Art Class Notes PDF
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These notes cover various aspects of water quality testing, including measurements of pH, turbidity, coliform bacteria, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, ammonia, total dissolved solids, and biochemical oxygen demand. Understanding water quality is important for aquatic ecosystems and human health.
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pH Test: A measure of how acidic the water is. The scale ranges from 0 to 14, with natural water sources being within the pH range of 6.5 - 8.2. Turbidity: A measure of the clarity of water. Matter that is suspended in the water makes it cloudy. The units for this test are called Jackson Turbidity...
pH Test: A measure of how acidic the water is. The scale ranges from 0 to 14, with natural water sources being within the pH range of 6.5 - 8.2. Turbidity: A measure of the clarity of water. Matter that is suspended in the water makes it cloudy. The units for this test are called Jackson Turbidity Unit (JTU) Coliform Bacteria: This type of bacteria can be found in the human digestive tract (or really, any warm-blooded animal’s digestive tract). The presence of coliform bacteria in water indicates contamination of water by sewage. Dissolved Oxygen % Saturation (DO): All aquatic animals need oxygen to survive. DO measures the amount of dissolved oxygen that’s in a body of water. Healthy natural waters have a high dissolved oxygen level. Water temperature can also affect this measure, and it must be measured at the same time as dissolved oxygen. Nitrates: All animals use nitrates to build proteins. A high level of nutrients like nitrates promote aquatic plant growth and decay, bacterial decomposition depleting the dissolved oxygen in the water, leading to eutrophication. Ammonia: A major component of animal waste. NH3 is an indicator of high nutrient levels in the water. Ammonia contains nitrogen, which gets turned into nitrate and causes similar effects. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS): The measure of organic and inorganic solids dissolved in the water. Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): The quantity of dissolved oxygen that is used by bacteria to break down organic wastes. In unhealthy natural water sources, bacteria consumes most of the dissolved oxygen, robbing other organisms in the water from it. Temperature: Natural water sources may vary in temperature due to seasonal changes, thermal pollution from discharge of industrial operations. Changes in temperature can cause changes that threaten the balance of aquatic systems. Phosphates: A compound from cleaning products. High levels of phosphate indicate a high level of nutrients in the water, causing algal blooms. You can measure the value of phosphates by using a square test tube, a phosphate test tab, and a colour comparator card.
