Practical 3 Report Sheets 2017 - Cal

ENVS1001
Practical 3 Report Sheets
The University of Newcastle School of Environmental and Life Sciences

ENVS1001 Environmental Science: Concepts and
Methods

Semester 1, 2017

Practical 3 Report Sheets

Site Visit and Environmental Monitoring -‐
Callaghan

NAME: …………………………………………………… STUDENT NO: ……………………….

PARTNER(S): …………………………………………………………………………………………..

YOUR ASSIGNED LAB CLASS (DAY/TIME): ……………………………………………….

YOUR DEMONSTRATOR: …………………………………………………………………………

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ENVS1001 Practical 3 Report Sheets
This practical will link closely with Practical 6 and 7. During this week you will visit
a field site to conduct a basic environmental assessment including collecting
water samples. In Practical 6 you will use these water samples to determine
selected water quality parameters in the laboratory. Your answers to these
exercises should be written on the answer sheet provided. Make sure you read
the exercise instructions carefully.

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS (INCLUDING CALCULATIONS) ON THIS ANSWER SHEET.
Pre-‐Lab Questions

1. List several reasons why a monitoring program of an aquatic system might be undertaken.

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2. What are some resources that might be consulted to learn about the site prior to arrival? What
advantage does evaluating this background information provide?

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3. Briefly describe three key factors that must be considered with regard to the sampling and
analysis phase of environmental monitoring.

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Exercises – Site description and field collection of samples

PART 1: SITE VISIT & OBSERVATIONS

1. Working in a small team (3-‐4 people), record the name of the place (i.e. location), the date and
time, the current & previous weather conditions (e.g. heavy rainfall yesterday, but fine today”)
and the names of all members of your group.

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2. Using the GPS, obtain BOTH the longitude and latitude and the grid reference co-‐ordinates for
the site and record them below.
Grid Reference:
Latitude …………………...…......…. S Longitude ………….….......……..… N
NB: Latitude & longitude are measured in degrees (°), minutes (“) and seconds (‘).

3. On the blank sheet provided (Field-‐Drawn Site Map), sketch a map of the site and the
immediate surrounding area. First determine which direction is north and include a north
arrow on the map. Draw the rest of the map in relation to this arrow so your diagram is
properly oriented. Indicate the general shape of the shoreline of the water body, any key
features in it (e.g islands, rock outcrops, fallen logs/trees), and a general indication of where
the major plant communities that occur in the system are located. You can use the “Aquatic
Plant Type” designations from the next question to label these assemblages. Also indicate
the direction of water flow (inlet & outlet of the pond) and any signs of human disturbance
in the water body itself or in the surrounding area.
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FIELD-‐DRAWN SITE MAP

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4. Using the pictorial key to aquatic plants in your practical manual, complete the table below
by rating the abundance of the different aquatic vegetation types fringing and within the
pond.

Rate the abundance of the different aquatic plant types by placing one tick ü in each row

ABUNDANCE SCORE
AQUATIC PLANT Rare Uncommon Common Very Abundant
TYPE few (< 3) >3 individuals & consistent many individuals
individuals sparsely scattered throughout the throughout the
or localized area area
Free floating –
unattached
Surface floating
– attached
Floating and/or
emergent
leaves
Mostly
submerged,
feathery leaves
– some
emergent
Submerged
leaves
Emergent
plants
Low profile –
small –
submerged or
on mud
Trees or Shrubs

5. Did you see any evidence of birds or mammals at the site today? What evidence (e.g. tracks,
scats etc.) can you find that birds or mammals have been present at the site (even if you
can’t observe them right now)? Write your observations below.
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6. This question can be completed after the practical. Use either Google Earth or any broader
scale site maps you are provided with to conduct a general landscape assessment of the area
the site occurs in. Based on local topography, are there any indications of development or
human activities farther afield that could influence water quality in this system? Briefly
explain the basis for any conclusions you make.

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PART 2: IN-‐SITU PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF WATER

Your demonstrator will help to organise which groups will conduct which tasks.

1. If the water is easily accessible, you with be taking the measurements by placing the probe of
the hand-‐held meters directly in the pond. Measurements will be taken in three places.
Record the locations of the water samples tested and collected and their GPS coordinates.

