Notes on My Materials

Box 7H- box in which we will measure UV light exposure for 7 hours (from 7:50 to 2:50)
-Height: 17.5 inches
-Depth: 13.75 inches
-Width: 20 inches

Box 2H- box in which we will measure UV light exposure for 2 hours (from 7:50 to 9:50)
-Height: 13.5 inches
-Depth: 13.25 inches
-Width: 17.75 inches

UV light wattage:
115 Volts

A Picture of My UV Lamp and What We Did In Class Today

Today in class, we began filling out our planning sheet.
What is on our planning sheet:
Purpose (Question I am going to answer)
Hypothesis (Prediction)
Materials
Independent Variable (What I will manipulate)
Controlled Variable (What I will keep the same)
Dependent Variable (What I will measure)

Today I also talked to Ms.Minn about my UV lamp. She said that we will be taping it to the top of a cardboard box, so that the light is keep inside the box, and no normal light can get in. Here is the picture of the lamp that I will DEFINITELY be using: (yay!)

Blog Check #1

Halle,
You've done a great job posting all of your research material, pictures, as well as your thoughts and concerns. You've also posted consistently.
Grade: 5/5

Phewf!

I just handed in the first draft of my research paper, as well as my bibliography. Here it is:

Halle Mette

Research Paper- First Draft

            The topic that I wish to study is the effect of UV radiation on the oxygen production of Elodea. The two variables in my experiment that I plan to study are ultraviolet radiation, and Elodea. Increased ultraviolet radiation exposure has become a significant issue as the environment’s pollution has led to long-term problems, affecting the human population and organisms living in the world, such as Elodea. In my experiment, I will discover the effects, if any, of ultraviolet radiation on Elodea. Elodea ultimately represents a large group of green (photosynthetic) plants. A depleting ozone due to a more polluted environment allows more harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun to penetrate the earths atmosphere, accessing and damaging many organisms on the earths surface. Organisms that are affected, such as Elodea, are all in synchronization with each other some how, each with a specific purpose and importance in the environment. Without many of the organisms on earth today, the human population would surely diminish. Specifically, how this ultraviolet radiation affects green plants is beneficial knowledge to the human population, because photosynthetic plants provide clean oxygen, which is absolutely necessary for our survival. Therefore, my experimental question is: how does increased UV light exposure affect the photosynthesis process (specifically the oxygen production) of Elodea? Through knowledge, we have the ability to come closer to having a greener, better taken care of planet.

Elodea is a primary producer in many water ecosystems, including lakes and rivers. It serves as prey to a wide assortment of animals, such as muskrats, beavers, and waterfowl (especially ducks). Elodea also provides shelter to many small fish, invertebrates, and amphibians, as coral reefs do.  Therefore, their survival in many marine ecosystems is vital (Elodea, 2000). Brazilian Elodea is also a commercialized aquarium plant, hence existing in many parts of the world such as such as New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Denmark, Germany, France, Japan, Chile, and the United States, in aquariums, and also as a waterweed (Non-native, Invasive, Freshwater Plants, n.d.).

UV rays are invisible rays of energy produced by the sun. Though in larger proportions UV rays can be harmful in many ways to some organisms, they are also useful for humans specifically because they provide Vitamin D. The amount of UV radiation in a specific area depends on three things: the closeness to an industrial area due to the smog in the air. Industrial operations produce ozone, which absorbs UV radiation. It is thought that this is one of the foremost reasons why significant ozone depletion in the southern hemisphere has not reflected also on the northern hemisphere. Another reason for a specific amount of UV radiation in one area is cloud cover. Reduction in the amount of UV ray exposure depends on the thickness of the cloud cover. And the third circumstance of UV radiation is latitude and elevation (Sparling, 2001).

