One found, many to go UR-Allie

   Introduction

     Marine life is suffering indisputably from the impacts of plastic pollution in our seas. More than eight million tons of plastic are abandoned in our oceans every year. Confusing and poisoning naturally curious animals like fish, who tend to nibble on plastic and sometimes get entangled. Resulting in mutations and harm of many species. Plastic is a man made material unable to naturally decompose or digest as part of the normal diet. Internal plastic accumulation is proven to lead to blockages that shut down the digestive tract and cause death. Plastic has a decay rate of about 400 years and each year we produce more and more of it. Studies held by a team of scientists from the University of Georgia, California, Santa Barbara and Sea Education Association conduct the first ever global analysis and current statistic on plastic. Researchers have discovered About half of the total amount of plastics manufactured from 1950 to 2015, have been produced in the last 13 years alone. This implies the pace of plastic production is only speeding up, even though most products are only used once before disposal. The researchers also discovered that by 2015, people had produced 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics, 6.3 billion tons of which had already become waste. Within the total waste, a mere 9 percent was recycled, 12 percent was incinerated and 79 percent resides in landfills or the natural environment- such as the ocean.

What is known about plastic ingestion by fish?

 •Waterways are polluted with harmful toxic non-biodegradable material and disrupts natural habitats.

•Plastic ingestion can cause internal damages such as ulcerations and partial blockages of digestive tract resulting in starvation and death. (Macklin, 2018)

•Ingestion is noticed in both predatory fish and filter-feeders. Predatory fish can mistake plastic for food while filter-feeders sometimes ingest them unintentionally while feeding. (Blastic, 2016)

What is unknown about local plastic ingestion by fish?

•Local studies of the microplastic ingestion by fish

•Studies on physical damage and excretion processes in the gastrointestinal tract of fish

•Clear differences in the amount of plastics ingested between pelagic and benthic fish

•A relationship between fish feeding habits/ diet and liability to consume plastics

Scientific Question-

•Are local fish species suffering from the impacts of microplastic consumption?

Materials

Using the microscope in the IMES lab to find plastics

• Latex gloves
• Measuring tape
• Fish ID guide
• Camera 
• Dissecting kit
• Petri dish
• Dissecting microscope

      

Process of dissection

Methods

•Collect/ receive dead fish.

•Measure and record fork length of fish, use fish ID to identify the species.

•Preserve remains to store at the laboratory.

General Fish anatomy

•Use the knife to cut horizontally along the abdomen of the fish’s stomach and remove the stomach and digestive tract.

•Use the dissecting utensils to cut and dissect the stomach and digestive track to examine for microplastics.

•If microplastic fibers are discovered, remove and place in petri dish to examine further only under the microscope.

•To test found substance for plastic material, heat up a metal and touch the fiber to observe the reaction. If the material shrivels up and melts, determine this to be a plastic.

44 cm Bluefish ready for dissecting

Results

One tiny microplastic fiber recovered

5 fish have been preserved and dissected under a microscope for microplastic fibers. One 44 cm Bluefish, two 39 cm Bluefish, one 40 cm Bluefish, and one 30 cm Pompano. The results are one piece (< 1’’ in length) microplastic fiber was located in the 44 cm Bluefish.

Graph expressing the plastic found in local fish

One microplastic found under the microscope

Out of five fish samples, one blue fish after further examination was positively identified to have contained one plastic microfiber (<1”) by the heat reaction test.

Yes, there are microplastics found in locally caught fish. Out of only 5 fish, one microplastic was found. In further research, possibly a trend amongst the accumulated data could be identified.

Works Cited:

oAmaral, Kimberly. “Plastics in Our Oceans.” Plastics in Our Oceans, science/B/people/kamaral/plasticsarticle www.whoi.edu/.html.

•Plastic ingestion by fish. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.blastic.eu/knowledge-bank/impacts/plastic-ingestion/fish/

•What Do Fish Eat? The Answer Will Leave You Stupefied. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://animalsake.com/what-do-fish-eat

•Cleaned up the Daytona Beach You Hippies! (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from http://www.persimmonhollowbrewing.com/blog/2018/1/17/clean-up-the-daytona-beach-you-hippies

•When The Mermaids Cry: The Great Plastic Tide. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from http://plastic-pollution.org/

•Macklin, Malorie. “Is It Really Worth the Convenience? 6 Ways Plastic Is Harming Animals, the Planet and Us.” One Green Planet, 23 Nov. 2017, www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-is-harming-animals-the-planet-and-us/.

