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The Impact of Water Depth on Plankton Populations

Join the Villa Academy 7th graders as they unveil their findings on how water depth impacts phytoplankton populations over three days in the Salish Sea. Discover the crucial role of plankton as the main food source for marine life and as creators of 72% of the world's oxygen. The symposium delves into the methods used, data collected, and ways to improve future experiments. Engage in the discussion on the fascinating world of microscopic organisms and their significance in ocean ecosystems.

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The Impact of Water Depth on Plankton Populations

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  1. Community Science Symposium May 29,2019 Villa Academy The Impact of Water Depth on Plankton Populations

  2. Introduction Who - 17 Villa Academy 7th graders, K-8 School in Seattle When - May 18-20 on the Salish Sea

  3. Background Information • Decided to study how water depth affects the phytoplankton over three days • Plankton are microscopic organisms that can’t move on their own. Use currents. • More pollution = ocean quality affects plankton and marine life. Food for other creatures. Main food for whales and fish. • 72% of oxygen is created by phytoplankton.

  4. Question & Hypothesis Question: How much phytoplankton is there at different depths? Hypothesis: If the depth of the water increases Then there will be less phytoplankton Because they need sunlight to produce energy.

  5. Variables Independent: Depth Dependent: Plankton Controlled: 5 meter depth samples, Plankton tow Time (2 minutes), Equipment used, General Location (San Juan Islands)

  6. Materials Carlyn Niskin Bottle Plankton Net Rope Carabiners Messenger Graduated cylinders Rubber Bands Sharpie Apple Weight Bucket-o-meter Cod end jar

  7. Methods

  8. Methods Asked Captain for permission to deploy Deployed over one side of Carlyn Two Stations: Surface and Depth Collected plankton for 2 minutes

  9. Data

  10. Conclusion • We predicted there would be more plankton at the surface • We then discovered that plankton was way more common at 5 meters down • We tested water at two different locations - this could have impacted our results • Significantly less plankton on day 2 than day 1

  11. Ways to Improve Experiment • Find a way to only get Phytoplankton. • Put our plankton net at different meters. • Put our nets in for longer times. • Use the same location for both measurements. • Deploy at the same time each day. • Deploy on days with similar weather. Day 1 Vs. Day 3

  12. Thank you! Any questions?

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