There are specific downsides to increased UV light exposure. UV radiation can cause genetic damage. DNA absorbs UV light, and the energy absorbed can break bonds in the DNA. Unrepaired genetic DNA can potentially lead to skin cancer, which is also a health risk in humans caused by UV light. A 1%decrease in the ozone layer will cause an estimated 2%increase in UV light induced skin irritation. An example of groups of people more prone to skin cancer are those from the southern states of Texas and Florida, who see twice as many deaths due to skin cancers as in Wisconsin and Montana, both northern states. This is due to increased UV exposure in southern states over northern states. Another health risk due to UV radiation, is that of the eyes. The cornea is a good absorber of UV light. High exposure to UV light has known to cause a temporary clouding of the cornea, commonly referred to as “snow-blindness”, and in chronic cases, can even lead to cataracts. But, the disadvantages of UV light are not limited to humans. Marine life has also shown suffering from larger amounts of UV light exposure. Marine plankton, which densely populate the top 2 meters of ocean water, has been greatly affecting by UV light exposure, especially in the northern hemisphere where increased UV radiation is uncommon. When exposed to larger amount of UV radiation, plankton sink deeper into the water. Unfortunately, by doing so they reduce their grown and reproduction rate due to the lack of visible light needed for photosynthesis (Sparling, 2001).

Elodea obtains food through photosynthesis, therefore getting its energy from the sun’s rays. As the earth becomes more heavily polluted, the earth’s stratosphere shows more of a decline in ozone. Therefore, more of the sun’s harmful ultra violet rays penetrate through the layer of ozone, affecting multiple organisms on the earth’s surface, causing diseases and decreases in population of assortments of organisms, especially in marine life such as algae. Health risks in humans caused by UV light include eye clouding (in extreme cases, cataracts), and skin cancer. Also important are the affects on marine life, which have shown an exceedingly low decrease in population (Sparling, 2001). So, by studying these two variables I am focusing on the effects of UV radiation, which will be representing the sun’s rays, on samples of Elodea and compare it to Elodea under regular light (without UV radiation) and determine whether or not UV radiation is harmful to Elodea, and if so, to what extent. Though Elodea is only one of the many organisms affected by UV light exposure, it in itself is beneficial to the human population because it does go through the process of photosynthesis, therefore producing more oxygen for the human population. Elodea makes an especially important difference in oxygen production because it is family to a large assortment of photosynthesizing plants, and is so commonly found in many lakes, rivers, and streams around the world. Brazilian Elodea is found in areas such as New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Denmark, Germany, France, Japan, Chile, and the United States, due to it’s popularity as an aquarium plant (Non-native, Invasive, Freshwater Plants, n.d.).

The effect of UV light on the population of Elodea is a highly beneficial question to the company of GEA. By studying these two variables I am focusing on the effects of UV radiation, which will be representing the sun’s rays, on samples of Elodea and compare it to regular light without UV radiation and determine whether or not UV radiation is harmful to Elodea, and if so, to what extent. If UV light DOES affect the process of Elodea, then the Elodea will begin to die. I predict this because algae and phytoplankton, photosynthesizing organisms like Elodea, in the northern hemisphere which are being exposed to increasing levels of UV light exposure are showing decreasing levels in population. It is possible that because both Elodea and algae are photosynthesizing, that they will have the same reaction to Elodea. This topic is a great concern to multiple scientists, because plants are one of the first links in the food chain. Variations in Elodea’s population could potentially cause greater disturbances in the balance of other life forms like small fish, waterfowl, invertebrates, and amphibians. As increased levels of UV radiation continue to penetrate the earth’s atmosphere, the food chain will be affected negatively. Also, If UV rays are harmful to Elodea, then as time went on and Elodea depleted in population, oxygen levels would as well because Elodea is so similar to other green plants and is common in many rivers and lakes. Elodea, as a common green plant, in my experiment represents a large group of photosynthetic plants. Photosynthetic organisms are necessary for human survival as through their process of gaining energy, photosynthesis, they provide organic oxygen. Ultimately, without the benefits of green plants such as Elodea, the population of human beings and other organisms which depend on photosynthesizing organisms, would fail.

AND MY BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Halle Mette

References

Elodea. (2000). Aquaplant (submerged plants). Retrieved from http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/‌database/‌submerged_plants/‌elodea.htm.

