Virtual Field Trip to Mono Lake

The Great Salt Lake is located in the northern part of Utah. The lake has a high salinity and although it has more salt than seawater it is still able to sustain different species like birds or shrimps unlike the Dead Sea. The standard microbes that are a part of the ecosystem of the northern part of the lake in order of most populated: bacteria of at least two genera,Halobacterium and Halococcus; two algae ,Dunaliella salina and D. Viridis. The algae and bacteria live off each other by being the others nutrients. The reason for this is because bacteria produce ammonia, which algae uses for nutrients, while the organic matter that algae makes is used by bacteria as nutrients. Animals eat algae and cold temperatures during winter stunt metabolism

: Larchwood Lake may not ever be the same again. The story about Larchwood Lake is not that uncommon. Without doing extensive research into possible things that could occur by lowering the lake level, the Larchwood Lake Homeowner’s Association destroyed the very thing they were trying to protect. Carelessness and poor planning are not the only root causes however. There are a number of reasons that led to the degradation of Larchwood Lake that happen to relate to more macro level environmental issues. Those reasons are poorly designed environmental policy created by the E.P.A., poor understanding of lake ecology by the managers of the land, and false confidence in poorly planned ideas. By looking at how these factors contributed to the degradation of the lake, hopefully we will be able to make more ecological sound decisions in the future.

Lake Tahoe is definitely one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States. Its water goes from Caribbean blue to dark because it carves a deep hole in the Sierra Nevada. In August of 2012, USA Today dubbed it "America's Best Lake. The lake was formed approximately two million years ago and is part of the Lake Tahoe basin. The lake itself was shaped during the Ice Age. The water is amazing and crystal clear with varying shades of blue.

Initially established in the lake as a food source for warm water fish the crawfish as well as mysid shrimp have polluted the naturally clear waters of Tahoe, and restricted the zooplankton community. The crawfish introduced into the lake may be thriving in the area for numerous reasons, and some scientists suggest that the current rise in other food sources for the non-native fish species has sparked the incline in their population (www.tahoescience.org).

More than 24 billion gallons of untreated sewage waste and storm water are pumped into the lakes annually. Pollution is increasing as well, due to the cottage development, where people enjoy spending their summers relaxing. For many years, the lake habitats have been affected by pollution and habitat destruction. The market for fish is tremendous; so much so, that we have depleted our fishing resources, and have had to market on invasive species.

Figure 1 illustrates that the lake with the greatest observed heterozygosity is Devil Lake. It was determined that the observed heterozygosity of Devil Lake is significantly greater than the observed heterozygosity of Loughborough Lake (p=1.44E-19). The sample size for all 3 lakes was 25 Lake Trout.

Through our research we aimed to determine if there were any differences in water quality of both the north and south forks of Strawberry Creek. As time progresses and the environment changes it is important to keep track of how certain species are being impacted by these features, and how they cope with change. We hypothesized that due to the lack of pollution, the south fork will promote a greater diversity of macroinvertebrates. This was due to the fact that there was less runoff and trash that could be introduced to the water in the south fork, than there was in the north fork. We gathered data by analyzing the different organisms living in both forks. We collected a total of fifty vials composed of five organisms from each fork, and inspected them under microscopic view. After gathering data and identifying the different kinds of organisms living in the different forks we assessed whether the organisms from the samples could live in high or low resolution water. We also took a t-test to assess the probability of these differences being due to relevant factors or by chance. Our major findings suggest that organisms in the south fork showed a higher demand to living in cleaner water indicating that our hypothesis was correct.

Before the United States became an independent nations, Onondaga Lake was the center of the Iroquois Confederacy. The lakes water was crystal clear.The surrounding land was very clean and pristine. All of the forests, streams and creeks were healthy and well.Eventually European settlers came to the area. With them they brought new technology and rapidly made industries grow and develop. Industry and rapid urbanization of Syracuse impacted the surrounding areas because the more the people came, the more it got polluted, many attractions came along like a amusement park and shopping,many job opportunities, newer industries and a bigger population.

“the bass has become America's favorite gamefish” (Homer). This is good news and bad news. This could be bad for fishermen because there will be more competition and more boats that pollute the water. “Continuous noise and waves intrude on bass fishing enjoyment” (Homer). This is a result of overfishing and over population, sometimes lakes get over fished because of their reputation for having big fish. Then people from around the world come to fish in it and are disappointed because there is tons of other people already there. “It also spawned the national movement to return bass for others to enjoy catching — especially the lunkers” (homer). Sometimes when lots of people fish the same lake they fish in it for different reasons, for example some people keep the bass they catch to eat and if done enough that can be bad for the population.” All of these are examples of how or why lakes can be

Back in the 1960’s, Lake Erie was declared “dead” because, ironically, it was full of life – just not the right kind (GLIN, n.d.). The algal blooms that formed due to high concentrations of nutrient-loaded city street run off invaded the freshwater lake, killing native species, reducing oxygen quantities, and smothering beaches with its slime (GLIN, n.d.).

Exercise Lab 1. How much does temperature vary in large and small aquatic environments? Lab 2. What determines the water clarity of lakes, rivers and oceans? Lab 3. Where does the phosphorus go? Lab 4. How does human activity in watersheds affect the quality of lakes and rivers? Lab 5. Are the Great Lakes being influenced by the global greenhouse effect? Lab 6. How is the flow of the Red Cedar River influenced by the weather? Lab 7. What is the relationship between flow and turbidity in the Red Cedar River? Page 2 4 6 8 12 15 18

"About Our Great Lakes." National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Great Lakes Environmental Research. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Another factor contributing to the declination of Lake Sturgeons is the destruction of their habitat through pollution. Although the Great Lakes Protection Act is in effect, the connecting rivers are the main contributing source of pollution in the Great Lakes (8). Pollution levels are higher in the rivers than they are in the Great Lakes because the main sources of pollution are located near large rivers. For example, the erosion of clay and silt from agricultural land frequently ends up in the rivers by rain or wind (8). This results in sedimentation. High amounts of sediments in the water bury aquatic habitats and reduce water quality. The gravel that Lake Sturgeons like to spawn in is degraded by sedimentation. Another source of pollution

After having a taste of this course during the first two weeks of the class, it was difficult for me to leave due to pregnancy. I didn’t wanna let go of it. The course outline enticed me, the virtual field trips were fun and provided me with new learning. I was uncomfortable with the Flipgrid videos but it helped me overcome my anxiety to be on camera.

Plankton species composition and abundance are functions of interactions with environmental conditions including salinity, temperature, light, nutrients, turbulence, and water depth in addition to grazing, competition, and disease. Hutchinson and Bowen (1947) stated that it is a well known fact that the total quantity of plankton present in the waters of a lake may undergo marked and rapid variation, so that in the course of a year a number of pulses may succeed each