The main goal of this multi-part field and lab exercise is to …
The main goal of this multi-part field and lab exercise is to introduce students to practical aspects of soil and water geochemistry. Some of the analyses for this lab are conducted in the field using field analytical instruments and rest of the analyses is conducted in a wet chemistry/geochemistry lab. There are several objectives: 1. Learn how to sample water and soil samples in a safe and effective manner 2. Collect basic aqueous chemical parameters in the field 3. Compare field collected data with that obtained using advanced instruments in the laboratory 4. Determine bulk physical and chemical properties of the soils in the lab 5. Determine trace and major element concentrations of the soils in the laboratory At the end of this exercise students will gain a better appreciation for how soil and water quality is assessed in multiple ways. They are also introduced to basic "tools-of-the-trade" in the environmental geochemistry and also using Excel to make simple and advanced calculations as well as for plotting data. During preparation of lab reports, they are introduced to basic elements of an effective data-based technical paper.
Key words: urban watershed, soil chemistry, water chemistry, aqueous geochemistry, field analysis, analytical chemistry
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Students observe how water acts differently when placed on hydrophilic and hydrophobic …
Students observe how water acts differently when placed on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. They determine which coatings are best to cause surfaces to shed water quickly or reduce the "fogging" caused by condensation.
In this inquiry-based lesson, students will investigate how rainfall changes the land …
In this inquiry-based lesson, students will investigate how rainfall changes the land and causes runoff. The students will simulate a stream table to show how rainfall erodes the land. This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.
In this activity students will gain an understanding of how terrain affects …
In this activity students will gain an understanding of how terrain affects a watershed. Students will use maps and Google Earth to "get a picture" of the terrain within their watershed. They will use this knowledge to create an investigation of their stream which will help answer student generated questions about the connection of terrain and water systems.
This activity is a field investigation where students calculate stream discharge, develop …
This activity is a field investigation where students calculate stream discharge, develop and complete an investigation involving the stream, interpret their findings, and report to their peers.
This activity is a field investigation in which students will gather data …
This activity is a field investigation in which students will gather data from a stream to calculate the discharge. They will need to interpret their findings and examine what factors could change the discharge of a stream over time.
This activity is a interdisciplinary field investigation where students will form observations …
This activity is a interdisciplinary field investigation where students will form observations and make calculations about stream characteristics and stream flow.
In this Physical Geology lab activity, students investigate the relationship between stream …
In this Physical Geology lab activity, students investigate the relationship between stream energy and gradient by changing the gradient of a small stream table and observing changes in stream erosion.
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This is a field investigation where students will gather data about the …
This is a field investigation where students will gather data about the South Crow River using techniques of their own design and develop a group (multimedia) presentation for class presentation.
This assignment is designed as a final project for students in my …
This assignment is designed as a final project for students in my undergraduate 3 credit non lab elective geohydrology course. Students work in pairs to analyze an actual, local contaminated site (Delphi) and use raw data from consulting reports (boring logs, water levels, chemical water analyses) to prepare a geologic cross-section, water table map and contaminant plume map. Students are assigned different lines of cross section, water level dates and contaminant types. Students examine the variety of different figures and maps to better characterize hydrogeologic and water quality conditions over the entire site and answer some assigned questions. This project is an opportunity for students to apply skills they learned in the course (contouring, groundwater flow) to investigate an existing groundwater contamination event. It also provides the kind of "practical" experience the students can highlight in a job interview.
Key words: Groundwater contamination, case study, TCE
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Students and faculty participate in an integrated effort to characterize hydrologic relationships …
Students and faculty participate in an integrated effort to characterize hydrologic relationships using hydrologic, geologic & geophysical data
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This activity is an outdoor lab in which students investigate the process …
This activity is an outdoor lab in which students investigate the process of evaporation, record their findings, and use the data to make connections to the environment around them.
In this science activity, students investigate the water cycle by testing the …
In this science activity, students investigate the water cycle by testing the water evaporated from leaves (transpiration) in a field experience. Students use elements of this information to track the water cycle through it's various stages.
In this activity students collect snow in a cup, predict how much …
In this activity students collect snow in a cup, predict how much water will be in the cup when the snow melts. Students are exposed to evaporation as the water "disappears" over time and try to stop this from happening.
This activity is used in my groundwater flow modeling class (GEOS-724), a …
This activity is used in my groundwater flow modeling class (GEOS-724), a class for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students. In advance, the students receive an introduction to MATLAB and basic programming constructs, and background on the use of finite difference discretizations for solving partial differential equations.
The problem being solved here is a (relatively) simple steady-state, linear groundwater flow problem. The code presents different numerical methods for solving a seminal groundwater flow problem - the Toth problem (as solved by J. Toth http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/JZ068i016p04795/abstract). The solution to the Toth problem shows that if the water table is a muted expression of surficial topography, then groundwater organizes itself into groundwater flow "cells" of varying expanse.
This problem - which is familiar to most groundwater modelers - provides a baseline for discussing differences in solution methods for numerical models. In this script, different solution styles tested include: 1) A "direct" matrix inversion method which is exact but somewhat memory intensive; 2) An iterative but relatively inefficient "point Jacobi" method; and 3) A more efficient Gauss-Seidel iterative method.
After running this script, students are asked to explore aspects of the solutions and comment on their benefits and drawbacks. For example: -Which solution method appears to be the most accurate, based on the problem statement (for instance the students should check that streamlines do not intersect no-flow boundaries) -Which solution requires the least / most memory to compute? -Which solution is the fastest to compute? -Which solution obtains the most reasonable mass balance? -How do the solutions perform if the discretization is increased or other parameters are varied (such as iteration "convergence" parameters)?
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Students will examine the complex issues that result from human use of …
Students will examine the complex issues that result from human use of ecologically sensitive areas. The students will investigate these issues from the point of view of their major/career path.
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The Los Angeles and the Future of Mono Lake WebQuest leads students …
The Los Angeles and the Future of Mono Lake WebQuest leads students in a guided exploration of Mono Lake's extreme environment and asks them to consider the preservation of this environment in relation to the needs of humans.
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Developed by Monica Bruckner, Montana State University, based on the Los Angeles and the Future of Mono Lake WebQuest by Sarah Bordenstein, Marine Biological Laboratory.
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