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Change in Temperature
We tested the temperature change. The temperature of a body of water is an important factor when it comes to predicting the quality of water. It influences the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in the water, the rate at which photosynthesis takes place, and the metabolic rates of aquatic organisms. Colder water can hold more oxygen, so most bodies of water that are colder can sustain more organisms. The temperature of water is an extremely important test that needs to be taken care of because it can lead to drastic changes in an aquatic environment.
The temperature of a body of water all depends on where that body of water is located. Its location also determines how much sunlight it receives. Most bodies of water that aren’t by forests are usually warmer because they get directly hit with sunlight that is able to warm the water up. Forests provide shade to the water, which prevents the temperature from rising.
Humans have always had a large impact on the temperature change in bodies of water. Currently, thermal pollution has had the largest human impact on temperature because of industry building sights and warm, urban surfaces that are causing the temperature to change drastically. Deforestation is another human impact that has caused the temperature to change in some areas. Forests located along a river provide shade for the water but if all the trees are cut down, sunlight can hit the water directly and cause the temperature of the water to rise. Therefore, humans have had a large impact on the temperature change of bodies of water.
We tested change in temperature in the river to determine how consistent the water temperature was in order to see how sustainable it was for organisms. Our temperature at site 1 was 18 degrees celsius. At site 2, the temperature was also 18 degrees celsius. This gives us a 0 degree change in temperature. The Q value for a 0 degree change is 93. This value represents an excellent quality of water. Since the temperature did not change at all, organisms are able to thrive anywhere in the river. They will not be affected if they swim or drift a few meters upstream. This makes the river life very stable and able to support organisms since there aren’t drastic temperature changes which could affect other aspects as well.
A Q-VALUE OF 93!
We got the results we did because the area we tested in the Chicago River isn’t near any forests that could alter the temperature. They are mainly along unshaded areas that do not have branches or leaves covering the water to prevent sunlight from being absorbed in the river. Therefore, there should be no change in temperature along the river where we tested due to the little amount of shade.
In order to test the temperature of the Chicago River, we used a thermometer, a device that measures temperature. We placed the thermometer in the water and recorded the temperature given.
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