Does the difference between the Salinity in the

estuary and the lake vary significantly?

Hypothesis and Methodology

Hypothesis: I predicted that the estuary would have greater salinity than the lake. This was because
the estuary was directly connected to the sea, which contains saltwater, whereas the lake was a
result of the flooding of the area in 1953.

Methodology: For this experiment, I measured salinity of the waterbodies by collecting five samples
of water from different locations around the same respective waterbodies, and then determined
the salinity of the water using the arbitrary units of the refractometer. I then compared the values
that I obtained from the estuary to the ones from the lake to derive a conclusion.
 The difference in the mean Brix percentages of the lake and the estuary
Series1
Lake Estuary
4

3.5

2.5
Brix Percentage

1.5

0.5

0
1 2

Waterbodies

The Brix percentage = percent of mass of solution (water) made up of solute (for example- sugar or salt)

By conducting a T-test, a statistical analysis used to compare averages of two groups, A P value was found, allowing for the determination of
whether there was a significant difference between the salinities of the different water bodies. Any P value less than 0.05 indicates a significant
difference between the two quantative values of the samples that were observed. The P value found was 0.045, hence proving that there was a
statistical significant difference between the salinity of the lake and the salinity of the estuary. The difference in the salinities of the two water
bodies resulted in a significant difference between the biodiversities of the lake and the estuary.
Limitation
Limitation
• Only two waterbodies to sample from
• More waterbodies = strengthened conclusion