Non-native, Invasive, Freshwater Plants. (n.d.). Department of Ecology: State of Washington. Retrieved January/‌February 24, 2010, from Department of Ecology: State of Washington website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/‌programs/‌wq/‌plants/‌weeds/‌aqua002.html

Sparling, B. (2001, May 30). Ultraviolet Radiation. In NAS (educational resources). Retrieved from http://www.nas.nasa.gov/‌About/‌Education/‌Ozone/‌radiation.html

Today's Research

I didn't get much research done today, because I had trouble finding research that I didn't already have... but this is what I did get:

1/22/09 Research- Elodea and UV Radiation

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/Programs/wq/plants/native/elodea.html

“American Waterweed - A common native plant”

Elodea

            - American waterweed (Elodea Canadensis)

            - Elodea is native to lakes, ponds, and rivers

            - Elodea is often used as an aquarium plant, therefore it has been introduced            

              to parts of New Zealand, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa

-To reproduce: In fall leafy stalks detach from the parent plant, float away, root, and start new plants.

-American waterweed's most important method of spreading

-Seed production plays minor role.

- Found throughout temperate North America

            -One of Washington’s most common underwater plants

Intern Application

INTERN APPLICATION

Global Environmental Agency

760 United Nations Plaza

New York, New York 10017

                                                                                                                                               

A. General Information:

NAME:           Mette                           Halle                          E.                  

                        Last                                                First                                    Middle Initial

General Mailing Address:                        172 Lloyd Road                                                                  

                                                                        Street

                                                            Montclair                NJ              07042                                            

                                                                        City                                    State                                    Zip

Education:

            Institution: Hillside                                                                                    Date attended: 2004-2005

            Institution: Montclair Kimberley Academy                                    Date attended: 2005-2010

B.  Please describe of the topic you wish to study.  Include a complete description of the 2 variables you plan to study and how these two variables are related to one another.  You may complete this on a separate page and attach it or may use additional space.

The topic that I wish to study is the effect of UV radiation on the oxygen production of Elodea. The two variables in my experiment that I plan to study are UV radiation, and Elodea. Elodea is a primary producer in many water ecosystems, including lakes and rivers. It serves as prey to a wide assortment of animals, such as muskrats, beavers, and waterfowl (especially ducks). Elodea also provides shelter to many small fish, invertebrates, and amphibians, as coral reefs do. Therefore, their survival in many marine ecosystems is vital.

UV rays are invisible rays of energy produced by the sun. Though in larger proportions UV rays can be harmful in many ways to some organisms, they are also useful for humans specifically because they provide Vitamin D.

 Elodea obtains food through photosynthesis, therefore getting its energy from the sun’s rays. As the earth becomes more heavily polluted, the earth’s stratosphere has shown more than about a 4% decline in volume each decade since the 1970s. Therefore, more of the sun’s ultra violet rays penetrate through the layer of ozone, affecting multiple organisms on the earth’s surface. So, by studying these two variables I am focusing on the effects of UV radiation, which will be representing the sun’s rays, on samples of Elodea and compare it to regular light without UV radiation and determine whether or not UV radiation is harmful to Elodea, and if so, to what extent. Elodea is beneficial to the human population because it does go through the process of photosynthesis, therefore producing more oxygen for the human population. Elodea makes an especially important difference in oxygen production because it is family to a large assortment of photosynthesizing plants. Elodea is also an underwater plant which rapidly spreads, therefore it is commonly found where it can survive. Elodea also has the ability to survive in deep or shallow water, and in different sediment types. If UV rays are harmful to Elodea, then as time went on and Elodea depleted in population, oxygen levels would as well because Elodea is so similar to other green plants and is common in many rivers and lakes.

The effect of UV light on the population of Elodea is a highly beneficial question to the company of GEA. It is a great concern to multiple scientists, because plants are one of the first links in the food chain. Variations in Elodea’s population could potentially cause greater disturbances in the balance of other life forms like small fish, waterfowl, invertebrates, and amphibians. As increased levels of UV radiation continue to penetrate the earth’s atmosphere, the food chain will be affected negatively.

           

C.  Please include your experimental question and the hypothesis you have formulated to answer the question.  Identify the independent and dependent variables.

Experimental Question: How does ultraviolet radiation affect the oxygen production on Elodea?

Independent Variable: UV light

Dependent Variable: Elodea

Hypothesis: If UV light radiation affects the photosynthesis process of Elodea, then the Elodea will begin to fail and eventually perish.

D.  Explain what you predict the results will be from your experiment.  Include a brief explanation as to why you are making this prediction.