•Lonne, Torben. “How Ocean Pollution Impacts Marine Life-and All of Us.” MarineSafe, 3 May 2016, www.marinesafe.org/blog/2016/04/18/how-ocean-pollution-impacts-marine-life-and-all-of-us/.

Hannah Vu-Bennett (UR) - Water quality testing practice!

Last week, my class had the opportunity to conduct a water quality survey at Tomoka State Park. We took four water samples throughout Tomoka River. As we took our samples, we performed water quality tests in-situ. We tested for salinity, pH, total phosphate, oxygen, turbidity, an depth. The majority of what we tested for was similar of what I would be testing once I have gathered my water samples. Participating in this lab was a great trial run for when I am ready to run test on my groundwater samples. In this lab, I was able to practice using the Hach HQ 11D which tested the pH levels of the water samples. I also able to use the Hach Colormeter for Total phosphate and the refractometer for salinity. For my IRP, the Hach Colormeter will be used to test for phosphate as well for nitrate levels. This lab has prepared me as I begin the testing of my water sample for my independent research project!

A small portion of Tomoka River, where our annual water quality survey was conducted!

Cynthia UR Surrounded

There are 11 pieces of plastic in this picture 6 opaque and 5 lavender

Some reading is required to qualify this new survey; terminology a plus, so that communication will be in the same language.  It’s more important than one might think, considering I was about to post some things here and need to amend some terms so they will translate correctly later to others making the same effort.  I will use the term trash, and of this I will concern myself with certain elements within. 

Man-made synthetics (ie) polymers (plastics) including nylon, and foams, polystyrene and polyurethane; and cigarette butts.

The bigger view detects orange and blue

I made a list of common polymers that will be found on our shores. In a complete list thousands would exist. Combinations from any of these are created all the time, and many are being tested as we speak. (This list is missing the large family of Teflon.)  I will not be testing for what type I have found, but this should give you an awareness to the source contaminants we are adding to the biology of this planet.

#1 PETE or PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) usually clear/ water and soda

#2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) Plastic typically opaque

#3  V or PVC (Vinyl) Plastic #3 is used to make food wrap, plumbing pipes,

and detergent bottles. Composition may still include phthalates, which are linked to ranging health issues; developmental problems to miscarriages.

Site 2 Day 2 Small Plastics 

#4 Low density polyethylene (LDPE) generally thinner more flexible. Nylon rope (LDPE chain branching). 

Can leach the endocrine disruptor nonylphenol (added to LDPE as a stabilizer), especially when exposed to sunlight.

#5    Polypropylene (PP) Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer. Mixed in many colors; used for food containers (ketchup, yogurt, cottage cheese, margarine, syrup, take-out), medicine containers, straws, bottle caps, Britta filters, Rubbermaid and other opaque plastic containers, including baby bottles.

#6    Polystyrene (PS) egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, take-out food containers, packing peanuts, bike helmets.

Harder clear/opaque PS: disposable cutlery & razors, compact disc & dvd cases. Animal studies have shown adverse effects on genes, lungs, liver, and the immune system. 

#7 or #0   Polycarbonate (PC) is an extremely common plastic in this category and is often associated with this category. 

Keep in mind that polycarbonate is not the only plastic in this category and if a product has a number 7 on it without the letters PC under it, the product could be made of polycarbonate or it could other plastic.

Mama Mundo Inc. (2015). Life without plastic. Common plastics #1 to #7 Retrieved from https://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/common_plastics_no_1_to_no_7#.Wt0KKojwbIW

Box, Carolynn, of Five Gyres. (2017). Tracking California’s Trash Project

Testing Trash “Flux” Monitoring Methods  in Flowing Water Bodies. For BASMAA. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5522e85be4b0b65a7c78ac96/t/58dd932f414fb5663b5a4f79/1490916184178/TCT+Creek+Monitoring+Report_FINAL.pdf

Karen (UR) > I'm Still Alive > Thanks Dr. Woodall !!

This is my second post for this week because I had a GIANT setback.  OK, maybe not giant but it sure made me have to re-think my project.

The LaMotte Nitrate/Phosphate test kit I am using only reads levels to 1.0ppm Nitrites or 4.4ppm Nitrates. 

Last week I brought the Nitrate level up to the 4.4ppm level without realizing that I had maxed out the level the test kit could read.

