River Blog

On our trip to the Ocmulgee River on September 18, 2012, our class measured three different aspects of the  river: the topology of the river, the amount of clams in different spots, and the flow rate of the river. Each aspect was measured to the best of our ability and knowledge. We learned a great deal about the river's different characteristics and the living organisms that inhabit it.

Topology of the River:
The topology of the Ocmulgee River was measured using two poles that were connected by a string. Each pole was marked off every six inches so that one can measure the elevation change between the two poles when the string is level and taunt. While this is a tedious way to measure the topology of a land, it is super effective and accurate.

Counting Clams:
We wanted to see if there was a difference between the number of clams that live in open river versus the number of clams that live in the islands. To calculate the number of clams we used a sieve that had five different levels and each level had a different screen size. The top level had a more coarse screen and each lower screen became more fine. We used shovels to dig into the river bed and then put the dirt into the sieve, sifted the dirt, and then counted the number of clams.

Flow Rate:
To calculate the flow rate of the Ocmulgee River, we first measured off a distance of 350 feet , then placed a tennis ball at the starting point, next we timed how long it took to reach the end point, and finally divided the distance by the amount of time. We measured the flow rate in three different parts of the river to see if the water moved faster in deeper parts or shallow parts. We found out that the deeper the water, the faster it moves.

Maps

Map Overview

     Maps play an important role in all types of sciences, especially environmental science. The maps allow for scientist to view data and make educated observations based on the map. There are four elements that are common place among maps: a compass, a legend, a scale, and a title. The following are four maps are important for environmental scientist.

Isopleth Map

     An isopleth map uses lines or colors to show the distribution of something across an area. Most commonly they are used to indicate the temperature or rainfall rang across a region. The distance between two lines on the map indicates a gradual change. They are very simple maps and super effective when used properly.

Chloropleth Map

     A chloropleth map uses shades of colors to indicate something across a specified region. They are most commonly used to mark political districts. The difference in a chloropleth map and an isopleth map is that a whole region is bound by a certain data. Such as a map of the United States after a presidential election that shows which candidate won which state.

Dot Density Map
     A dot density map uses a dot to represent a value and then plotting it onto a region to show most commonly the distribution of something. They are very simple to read and understand because the more closely the dots are placed next to each other the higher the concentration of that source in that area. They have been used to show the population concentration in the United States as seen below.

Proportional Map

     A proportional symbol map is where a symbol is chosen and then altered based on the value of the data it is representing. This type of map is similar to dot density map and is often used to represent the population of cities across the United States.

Check out the following Hurricane Isaac below:

NOAA: Click HERE

YouTube: Click HERE