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Central Focus Question: How do different water contaminants affect water…
Central Focus Question: How do different water contaminants affect water quality and sustainability in Australian Freshwater Systems?
Chemistry (Chemist)
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Tests: pH meter, nitrate test strips, conductivity meter, phosphate strips
Biology (Biologist)
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Hypothesis idea: Runoff increases nutrients → more algae, less oxygen → fewer sensitive macroinvertebrates.
Tests: DO meter, simple kick-sampling for macroinvertebrates, visual algae cover estimate
Physics (Physicist)
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Tests: Secchi disk or turbidity tube, thermometer, timed flow measure
Overlap / Connections
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Physics - Chemistry: higher turbidity can change temperature and chemical reaction rates; runoff brings dissolved ions
Physics - Biology: higher temperature lowers dissolved oxygen; turbidity reduces light for photosynthesis
Human factors: nearby land use (roads, lawns), recent rain, time of day
Management / Solutions: buffer strips, rain gardens, simple filtration (leaf litter), public education
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Practical considerations
Materials: meters, test strips, sample jars, nets, gloves
Safety: avoid deep water, use gloves, disinfect hands, weather check
Ethics: minimal disturbance to animals, return macroinvertebrates to habitat
Repeats: sample each site 3 times on different days / conditions (e.g., after rain and dry)
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Hypothesis
If the turbidity of the water increases (IV), then the amount of light passing through the water will decrease (DV), because suspended particles block and scatter light.
Variables
Independent Variable
Level of turbidity (e.g., amount of soil/sediment added)
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