Jordan River Research Paper

In order to find the stream quality of a river, a scientist must look at the stream ecology. The stream ecology is the study of the organisms and their dwelling. First, the scientist will look at the organisms living in a certain ecosystem, say the Jordan River, and rate them intolerable to tolerable. The toleration is based upon whether the organism can survive in highly polluted areas or if they will die. The current, or stream flow, also must be taken into account. Certain creatures live in the shallows, unmoving pockets, while others live out in the open water. Creatures can also be found in riffles, or small rocky area similar to a water fall. The differences between pools and riffles play a large part in the organisms as well as streams

life. Another factor that is taken into consideration is the p-score. This is a compilation of the data retrieved about intolerable/tolerable macroinvertebrates, made into a single number. The higher the score is, the cleaner the river is considered. This number helps to prove the pollution rates in an ecosystem.
There are many different ways to test for water quality in rivers. Another option would be to test the river for nitrates. Nitrogen itself is required for plant and animal life. In order to use this method, the water is tested for nitrates and treated for excessive plant growth. This happens because nitrates cause more plant growth and decay. Another way to measure the water quality is using Total Solids. Total solids measure both the dissolved and suspended solids. The six major types of total solids usually tested are: silt, clay, soil runoff, plankton, industrial waste, and sewage. A section of Q200 chose to test for intolerable and tolerable macroinvertebrates, and then calculate the p-score.
How would a river on campus fair when put to the pollution test?

The Jordan River runs directly through campus, and is situated between a walking path and a parking garage. When it leaves campus, the Jordan River goes back to it’s original name Clear Creek. In order to prove its stream quality, data would need to be collected and analyzed. After looking at the river, it looks as though it would be fairly clean and unpolluted to the untested eye. The water has a constant current and clear water. There is little trash floating about, but organisms are still visible in the river. The Jordan River has constantly fluctuated around a p-score of 35 for the last few years. This a fairly high score and relays that the river relatively unpolluted. The score and length of time show that the Jordan River is able to house many intolerable macroinvertebrates without trouble, and is a clean environment. How many intolerable macroinvertebrates live in the Jordan River, and are they the majority? The answer to this question will prove the cleanliness of the river.

Claim

The Jordan River’s water is clean and high quality, this is proven by the extremely high number of intolerable macroinvertebrates that live in Jordan. This claim is based upon data extracted from multiple sections of Q200 as well as an analysis of that

data.

Methods and Analysis

The river tested was the Jordan River located in Indiana University’s campus, residing near a walking path and parking garage. In order to get a better grasp of the river, the students drew distinguishing features about the surrounding landscape. The river is situated in a small valley, protected from outside elements like foliage. The protection from trash and waste is beneficial to the organisms that live with in Jordan. The students dipped into the river and counted the amount of macroinvertebrates found; ranging from very intolerable to very tolerable. In order to collect said data and count proficiently, the students simply picked up the rocks or objects that the macroinvertebrates resided on and stuck them in a bucket of water. There the invertebrates were counted and then released back into the river.
The macroinvertebrates could have come from a variety of places with in the river. The students took samples from riffles, shallows, and open water alike. A group member was delegated to keep a tally of what macroinvertebrates were found. The other members lifted rocks, used nets, and simply looked around for macroinvertebrates. Once all the data was collected, the groups started the analyzation process. This consisted of taking the macroinvertebrates found and sorting them into four groups: very intolerant, intolerant, moderately tolerant, tolerant. Each group was worth a certain number of points, these ‘points’ created the p-score. As a p-score gets higher, the river is considered cleaner. With each group’s p-score collected, the students created charts comparing their personal findings to those of the class and section as a whole. Additionally, each students compared p-scores of Clear Creek/Jordan River and two other Indiana Rivers, that scientist had taken over the last several years.