So yesterday, after realizing what had happened, I decided to keep the level at 4.4ppm Nitrate.  I have been testing the solution before I added any more (for transpiration/evaporation loss) just to satisfy my own curiosity. 

The new plan:  Monitoring weekly:
I will continue to keep the Nitrate level at 4.4ppm to see if it affects the duckweed while monitoring the level of Nitrate it uptakes.  The evaporation/transpiration loss has been consistent at 70ml for the control and 80ml for the plant dishes.

BIG Thanks to Dr. Woodall for the title of this post :-)

😊😊😊

Cynthia UR How Many Picking Parcels Did She Pick ?

New UR                                     04/18/2018

My first attempt at a new projected focused on Recycling in my area and whether I could obtain data from Jell Recycling which is who my area contracts with; However, after tracking them down and speaking at a reception level with the company no further contact was made with me after leaving my information. 

FINE !!! :(

Time still running out I began to pick up trash and I liked it !!!!

Method: 

I use a mechanical grasping device to retrieve only on that which is at least partially exposed; I never dig or sift, and only turn over Organic material piles using the fork at the end. The objects are then placed in an empty cat litter bucket that has a lid and handle with a liner that I can empty contents when I am finished onto a box for photo record, dated and then securely stored till sorting.

It takes about an hour to cover this stretch walking along as you would if you were mowing a lawn, a three foot wide march back and forth north to south and back again.

Locations:

The first site location is on the beach from the Harvard Drive access north to a stairwell at the 200 ft. mark. Then out to the shoreline water.

The second site location on the beach from the Harvard Drive access south to a stairwell at the 200 ft. mark. Then down to the shoreline water. 

Data: Quantitative

Having retrieved an assortment, I decided to create a daily assessment, and classification: Bar graphing for classification and Point Graph to monitor amount over time period.

I will divide by miscellaneous plastics, cigarette butts, straws and wrappers. I don’t believe weight individually is a problem but I will weight each days totals to see if this decreases with each collection.  

Site #1 Day One

Site #2 Day One

My New Investigation;

How much trash is on this stretch of Beach?

What influences (type of trash) is most prevalent to the naked eye?

For my research I have chosen two sites with recycle and trash bins present on both sides of access drive.

• ·         Between 9:45 am and 11:10 am each day I retrieve data.
• ·         Both sites are in Ormond Beach at the Atlantic Coast.
• ·         Both have “Drive on the Beach” access.
• ·         Both are cleaned by the County of Volusia and I am waiting for information on how often and when the last clean-up was performed.
• ·         Both are cleaned up by an Organization that I have contacted in order to thank them and to find out the last time they were at that location.
• ·         Both boundary parking lots and one boarders a bar and grill.
•     Each site is checked every other day

Am I picking on the bar and grill? I don’t think I am. After all, I do not control the trash at these sites, and have no investment in this outcome.

It is a quantitative study using objective measurements and numerical breakdown of data collected. It is however a possible variable.

Cynthia UR Th-The That’s all Folks!!!

Seems we just get started, and before you know it; comes the time we’ve got to say so long…

I was reluctant to say the least, about the idea of moving onto another subject after the effort preparing to identify the larva of crustaceans, copepods, and cnidarian at their various stages.  So I set up the new samples and connected the pumps but after a search in each hoping to locate something alive, and after a conversation of time remaining, I have decided to make replacement preparations for an alternate project.

I will no time soon forget gazing through the glass in amazement, and coming across valuable essential information that I will share in this final entry for the next investigator and hope for their success.

Zooplankton of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts: A Guide to Their Identification and ecology.  By William S. Johnson, Dennis M. Allen

https://books.google.com/books?id=A8iGP6acatgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI#v=onepage&q&f=false

High Bridge in Ormond Beach where I found the most life at high tides.

William Johnson also shared on his site the secret to slowing down the plankton species; its clove oil. Clove oil can be purchased at most any pharmacist over the counter, it’s an old toothache remedy. It apparently aestheticizes them temporarily.

