2.2 Measuring abiotic components of the system

 List the significant abiotic (physical) factors of an ecosystem.  Describe and evaluate methods for measuring at least three abiotic (physical) factors within an ecosystem

 Ecosystems can be divided up as:  Marine – Sea, estuaries, salt marshes, and mangroves due to high salt content  Freshwater – Rivers, lakes, and wetlands  Terrestrial – Land- based

 Marine Factors:  Salinity  pH  Temperature  Dissolved Oxygen  Wave Action

 Freshwater Factors:  Turbidity  pH  Temperature  Dissolved Oxygen  Flow Velocity

 Terrestrial Factors:  Light Intensity  Wind Speed  Temperature  Particle Size  Slope/Aspect  Soil Moisture  Drainage  Mineral Content

 Light:  Equipment: A light meter  Method: Multiple times a day with same direction and angle. Must not be shaded.

 Temperature:  Equipment: Digital Thermometer  Method: For air, water and soil. Soil needs to be standard depth, not too shallow.

 pH:  Equipment: pH Meter or probe  Method: Cleaned between readings, and at same depth. Soil uses soil test kit – indicator added and compared to chart.

 Wind:  Equipment: Anemometer  Method: Observing objects and relating to beaufort scale. Don’t block wind. Gusty wind may cause variations.

 Particle Size:  Equipment: Sieves  Method: Large: Individually measured and averaged Small: Sieves Smallest: Sedimentation Optical: Light scattered by suspension

 Slope/Aspect:  Equipment: Clinometer / Compass  Method: tangent of slope x 100

 Soil Moisture:  Equipment: Scale and oven  Method: Mass before and after heating. Not too hot, and keep final mass after stabilized after heatings.

 Mineral Content:  Equipment: Scale and Oven  Method: Mass before and after heating. Very hot ( C) for hours. Depends on minerals.

 Flow velocity:  Equipment: Floating Object or flow- meter  Method: Object is timed. Meter is inserted just below surface for several readings. Taken multiple parts and times of year.

 Salinity:  Equipment: Datalogger or calculator  Method: Measure electrical conductivity. High salt content is higher density than lower salt content.

 Dissolved Oxygen:  Equipment: Oxygen sensitive electrodes or test kit  Method: Avoid oxygen in air. Kit based on oxygen reacting with iodide ions, and acid added to release them.

 Wave Action:  Equipment: Dynamometer  Method: Measures force of waves. Average results must be taken due to changes in tide and wave strength over time.

 Turbidity:  Equipment: Secchi disc  Method: Put to depth where it just disappears. Avoid glare, and use shady side of boat.