Your demonstrator will provide instruction in how to use these hand-‐held water meter(s).
Record the measurements on the table that follows.

Measured Parameter Site 1 Site 2 Site 3 Average
(calculated)
Temperature units
Colour/Odour
(qualitative)
Dissolved Oxygen units

concentration
Dissolved Oxygen
(% Saturation)
pH
Turbidity (if applicable) units
Electrical Conductivity units
Salinity units
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2. Ensure that you have a complete set of water quality data (ask the other groups now – don’t
leave it) and calculate the average of the three samples for each parameter. You will use
these data for further analyses in next week’s practical.

3. Collection of water samples for nutrient analysis. We will also be collecting water samples to
conduct further analysis back in the laboratory in subsequent weeks. Your demonstrator will
provide instruction in how to collect a water sample and then collect one (1) sample from the
edge of the pond at the same locations as described above. Remember that you must rinse
your containers with pond water first, but without disturbing the area you are going to
sample!

The following questions can be answered later upon return to the laboratory.

4. Briefly discuss the importance of proper storage and handling of environmental samples and
of maintenance and calibration of water meters to ensure data quality.

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PART 3: AQUATIC MACRO-‐INVERTEBRATE SAMPLING
Aquatic macroinvertebrates encompass a range of different organisms that reside in the water
column and on the bottom of aquatic systems. Place your sample in a 500/800/1000mL wide-‐
mouth white jar. Be sure the sample is properly preserved and labelled (see instructions below).
You should collect one (1) sample from the edge of the pond at the same locations you take
physical parameters and collect a water sample.

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Instructions for taking field samples

Collection of water samples:
1. Label the sample bottle with the LOCATION (SITE) DATE.
2. Rinse the sample bottle (and its lid) at least twice with the water to be sampled. DO NOT
empty the water back into the pond as it may disturb the sediment on the bed and affect
your sample.
3. If required, place the bottle in holder at the end of the extendable sampling pole.
4. Plunge the bottleneck downwards about 20cm below the surface.
5. Turn the mouth of the bottle upwards and towards the current, or if there isn’t one,
create a current by moving the bottle horizontally away from the hand.
6. When full, remove the bottle rapidly and replace the lid.

General procedure for use of hand-‐held meters:
1. Turn the instrument on.
2. Use the Mode buttons (or equivalent) to advance the instrument to display the variable
you wish to measure.
3. Check whether the probe has a “wetting cap” that needs to be removed (usually the case
for pH). Make sure you replace the wetting cap after taking the measurements.
4. If there is an oval shaped opening on the side of the probe (often the case for DO), insert
the probe so it is completely covered. Do not rest the probe on the bottom of the
container or pond bed -‐-‐ suspend it at least 1 cm above the bottom.
5. Allow at least 60 seconds for the readings to become stable.
6. Record the readings in your report sheet.

Collection and preservation of aquatic macro-‐invertebrates
The sample will be collected by manually dislodging organisms from the sediment and
vegetation, and collecting them in a dip net. The sampling procedure is as follows:
1. Choose a sampling location that is safe to work from (i.e. gently sloping bank and the water’s
edge is clearly visible – not obscured by dense vegetation).
2. Stand at the water’s edge, fill a third of your bucket with water. Using the dip net, wiggle it
through the water towards any overhanging vegetation and then make a sweep in the water
through the area you have disturbed (but don’t overly disturb the bed). Invert the net into
the bucket to transfer the sample.
3. Repeat the same process a further 9 times.
4. You may get a little sediment in your sample, but if you get a lot you may need to check with
the demonstrator that your sampling method is correct.
5. Strain your sample carefully through the dip net. The animals will remain in the net. If you
wish to discard any large pieces of plant material within the net, you must examine it
carefully and pick/wash off any invertebrates first.
6. Invert the net into a labelled container (LOCATION, DATE and YOUR GROUP’S NAME)
ensuring that the whole sample goes in. If necessary, wash any invertebrates off the net with
a small amount of distilled water.
7. Take the samples back to the laboratory. Add enough 70% ethanol to cover the sample in
your container. You will be examining and identifying these animals in a future laboratory
session.
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Scobie Heath

Contour map of the Callaghan Campus with the location of Scobie Heath indicated.

Site contour map of Scobie Heath on the Callaghan Campus.

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