Karen (UR) > Variables and Changes Made >>>

At Dr. Woodalls suggestion I researched (or tried to) the amount of Nitrate in Pig/Hog manure as that's the on-going research being done in North Carolina.  That didn't go well !  Apparently, there is no consistent data. There's ALOT of data, but it all depends on the age, sex, feed type and if the sow is pregnant or nursing, not to mention where the farm is located.
So with that said, I have changed my IRP to accommodate my crazy schedule, I'll be out of town so I won't be able to monitor the Nitrate level every 48 hours.  This means that I will be testing once a week (Thursdays).  As close to the same time as possible (6pm). 
On April 10 I brought the Nitrate level up to 4.4ppm in all 4 culture dishes.  This is approximately 3 times the initial amount of 1.76ppm.  I added to the liquid mixture due to evaporation/transpiration:  70ml to the control dish and 80ml to the 3 with the plants.
So far the duckweed is alive and well !!

Looking Good

Jenna (UR)- Beach cleanups are 4Ocean!

Thank you so much Patricia Sanders from OCE 1001 for your questions!
Questions: How does eating plastic affect bird life? Does it kill them? Is there a proactive group in our area to clean up the beaches?

Answers: To answer your questions, eating plastic can potentially kill the birds depending on how much they consume, if there is any type of dangerous chemical on the plastic or how the plastic affected them in general. Not only do birds consume plastic but also some kinds of plastics such as soda can wraps can get caught around a birds neck and choke them. There are many groups in our area that do beach clean ups, for instance my parents and I did a beach clean up with the Surfrider Foundation in New Smyrna Beach over a year ago and it was a great experience. Other groups such as Ocean Conservancy and 4Ocean host beach clean ups as well!

My parents during a beach cean up with the Surfrider foundation.

A dead bird that ingested plastics.

Cynthia UR The Good The Bad and the Faulty

So, now it’s day five. (04/15/18) We lost power at the Daytona Campus on April 12^th for the entire day. Though I looked in all four tanks twice by that time never finding specimens to identify except in the High Bridge sample natural site from Ormond Beach.

The salinity of (a) High Bridge is 30ppt (b) Daytona Beach 26ppt

(c) NSB 37 ppt and (d) Canaveral 38 ppt.  Obviously this is not something I expected and leaves me concerning the simple effects of organisms that will change due to these salinity differences.

I looked again on the 13^th with the same result. Each time I pull from High Bridge a new species emerges that sparks my interest again, but the other tans appear to be void of life.  All the tanks have fibrous colored debris of plastics.

This covers the good and the bad, the faulty lies with the process I chose to collect them. I should’ve delved deeper into methods to collect my samples and might have discovered I needed to use a plankton tow method; although, I am not sure how I would’ve pulled it off for all four sites.

 

I believe I have actually identified one of my plankton as a Nitzschia, a type of Diatom, and the individual a sigmoidea.  Admittedly, I cannot make a precise classification without proper magnification and that adds to my frustration.

Here are two more I am still searching for: The first is a Crustacean and the next I believe Cnidarian 

Plant food was added just prior to power going out, algae has began to accumulate at the bottom of all four tanks.

Alas, I will continue this process hoping for some findings within the other tanks in time. I was informed a study is being conducted by 

Bethune Cookman Univ. and perhaps I can find out more on Monday.

In the meantime I have a few pics, most appear blurred because my catches never stay still nor slow down.

Data on the Way! UR-Allie

I appreciate your questions on my IRP!

Jessy from Sec 102 replied, “Fish eat plastic? What type of fish have they found plastic in?”

Thank you for your inquiries Jessy. Fish do indeed consume plastic- usually unintentional but all times detrimental to their health. I am also trying to find which fish commonly ingest plastics. My question was, is any certain type of fish more susceptible to the effects of plastic pollution? However, not much research has been extensively done and within my research I cannot find a particular species that is most popular to ingestions.   

Sarah from section 101 asked, “what happens to the plastic if they do consume it? Do they pass it? Does it digest like other food?”

Turtles- like fish are curious about their environment.

Good question Sarah. The result of consuming plastic is very harmful to all living organisms. Plastic is an artificial man made resource that is not biodegradable. In fact, it takes about 400 years to breakdown the toxic chemical waste composed of plastic. Over the years, this material has bombarded our oceans and marine life.

Naturally, curious fish nibble on the trash and get tangled up in it. Since it takes nearly forever for the material to naturally breakdown, heavy ingestion of plastic forces the consumer’s digestive system to shut down. Plastic is not digested normally so it cannot be processed or passed like usual substances. Interaction with plastic results in deformities and/or death within the creatures of the sea.

