goel_Hardika_Tutorial 9

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Dec 6, 2023

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Name: Hardika Tutorial Section (Day/Time): Tue/Thurs TA: Tutorial #9: Investigating Plastic Pollution in Freshwater Systems Instructions: Download this worksheet to your computer, and save the file as Your Last Name_First Name_Tutorial9 Type your answers directly onto this worksheet. Upload your completed worksheet to Canvas Assignments Tutorial 9 as a .pdf, .doc or .docx attachment. Learning Goals: Interpret and analyze tabular data about plastic pollution Articulate the differences and similarities in microplastic pollution in two different lake systems Hypothesize the sources of plastic pollution in each system, and suggest strategies to reduce the pollution. This tutorial is graded out of 25 marks. Point values are given in parentheses after each question . Resources on Canvas (optional reading, for interest only) : Eriksen, M., et al. (2013). Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Marine Pollution Bulletin 77 : 177-182. Free, C.M., et al. (2014). High-levels of microplastic pollution in a large, remote, mountain lake. Marine Pollution Bulletin 85: 156-163. Context: Plastic pollution is the primary form of anthropogenic debris found in marine (ocean) environments. Floating plastic debris, including microplastics, have been found in all 5 of the world’s oceans. Plastic pollution can enter waterways through drainage systems, sewage treatment overflow during high-volume rain events, or can blow into the water from the shore (Eriksen et al., 2013). Although we know quite a bit about the plastics that are floating in the oceans, there has been less research quantifying plastic pollution in freshwater systems like lakes. In this tutorial , you will be examining microplastic pollution in two very different lake systems: the Laurentian Great Lakes in North America, and Lake Hovsgol in the remote mountains of Mongolia. Lake Hovsgol (Figure 1) is characterized by a low population density, a lack of industry and agriculture, and no modern wastewater or sewage treatment facilities. It is one of only seventeen “ancient lakes” in the world (more than 2 million years old), and is one of the most pristine – the water can be consumed without filtering. It is the most significant drinking water reserve in Mongolia and was designated a National Park in 1992. The majority of the population lives in Hatgal (pop. 2980) in the south and Hankh (pop. 2460) in the north. Tourist camps line the southwestern shore and herding families live along primitive roads that follow the eastern and western shores (Free et al., 2014). Lake Hovsgol is similar to Lake Erie in volume, but is a tenth of its size in area. The Laurentian Great Lakes (Figure 2) straddle the border between Canada and the United States, and are surrounded by heavily urbanized watersheds, including large cities like Chicago, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Toronto. The Great Lakes flow into the St Lawrence River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Holland EVSC 100 2023 Tutorial 9
Figure 1. Location of Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia. Figure 2. Location of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Before you start digging into the data: 1. Make a hypothesis about which lake system (Great Lakes or Hovsgol) would have the highest level of plastic pollution. Give the reasoning for your answer. (2) According to me, Great Lakes would have the highest level of plastic pollution. The first reason is that the Great Lakes are much larger and more heavily polluted than the Hovsgol lake. Great Lakes receives waste from the surrounding regions, which makes it likely that the plastics will end up in the lake system. Secondly, the Great Lakes system is much more accessible to than the Hovsgol Lake. The Great lakes are surrounded by many states and countries making it accessible for the people to discard in it whereas Hovsgol is located in remote area of Mongolia. Holland EVSC 100 2023 Tutorial 9
Part 1: The Great Lakes The Great Lakes study is from: Eriksen, M., et al. (2013). Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Marine Pollution Bulletin 77 : 177-182. On a 3-week expedition, researchers sailed Lakes Superior, Huron and Erie. Five samples were collected in Lake Superior, while 8 samples each were collected in lakes Huron and Erie (Figure 3). Samples were collected using a manta trawl with a rectangular opening 16 cm high by 61 cm wide, and a 3 m long 333 µm net. The samples were later rinsed in salt water, which floated most of the plastic to the surface for removal. Using a dissecting microscope, plastic was removed from preserved natural material, and then sorted by rinsing through Tyler sieves into 3 size classes: 0.355–0.999 mm, 1.00–4.749 mm, >4.75 mm. Individual pieces of plastic were divided into categories: fragment, foamed polystyrene, line, pellet, film; and then counted. Data from the expedition is given in Tables 1 and 2. Table 1. Abundance and type of particles in 3 size classes, Laurentian Great Lakes. Table 2. Count, location and abundance of plastic pollution from 21 stations in three of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Holland EVSC 100 2023 Tutorial 9
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