Most of Michigan’s lakes are kettle lakes, left over from when ice blocks were left half-buried in outwash from glaciers. These lakes are subject to eutrophication as the result of nutrient build-up, a process that can be natural or also accelerated by man. This day is aimed at investigating a kettle lake to test water quality and eutrophication. We will test dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH and several specific chemical species: dissolved chloride, sodium, iron, manganese, sulfide, phosphate and ammonia.
Photo by Daniel Kerr.Photo courtesy of the Geological Survey of Canada, Canadian Government.
Misconceptions:
1.Nutrients float around in the water column and cause the water to be cloudy
2.Earth’s resources are not finite- there is an endless supply of water, petroleum, and mineral resources. All we have to do is explore to find them
3.Water exists in the ground in actual rivers or lakes that are constantly renewed
4All rivers flow ‘down’ from North to South
5Floods along rivers only happen after snow melt
6.Salt added to water does not make water heavier
Read Chapter 15