Project update- A few changes

Many scientists know that along with conducting research and executing experiments, it is a work in progress. After reviewing the thought process of my previous independent research project proposal post, I found an error in future measurement. I have concluded that using the mass of the fish in relation to the microplastic consumed- will not be sufficient. Most know, I am accepting dead fish remains for extra data and information. Some of the fish received/ found aren't all there. I cannot correctly obtain the data for mass of fish for a species I have half of. So, keeping it moving forward- I am only measuring the fork length of each species and mass of microplastics recovered within.

       My Materials: Gloves, Scale, GPS, camera, measuring tape, Fish ID guide, knife

Works Cited

“Plastic Soup – the New Name for Our Oceans.” Green Living @ Planetfem.com / Eco, Environmentally and Green Inspiration for Planet Earth, 2 Oct. 2014, greenliving.planetfem.com/plastic-soup-new-name-oceans/.

Cynthia UR About to Enter Another World

It’s actually happening!

I retrieved the samples yesterday and have anticipated it so, that I dated them one day ahead… (ugh) At least the field book has it right.

Site (a) still needs a location shot added for the sake of nostalgia since a lot was going on at the time and I missed it.  Cleaned two tanks, labeled, and had to leave yesterday in the cabinet under sunlamp; Dr. Woodall performing salinity tests for me because of time limitations.  

Planning on a morning visit later for my first collection of creatures to catalog.

Hannah Vu-Bennett (UR) - Volusia County's data

It won't be long until I begin collecting my water sample data! In the meantime, I continued my research and came across information regarding Volusia County's data on their water quality. Based on the Volusia county’s website, their priorities for water sampling is monitoring our waters in a routine fashion to maintain an adequate sample set size for diagnosing problems – for seeing trends, whether in improvements or decline, to safeguard this precious resource. Volusia County has taken drinking water reports from Cassadaga, Enterprise, Spruce Creek, and many more areas. These samples are tested to ensure drinking water exceeds the required local, state, and federal safety standard laws. 2014 is the earliest records found on the water quality reports on the Volusia County website. Previous records are not made public or unknown. 

Tick Tock Drip Drop - Niki UR

It's almost tiiiimeee! Dr. Woodall and I are going out on the boat April 16th to collect all four of my water samples from the Halifax River, Ponce Inlet and Indian River North. When we are out on the boat I will record all of my field data such as GPS coordinates, the weather for April 15th and 16th, and any other observations, and lots of photos! I believe later that day I will take my samples to the lab and determine the characteristics of each waterbody using the equipment listed in my Methods and Materials post.

Nutrient Criteria
Lower Halifax River
Total Nitrogen: 0.72 mg/L
Total Phosphorus: 0.142 mg/L

Mosquito Lagoon
Total Nitrogen: 0.51 mg/L
Total Phosphorus: 0.049 mg/L

Dissolved Oxygen: 5-8 ppm

Question
Marty Sec. 23. Are you expecting there to be big differences in the water quality of the Halifax River vs the Indian River North? If so, why and what?

Thank you, Marty! It has been difficult to predict the results I will encounter, as the sample sites that have been previously monitored over the years are more north in the Halifax River and more south in the Indian River Lagoon.

However! I have included above the Nutrient Criteria for these water bodies, which shows the Halifax River has a higher threshold for Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus than the Mosquito Lagoon, possibly from anthropological run off that the estuary system does not experience.

I expect the salinity of the two samples to be fairly similar as the samples will be collected close to the mouth of the inlet. Previous data shows that the salinity tends to be higher in the Indian River Lagoon than in the Halifax River. 

The amount of dissolved oxygen needs to be in the range of 5-8 ppm to support healthy life, the last two samples taken from the Halifax River and Indian River North show the Indian River North slightly under this range and the Halifax River just within it. 

Rene (UR) Mmm, smells like dinner.

          Since this is my first blog post I think it would be a good idea to start off by telling everyone what my IRP is going to be on. The affects of microplastics on our coastal seabirds. I have always been interested in the growing concern of plastic that is arising in our oceans on a daily basis. Not many people are educated or even care to know about the affects that plastics, especially micro-plastics, have on our marine enviornment.

What is known:
          Many of us think that birds just aren't very smart and eat plastic because they mistake it for food, which is partly true. But when the plastic has been sitting out in the sun for a week or so, maybe even just a few days, it starts to gather bacteria, algae starts to collect, and begins to let off an odor known as Dimethyl Sulfide. It just so happens that plankton eats algae and actually lets off the same odor which is a dinner call for birds. So the outcome is that the plastic literally smells like dinner!
          We also know that albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters are the seabirds that are most affected by the plastic in our oceans. These are burrow-nesting birds and they rely heavily on their sense of smell which is why these are the birds we need to focus on when it comes to plastic consumption.