I predict that the Elodea under the ultra violet light will slowly begin to die as it is exposed to increased amounts of UV light and as a whole, produce less oxygen. I predict this partly because other green plants and algae are decreasing in population around the world, due to “holes” in the ozone layer. It is possible that small amounts of UV light will help the Elodea to grow, as some UV light is beneficial to humans because it provides us with Vitamin D. In a human’s case, too much UV light could cause skin cancer. So, this leads me to think that after being exposed to increased amounts of UV light, the Elodea will begin to fa, and not produce as much oxygen as the blue green algae being experimented on with a regular light.

E.  Describe the experimental procedure that you think you will need to conduct to find your results. 

To find my results, I will most likely follow a procedure allow these lines:

-Take picture of tank before exposure to lights

-Observe Elodea ((may need microscope) What color are the leaves? Is the plant shrinking, or crippling? Etc.)

-Place dissolved oxygen sensor into water

-Record level of oxygen currently being produced by Elodea in both tanks

-Turn both lamps on (UV light and regular light)

-Time exposure for 20 minutes

-Turn lamps off

-Observe Elodea (same observations as before lamps were turned on)

-Observe picture taken before exposure

-Experiment this way each day- increase exposure time by 10 minutes every time experiment is conducted

Thoughts/Advice on the Research Paper...

Though I haven't finished my paper quite yet, I'm working on my conclusion. In my opinion, the conclusion is one of the most difficult parts of the paper. I have all of the research that I'll be putting into my body paragraphs, and am having trouble organizing the most important information into some kind of a summary for my conclusion.

Anyway, advice: stay organized! I'm sure a lot of people have said this already, but staying organized is an essential part of this project. To stay organized, I keep all of my handouts from our green folder in a binder. Each individual handout is in a clear plastic folder of it's own. Staying organized can also include constantly posting to your blog. By posting what you do every day and what you need to do, you can look back on what you've written in order to have a goal for a class period set. Outlines, like one for the research paper, are also useful.

Wednesday, January 19th: What I Accomplished and What I Plan To Do Today- January 20th

Yesterday, I finished the second and hopefully final draft of my application. Unfortunately, because of this I did not get any research done for my paper. But, I did follow every note that Ms.Minn gave me for my application. I'm confident that it is a lot better than the original draft, which was accepted on condition. Today, January 20th, I plan on taking more research, and finishing my second body paragraph in my research paper. I will hopefully also add more links to my bibliography. I began my research paper exactly two days ago in class, and plan to finish some time this weekend.

Pictures of Some Things I'll be Using in My Experiment...

Elodea

 Oxygen Dissolving Sensor

 3 gallon fish tank??

 UV light bulb to install above fish tank

Addition to Final Topic

As I stated in my last topic, I'll be using Elodea instead of blue green algae. Elodea use photosynthesis to obtain food just as blue green algae does, and Elodea is better because blue green algae for multiple reasons. Blue green algae does not serve as a food for under-water organisms, because it is lethal to animals, and dangerous to human skin. Elodea is a water-plant eaten by some organisms, and easier to test because it's larger.

But here's an update: I'll be using an oxygen-dissolving sensor to test the amount of oxygen that the Elodea is producing. I predict that the Elodea will produce less oyxgen when exposed to UV radiation.... but then again, I could be wrong. Oh god. Let's hope not.

New Biotic Factor

So, my previous topic, and the topic that I wrote my application on, was The Effect of UV Radiation on Bluegreen Algae. I chose this topic because algae is the first link in the food chain, therefore it interested me because so many marine organisms, and ultimately terrestrial organisms depend on it. But, I won't be using this topic because someone in my class is already using it. Plus, Ms.Minn told me that algae would be too hard and not interesting enough. So, I'll be using Elodea instead. I still have to talk to Ms.Minn about what part of the photosynthesis we'll be using to measure such an carbon dioxide or oxygen. But, I'll still be using UV radiation as my independent variable. UV radiation, as the ozone thins, is becoming an important topic across the world because it is affecting countless organisms- marine and terrestrial. Hopefully this applies to Elodea.

First Draft Application Notes

Yesterday, Tuesday Janurary 12th, 2010, the 8th grade handed in our first draft applications for our project.  Here are the notes that Ms.Minn gave me on mine:

1		We've decided to change your abiotic factor.
1		??
2		Is it significant enough?
3		This is a prediction. Refer to the Criteria for success and the rubric for writing hypotheses.

