0

Hypothesis

I have developed an hypothesis and I believe that bottle water and tap water are the same purity level. Thus drinking any of them won’t cause any harm to the individual and has no other side effect.

Differences between pH of waters waters

The ph in the tap water and the Fiji water had the same results which is very interesting. The tap water is the cleanest.

No, definitely not in the city that I live in. Bottled water is expensive and the only need for it is when there is a shortage. I have officially bought my last bottle of water.

Conclusion

I reject my hypothesis because although the tap water I used came out as I expected (because I live in Dallas where the city receives federal funds to do extra purification test on the water), the Fiji water results really surprised me because it is the most expensive out of the three.

Interdependence of Species

Table 1: Interdependence of Species Results
Round	Species Missing (Bead Color and Name)
1	Trees
2	Humans
3	Flowers
4	Lichen

Effect of Ecosystemcon the following species

a. Round 1 = Forest flowers, plants and bees would be nonexistent because they all depend on the trees just as we Humans do.

b. Round 2 = The eco-system is not greatly effect by the loss of the human race.

c. Round 3 = Bees would not be able to get food without flowers.

d. Round 4 = Without lichens plants can’t obtain the nutrients they need to grow.

Human Actions Necessary

Action affecting Lichens = None

Action affecting Trees = Deforestation or cutting down trees

Action affecting Flowers = Pollution

Action affecting Bees = Loss of habitat

Actions required to be taken by humans

Action 1 = Prohibit cutting down trees.

Action 2 = Start cleanup programs for communities all over the world.

Action 3 = Water Conservation rules for communities where there are several water shortages in one year.

REFRENCES

Bensel, T., & Turk, J. (2014). Contemporary environmental issues (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.