Augustus UR - A Game of Inches

While continuing to research my topic I came across a little article that describes the effects of sea level rise in a simpler way: Flooding is like having a nearly full bath tub and adding even a little bit of water will make it overflow. The sea level has risen steadily from year to year now at ~3.2 cm/year we are starting to see an increase in flooding and water damage, especially in the coastal regions of Florida.

So, to put it into perspective from 1950 the sea level has risen ~8 inches (NOAA, 2018), 8 inches in the grand scheme of things sounds irrelevant but when protecting our coast, it is a huge issue. Something else to consider is that almost half of that has occurred in the last 10 years. This rise in sea level has increased flooding incidents nationally 200% (NOAA, 2017), but here in Florida we have seen a 400% increase in the past ten years (Ocean & Coastal Management, 2016) this is because certain causes, like the changes in the Gulf Stream or land sinkage, impact different coastal areas differently and thus the change in flooding varies by location.


So where are all these floods coming from? Well with the added 8 inches of water and then factor in flooding, especially king tides (Tides when sun and moon are in alignment) which can be up to a foot more than regular high tide we start to see flooding on even sunny days. Our drainage systems are meant to take excess rainwater and bring it to the ocean but when you have these extreme high tides the pressure from the ocean and tides can cause them to back up resulting in flooding. Sea level influences hurricanes as well, with even a little bit more water it increases the amount of water the hurricane can push up onto land, even if the hurricane doesn’t make landfall we experience flooding like when Hurricane Matthew passed by Florida. With that in mind its also predicted that huge 100 year storm surges by 2050 will occur every 10 years or less. (Claudia Tebaldi, 2012)

Works Cited

Claudia Tebaldi, et al. B. H. (2012, March 14). Modelling sea level rise impacts on storm surges along US coasts. Environmental Research Letters Volume 7, Number 1.

NOAA. (2017). NOAA study on Nuisance Flooding. Retrieved from National Centers for Enviromental Information: www.ncdc.noaa.gov

NOAA. (2018). NOAA Tides & Currents - Station Water Levels. Retrieved from NOAA: www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov

Ocean & Coastal Management. (2016). Ocean & Coastal Management Research Study 2016. Retrieved from Sciencedirect: www.sciencedirect.com

Sealevelrise.org. (n.d.). Flooding: A Game of Inches. Retrieved from Sea Level Rise: https://sealevelrise.org/florida/flooding/

Questions!
First, Janice sec. 23. asks I'm not sure I fully understand the NAO. What is it and what impact does it have on climate and weather? 
So the NAO is known as the North Atlantic Oscillation, it measures surface sea-level pressure difference between Subtropical and Subpolar zones. So, a positive NAO usually results in above normal temperatures and precipitation and vice versa for negative, since it is an oscillation it can change from a “positive mode” to a “negative mode” yearly or they can happen decades apart. I hope I answered your question there.

Next, Sarah section 101. asks How does barometric pressure impact sea level rise? and does this vary based on location? 
So barometric pressure or atmospheric pressure, is quite literally the weight of air molecules stacked up above the surface. At normal conditions the Barometric pressure is about 14.7 pounds per square inch and 1013 hectopascals (hPa). So, if you think of it in terms of weight on water if that pressure is increased it lowers the water table and if it decreases the water table goes up. It relates to water levels where if the air pressure increased 1hPa it would decrease water levels by 1cm. This does vary by location, higher altitudes have less air molecules so the barometric pressure is lower in these locations and higher in lower lying areas. It’s something I never took into account either until I started this research.

 Emma Sills 21 WG asks What do we know already about local tides and connections with climate change? Do we know anything, or is this a very new piece of technology and area to be looking into?
We can see big differences in our tides here in Florida. There are two major components to rising sea level, Thermal Expansion and melting ice sheets, Greenland is a major one! With both off these factors even a few cm can make a huge impact on our tides. Since there is an increase in the normal water table now the tides get higher than normal, add a moderate wind and you can easily have flooding, it's more than what our safety precautions like sea walls and storm drains are capable of handling. I'll add a little excerpt of an interview Dr. Clay Henderson, executive director of Stetson University's Institute of Water and Environmental Resilience, on the matter of local tides "Until the last couple of years, the only time the water would have come over the seawall would have been for a named tropical event or one of the extraordinary nor'easters, the water came out of the banks on cloudless, breezeless days." So much is known on this topic, we can only predict what will happen in the future, but from our past we can see this all getting out of control. Now people are really starting to pay attention to the topic and it's something everyone should be looking into, especially if you live in Florida.