Topic- The effect of UV light exposure on Cyanobacteria (blue green algae)

I think my final topic is going to be the effect of UV light on blue/ green algae. I like this topic, and it's a good topic that really relates to GEA's mission statement.
For my experiment, I plan on having two containers of blue green algae, as well as one UV lamp and one regular lamp. I'm not sure yet what time increments I'll be using, but I'll place each container of blue green algae under a lamp for a certain amount of time each day, and after each period of experimenting is over each day, I'll record data. I'll probably observe the level of blue green algae still in the container, the blue green algae's pigment, the movement of the blue green algae (does it move? If so, how?), and the amount of oxygen produced by the blue green algae.

Tomorrow during class, I'll be meeting with Ms.Minn to see what she thinks about my final idea and plans to experiment. It's important to meet with her tomorrow, because our application is due on Tuesday.

10/7/09 Thoughts....

By this point, I still don't know what I'm going to do. No possible topics are really standing out to me. I'm planning on meeting with Ms.Minn in class, because I was considering choosing one of these three topics:

1) The effect of temperature fluctuation on brine shrimp.
2) The effect of acid rain on the pH levels of blue-green algae.
3) The effect of phosphates on the oxygen levels of pond water. 


Heres the problem with the third one: I don't know what a phosphate is. I got this from a website. But apparently it's some sort of a non-organic chemical. So is it a pollutant?


Also, I was considering the effect of acid rain on Wisconsin fast plants. Apparently, this topic is un-original and over used. Ms.Minn didn't like it. So once again, I'm back at step one. I have no idea what I'm going to do, and I haven't even started my application yet. 


I could do number two.... but there's one thing that I might need to know in order to do this project: what's a pH level? 
Are pH levels harmful to brine shrimp if they are in doses too high or low?? Because in that case, I'm choosing that one.
Temperature fluctuation probably won't work. I'll most likely kill my brine shrimp.








Help. Me.

Possible Topics

Here are some possible topics that I have come considered choosing so far... but I still don't know what I'm going to choose. I wish I could find something original and interesting instead of using other ideas that I've heard. I just can't think of anything!
But here are some topics:
-The effect of temperature fluctuation on brine shrimp (or a specific kind of plant)
-The effect of UV light on brine shrimp, milkweed bugs (or any other kind of bug I can get) or a specific kind of plant
-The effect of car emissions on a Wisconsin fast plant
-The effect of acid rain on seed germination (I really like this one- I'm considering it but also looking to see if I can find something better)

Biotic and Abiotic Factors- Questions

After listing questions that we have about our experiment and the general project, we asked more specific questions about abiotic and biotic factors and also listed examples of biotic and abiotic factors that most of us will have in our projects. Here they are:

Some abiotic factors: 

"factors that are not living" 
temperature 
atmosphere 
soil content 
"growing medium" 
amount of moisture in the air 
density 
light exposure 
weather conditions 
heat 
atmospheric pressure 
amount of gases in air 
amount of sunlight 
 
Some biotic factors: 


"relating to or resulting from living things" 
relating to photosynthesis 
amount of oxygen produced during photosynthesis 
growth rate- how will you measure it? --weight, height, something that can be measured-- how green the plant is, the diameter of the stems, number, width of the leaves 
glucose content 
amount of carbon dioxide taken in, used up 
population size 
size of the roots, how big, how thick 
number of eggs produced 
birth rate- how will you measure it? the number of eggs being produced 
life span 
amount of food and water needed to grow...... 

Setting Up Our Blogs

Today in class, we set up our blogs that we'll be using throughout the project. I'm looking forward to using a blog because not only will I benefit from getting a good grade on my blog, but I will also be able to use it to stay organized and go back to check to see what we did in class on a specific date. After going over the procedure of creating a blog, we wrote down questions that we had about the science project, and our experiment. Here they are:

What am I interested in?
How can I keep myself really organized?
How will my topic relate to the goal of GEA?
What topic do I want to learn about?
How will I manage my time well?

Questions that we need to ask in our research process:
Why am I interested in this topic?
What can be accomplished by choosing this topic?
What kind of resources are available?
So what? Why does the GEA care about this topic?
How can I benefit from learning about this topic?
Is there a problem with X?
If so, what causes the problem? How can we fix it?
Is my topic testable?