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Title
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Modeling Nitrate Pollution
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Type
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Primary: Laboratory
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Operation
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Resilient Planet
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Mission:
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Mission 3: Paradise Lost
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Print Page
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60
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Subjects
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Science | Personal and social issues | Humans and the environment | Pollution | Science as inquiry | Science process skills | Modeling
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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model, nitrate, pollution, Sylvia Earle, health, process, Chesapeake Bay, watershed, environment, repair, nitrogen, compound, nitrate-enriched fertilizer, rainwater, ecological balance, decomposition, decompose, oxygen, aquatic organism, concentration, soil, pollutant
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Duration
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00:45:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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4/20/2008
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Copyright
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NOAA Photo Library
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From: Resilient Planet Mission 3: Paradise Lost (pp: 60) |
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Modeling Nitrate Pollution In this activity, students will learn how to monitor nitrate levels using test strips and observe how this nutrient can be removed from soil by flowing water. |
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 Sylvia Earle monitors the health and natural processes of the Chesapeake Bay watershed because she knows that these actions are key to aiding the Bay's recovery. She believes that, if given sufficient time, an environment can repair itself, provided the source of harm is stopped. One of the actions that has compromised the Bay's health is the use of nitrogen-containing compounds.
To increase crop yield, farmers add nitrate-enriched fertilizer to the soil. The nitrates, however, can be carried away from fertilized regions by rainwater. When this occurs, the nutrients may flow downstream and upset the ecological balance. A sudden nutrient load in the Bay starts a chain reaction beginning with a burst of plant growth. When those plants die, decomposers work overtime. Additional decomposition uses up the oxygen in the water, suffocating other aquatic organisms. In this activity, you will learn how to monitor nitrate levels using test strips. You will also observe how this nutrient can be removed from soil by flowing water.
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| Materials |
| - safety goggles
- large spoon or scoop
- fertilized soil
- two 250-mL beakers
- gloves
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| Lab Prep |
- Assemble a ring on a ring stand.
- Fold a piece of paper towel into a cone. Put the cone in the funnel. Adjust it so that the paper cone lines the funnel's inner surface.
- Place the funnel in the ring support.
- Position an empty beaker beneath the funnel's stem.
- Put on safety goggles and gloves.
- Use a second beaker to pour 200-mL of tap water into the paper-lined funnel. Observe the collection of water in the beaker below.
- Use a nitrate test strip to measure the concentration of nitrate in the collected water sample. Record the nitrate level and label it as "Sample 1."
- Add a scoop of fertilized soil to the now wet, paper-lined funnel. Be careful not to tear the soaked paper.
- Repeat steps 3-7, using the same water that was collected in step 6 but with a new test strip. Record the nitrate level and label it as "Sample 2."
- Once again, pour the collected water through the same fertilized soil and test the resulting nitrate concentration as you did in the previous steps. Label this "Sample 3."
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| Make Observations |
- What were the nitrate levels that you observed in each test? Explain what these results suggest about the leaching of nitrates from fertilized soil.
- How did the setup for Sample 1 differ from the setup for both Sample 2 and Sample 3?
- Did the concentration of nitrate in the collected water change when it was passed through the soil a second time? Explain.
- Do you think that layers of soil, sand, or other natural materials can help remove nitrates from water?
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| Extension |
Compose a plan of inquiry that would test various materials for their ability to filter out this pollutant. Share your plan with your instructor and obtain approval to carry out your plan.
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Journal Question
How does this activity model actual nitrate pollution created? What are the limits to this type of modeling? How might using models such as this improve the fertilizing process? | |
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