Thank you all so much for the questions!!!

Karen (UR) And we're off >>

Yesterday I started my IRP !  I've got everything set up and now it's just a matter of monitoring the  Nitrate levels and the duckweed.

The 4 culture dishes

Tiny plants

Using a mixture of 500ml of distilled water with 5 drops of the 8-7-6 liquid fertilizer, I added 200ml to each of the 4 4 1/2 inch culture dishes.  Before adding the duckweed, I tested the Nitrate level.  Using the LaMotte Nitrate/Phosphate #3119 kit.  Once I got the reading from the test, I had to convert it to Nitrate from Nitrate N.  The original reading was 0.4 ppm and when multiplied by 4.4 as per the kit instruction I got a reading of 1.76ppm of Nitrate.  I then added 25-30 of the plants into 3 of the dishes (1 is a control), they are tiny so counting them wasn't easy !!  The dishes were then placed into the environmental chamber. Every 48 hours I will test nitrate levels and also check water levels for evaporation and transpiration every 48 hours.  Then I will add the fertilizer/distilled water mixture as need.  What will be really interesting is to see how fast the duckweed reproduces with the added nutrients !

Sarah sec 101 asked: I saw a really cool article about higher CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere causing poison ivy to get bigger leaves (and stronger poisons). Do you think the same thing would happen to your duckweed? that it will be supersized and actually result in more CO2 being removed from the atmosphere? could duckweed save us from climate change impacts? and maybe produce bigger and better food? just wondering. Thanks!

Great question !! I did a little research last night, you got me thinking !! The research on the poison ivy was really interesting. Thankfully, I don't have a reaction to it, cause it was a little scary :-) So to answer your question: No, duckweed will not grow bigger leaves due to CO2 concentrations being higher. It will reproduce at a faster rate when excess nutrients are introduced to its environment. This is not a bad thing as duckweed is a high protein food source and will certainly help with the CO2 levels. Maybe, duckweed can help us defer some of the impacts from climate change, that's something to look into in the future.

Dr Woodall commented:  I have to say I think Sarah might onto something. If you recall, we learned that back in the Carboniferous Period when oxygen levels were significantly higher than today--these higher levels caused insects to be supersized...e.g., dragonflies the size of eagles. So why not cause any/all vegetation to grow more if they have more CO2 to feed upon? Just wondering...rather cool thought I think! In fact--I think I recall a study conducted on trees where they pumped the area with much higher CO2 and the trees responded with greater growth...might want to look that up. Regardless--I think this might be a great idea for 'future research'.

I have to say I like the idea of eagle size dragonflies :-)  I completely agree on further research !!  I seem to remember, not sure what Period it was, that there was super-sized vegetation too.  Hmmm, now I'm hooked, gotta do more research !  To think I can't even keep a house plant alive and now I'm going down the rabbit hole of botany.......

Jenna (UR)- Stop littering before its too late!

Due to more recent research, I have found an article that states "In 1960, plastic was found in the stomachs of fewer than five percent, but by 1980, it had jumped to 80%." In 2018 we are now looking at a little over 90% of sea birds that have consumed plastic. I also found that as the production of plastic products increases, the seabirds ingestion of plastics tracks along with it. You would think that larger birds would consume more plastic but that isn't necessarily true. Although the larger birds eat bigger pieces of plastic, smaller birds consume around the same amount total. SO now we know what birds typically eat the plastic and why but what we don't know is how can we put a stop to it?
Question: Jessy sec. 102: What birds are actually eating the plastic and has anyone found any plastic in our local birds? 
Answer: Great Question!  From the research that I have done I have found that almost every sea bird has consumed plastic. The ones that are most drawn to it are tube-nosed sea birds such as pelicans. They are mostly attracted to it because the longer the plastic sits in the ocean, the more sulfur smelling algae collects on it which is what those birds are attracted to. Also from what I found, there wasn't much talk about if they have found any birds with plastic in this area but I'm going to dig in a little more and see if I can find anything. Thank you for your question!

Plastics inside of a brown pelican.