ENV 220 Stream Morphology Lab Report
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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Feb 20, 2024
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Stream Morphology Lab Report
Joshua King
1/14/2024
1
Abstract
An abstract is generally written after the lab has been completed. In this section, write a one or two paragraph summary related to the lab activities that were completed. The abstract should include the following elements:
Objective
: the main point or central question of the lab
Methods
: a brief statement on what was done during the lab
Results
: a brief statement on what was found
Discussion
: a brief statement of what was concluded
The objective of this lab was to simulate a physical scale model of a stream and how streams shape the environment around us. What occurred in this lab was the process of setting up a stream bed and measuring the effects of stream flow and how erosion and deposition occurs. What was found to occur
was that depending on volumetric water flow, the medium was washed downstream and deposited into areas of inside bends. What was concluded is that streams and rivers play a vital role in how our environment has been shaped. Introduction
Provide a brief summary paragraph that includes the following elements:
Background
: Why is this topic (and the results of the lab activities) of interest to environmental scientists?
Purpose
: How are the techniques performed in this lab used to evaluate environmental conditions?
This topic is of importance to environmental scientists because it provides data for research to determine how future water courses will change. The purpose is to provide data that can be used to determine how streams formed, what shape a stream has, and how pollutants can be carried to other
areas.
Materials and Methods
Describe the experimental procedures in enough detail that someone else could repeat the experiment. Include the following elements:
Materials
: Describe the materials and equipment used in the lab
Steps
: Briefly explain the steps taken to perform your lab and collect your data
Calculations
: Describe all mathematical equations and statistical tests used
© 2016 Carolina Biological Supply Company
2
The materials and equipment that was used within this lab consisted of a foam tray, 3lbs of white sand, a foam cup, paper clip, ruler, and a plastic cup.
The personal protective gear used within this lab was goggles, gloves, and aprons. The steps that were taken to collect data within this lab were first to place the sand on the foam tray and pre-wet the sand letting it dry overnight
before continuing the experiment. The second step was to position one end of the foam tray on an elevated slope, which was done in Activity One with a 4 cm thick book and then switching to a 2 cm thick book for the second half of data collection. After situating the foam tray, a hole was then poked into the foam cup about 1cm from the bottom using the paper clip. This cup was then placed at the top of the foam tray and filled with water from the plastic cup. This allowed the water to flow freely from the cup and onto the foam tray which then started the process of forming a stream. As the stream was flowing, a piece of the foam cup was used to help determine velocity by placing it in the stream flow and monitoring the time it took to reach the end.
Once the cup was empty, a stream bed was left behind. Using this stream bed, different measurements were taken such as velocity, distance, sinuosity, relief, and gradient. Sinuosity was calculated by measuring the curvy distance and the straight distance and then dividing the two measurements. The streams that formed in my experiment all resulted in straight streams so the sinuosity defaulted to 1. Velocity was calculated by dividing the distance the piece of foam traveled by the time the foam took to
travel that distance. Discharge was then calculated by dividing the velocity by the cross-sectional area, which was calculated by measuring the width and depth of the stream multiplied by each other first. The relief was also calculated by measuring the highest elevation where the stream started and subtracting that by the height of where the stream mouth ended. The relief calculation was then used to determine the gradient which was found by dividing the relief by the total distance of the stream. Results
Activity 1: Data Table 1
Trial
Velocit
y (cm/s)
Discharg
e (cm
3
/s)
Sinuosit
y
Relief
(cm)
Gradient
(cm)
4 cm
1
3
0.6
1
2.5
0.22
2
2.67
0.8
1
1.6
0.14
3
3.04
0.46
1
1.6
0.14
2 cm
1
1.96
1.37
1
1.5
0.14
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Trial
Velocit
y (cm/s)
Discharg
e (cm
3
/s)
Sinuosit
y
Relief
(cm)
Gradient
(cm)
2
3.06
2.14
1
1.5
0.14
3
2.40
1.73
1
1.5
0.14
Activity 1: Photo
Insert a photo of the drawing you made of the formed stream and label where erosion and deposition occurred:
Activity 2: Data Table 2
Variable changed: Reinforced the banks of the beginning of the stream with pieces of foam to form a retaining wall. Trial
Velocit
y
(cm/s)
Discharg
e (cm
3
/s)
Sinuosit
y
Relief
(cm)
Gradient (cm)
1
4.05
2.43
1
2.4
0.16
2
3.38
0.68
1
2.4
0.16
© 2016 Carolina Biological Supply Company
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Trial
Velocit
y
(cm/s)
Discharg
e (cm
3
/s)
Sinuosit
y
Relief
(cm)
Gradient (cm)
3
1.84
1.47
1
2.4
0.16
Activity 2: Photo
Insert a photo of the drawing you made of the formed stream and label where erosion and deposition occurred:
Conclusion
Explain your results and the significance of those results. Include the following elements:
Summarize important observations and findings
For each activity, describe the patterns or relationships you observed
Explain any agreements, contradictions or exceptions
Explain the broader implications of your findings (big picture)
The results that were observed in this experiment were relatively the same as the experiments in Activity 1 except the stream bed itself tended to contribute more to erosion and deposition concentrated in the center © 2016 Carolina Biological Supply Company
5
downstream, causing more tributaries to form. The results were close to what was expected. The exception to this would be if the walls were of a porous substance such as limestone, then water would be absorbed, and erosion would occur within the banks anyways.
References
Include all references in this section (APA format)
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6
Post-Lab Questions
1.
If a short river has a relief of 3 meters and a much longer river has the same relief, how is the gradient affected? Why?
The gradient would be affected by a reduction in slope. This is because the relief remains the same as the shorter river but over a longer distance
and the gradient is calculated by dividing the relief by the total distance. 2.
What variable did you alter in Activity 2? Did you correctly predict your hypothesis? If not, could there have been any outside factors that could have caused your results to turn out the way they did?
The variable that I altered in Activity 2 was the banks of the initial stream,
which was done by using pieces of foam from the cup as a retaining wall to minimize erosion. My hypothesis was that erosion would occur heavier downstream and not initially. The experiment showed that erosion occurred more within the bottom of the stream bed than before. Some outside factors that could have affected my results were a slightly unlevel
surface and the rigidity of the foam board along with the moisture content
within the sand itself. 3.
Jose walked down to the stream behind his house. Over the past few months, he has noticed that the water has become increasingly cloudy since an industrial waste company built their headquarters upstream. He also noticed much less aquatic life in and around the area. Write a testable hypothesis that could be used to help determine what issues could be affecting the water downstream from the industrial waste company and causing the conditions Jose has been observing.
If water samples above the industrial waste company do not show elevated readings of toxins then the industrial company must be responsible for the increasingly cloudy water downstream. 4.
Identify at least two reasons why calculating velocity, discharge, gradient,
relief, and sinuosity can be useful. What can we learn from these measurements about the stream and its surrounding environment?
One reason why calculating these data points and using them to learn about the stream and its surrounding environment can be useful is because these calculations offer insight into how the river or stream may © 2016 Carolina Biological Supply Company
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change over time. Another reason these could be useful is to help determine what kind of environment may be found within that area.
5.
The process of erosion and deposition can create microhabitats. Macroinvertebrates are small aquatic organisms, like worms and mollusks, that can be found in these microhabitats. Explain why researchers may want to know what types of macroinvertebrates are living in those stream microhabitats. What can that tell them about the stream?
Macroinvertebrates living in stream microhabitats can tell a researcher about how healthy the stream system is and calculating how much nutrient spiraling may be occurring. © 2016 Carolina Biological Supply Company