Testing Water Quality Using Abiotic Factors

Definitions Abiotic – natural, never living objects Example: rocks, rain, oxygen ppm- Parts Per Million. The oxygen content is 6 ppm 6 parts of the million parts tested are oxygen

Oxygen Importance to Watershed: Healthy average: 9-10 ppm Plants release and animals take in to survive Healthy average: 9-10 ppm Under 3 ppm will not support fish Oxygen gets into water by… Diffusion from surrounding air Aeration of water over rocks and waterfalls Waste product of photosynthesis

Carbon Dioxide Importance to Watershed: Healthy average: 6-12 ppm Animals release and plants take in to survive Healthy average: 6-12 ppm Under 6 ppm or over 20 ppm will not support fish Days of heavy cloud cover = more CO2. (No photosynthesis) This is good if alkalinity is high and bad if pond is acidic.

Alkalinity Importance to watershed: protects against pH change Healthy average: Above 20 ppm Sources: Soil, limestone

pH Definition: measure of acidity in water Healthy average: 6-9 New ponds are alkaline Debris causes acids to build up

Nitrates Definition: Combination of nitrogen and oxygen compounds Source: fertilizers, scat, urine Too many nitrates can cause algae to grow. These organisms can cloud the water and take oxygen from fish and other species. Healthy average: under 4.4 ppm

Temperature Pond habitat: warmer temperatures Stream habitat: cooler temperatures Temperature range for fish: 32 – 97 degrees F Fish migrate, feed and reproduce based on temperatures Different fish live in different temperature ranges

Turbidity Definition: dirt or sediment in the water Secchi disk is used to measure light penetration Clear Water: 24 or more inches of light penetration Turbid Water: 23 or less inches of light penetration

Water Color Color Cause Fish Food Productivity Clear Absence of plankton Low Green Algae Moderate Brown Diatoms (microscopic life) High Dark Brown Peat, humus