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A JASON Expedition is a global community of educators and learners – a network with many facets and hundreds of thousands of participants. In addition to districts, schools, and teachers, there are students, parents, home educators, local JASON network sites, education advocates, sponsors, partners, and numerous foundation supporters.

The JASON Foundation for Education, founded in 1989 by Dr. Robert D. Ballard, is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization headquartered in Needham Heights, Massachusetts.

Its mission is to inspire in students a life-long passion for learning in science, math, and technology through hands-on, real-world scientific discovery.

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Lets get it started...

Like the mississippi river wetlands in the central U.S., Monterreys

wetlands are crucial for regulating water supply and quality.

Monterreys unique location in the middle of the sierra madre oriental

mountain chain makes it particularly dependent on 2 related types of

wetlands:

* Mountain stream system and damns *

Our team chose to explore two local wetland sites:

PRESA DE LA BOCA and the COLA DE CABALLO

In an attempt to further understand the relationships between water content, water

flow, water temperature, the soil quality and the food chain in the local wetland sites. Through this research we hope to

show the importance of our local wetlands and the dangers they face and sugest ways

of preventing the dissapearing.

BACKGROUND:Water is arguably the most important substance to sustain life on earth. Although our planet has no shortage of water (enough, according to some estimates, to maintain the current supplies for the next 7,000 years*). However 99% of the Earth’s freshwater is frozen and not aviable for easy use.*

http://www.mtnforum.org/resources/library/bandj95a.htm

Because of this, people across the world depend on the freshwater wetlands to provide water for drinking, cleaning, farming, and many other purposes. Mountain water systems are vital collecting rain or snow (both forms of freshwater) and bringing the water in measured, consistent amounts to the valley. Through the mountain streams and falls the water supply is spread out in a way to prevent flooding and ensure cleaning of the water and sediment transport.

Our project examines these effects in a local mountain waterfall Cola de Caballo. Another important component of these local waterlands is the collection of the mountain streams of the base of the mountains into a large body of water rainfired man-made damns.

This water can be there by regulated and used for irrignation throughout year. Our team also traveled to a local dams, Presa de la Boca, to compare water and organisms from the damn and those from the waterfall.

We approached our project with the following questions.

*What is a wetland?

*What water characteristics can we study that will tell us how biotic factors are affected in the area?

*How do food chains differ in different wetlands?

*How are our wetlands dissapearing?

*What can we do to protect them?

DENSITY AND SALINITY

INVERTEBRATES

LAND SEDIMENTS

pH

WATER TEMPERATURE

WATER SPEED

DISSOLVED OXYGEN

Presa de la Boca

& Cola de

Caballo

Densit

y

Density is a measure of mass per unit of volume. The higher an object's density, the higher its mass per volume. The average density of an object equals its total mass divided by its total volume. A denser object (such as iron) will have less volume than an equal mass of some less dense substance (such as water).

Is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water.

Salinity

The starting pont is usually a glacier or small spring in the mountains. The

water rushes downhill from there, joining it with other streams and

gaging out rapids, waterfalls, and gorges untill it reaches the transition

zone.

During floods, water covers the flood plain despositing sediment and

forming swamps. Any remaining sediments is dumped at the mouth,

or delta, where the river reaches the ocean.

With this process water carries all pollutants, lift ups, plastics, fertilizers

among others and produces contamination in the rivers they shared with their course. It also

changes the shape of the land cutting it into rock and breaking up the soil.

CYCLE OF WATER

C

Y

C

L

E

OF

W

A

T

E

R

Hypersalinity

It happens when a sea has a lot of salt, then it

is called this way

The Dead sea is 10

times saltier than any other

sea its percentage of salt is of

33%

Dead Sea

If water is moving faster with less pollution (like at Cola de Caballo) then its density is less than the density at a place where water does not move (like at Presa de la Boca).

Hypothesi

Hypothesiss

Cola de

Caballo Presa de

la Boca

presaCola de caballo

Results

POINT

POINTPOINT 11SALINITY

1.011.01

POINT POINT 22 1.031.03

POINT

POINT POINT 11SALINITY

>1

POINTPOINT 2 >1>1

Conclusion

• Our hypothesis that density would be higher at Presa de la Boca was supported by our results. In addition we noticed that the difference in biotic factors (invertebrate life, ect.) living at the Presa de la Boca compared to the ones that lived at Cola de Caballo are reduced because of the salinity. Plants and animals need to have greater adaptations to live in denser and saltier waters, making Cola de Caballo a better place to live at. Especially if you are a plant or a bug!

According to these results, we can infer that in the case of Louisiana´s wetlands, animals can be suffering from this same problem. Salinity will determine which animals live or not, important because we know that without an animal the whole food chain may change. When the food chain is affected the structure of the entire ecosystem is affected leading it in some cases, to dissapear…

Density & Salinity

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Why is our experiment important?

Our experiment is important because its necessary to know the different kinds of invertebrates that live in each kind of ecosystem. It is also interesting to investigate each of the invertebrate’s characteristics, because even though it may be the same animal, they can have different adaptations because of the ecosystem.

Hypothesis: We think that there will be more We think that there will be more animals in the Cola de Caballo animals in the Cola de Caballo than in the Presa de la Boca, than in the Presa de la Boca, because the Cola de Caballo has because the Cola de Caballo has constant movement in water and constant movement in water and the water from the Presa de la the water from the Presa de la Boca is stuck.Boca is stuck.

Experiment:We are going to search for invertebrates We are going to search for invertebrates in the Cola de Caballo and in the Presa in the Cola de Caballo and in the Presa de la Boca at 5 different spots, to see de la Boca at 5 different spots, to see

what kind of animals live in each area. what kind of animals live in each area.

Observations:we collected 5 different types of

invertebrates, each invertebrate that we collected was different because we found them in different types of water.

From all of the invertebrates that we collected there were more at the

water’s surface than under the plants, and we could find more in the Cola de Caballo than in the Presa de la Boca because the water from the presa de

la boca is more polluted and more dirty.

Conclusions:Our hypothesis was supported because the Our hypothesis was supported because the Cola de Caballo has a constant flow in the Cola de Caballo has a constant flow in the water, there are more animals, and there is water, there are more animals, and there is more diversity of invertebrates.more diversity of invertebrates.

We also concluded that the common animals We also concluded that the common animals that live in our local water ecosystems are: that live in our local water ecosystems are: worms, spiders, beetles & tadpoles.worms, spiders, beetles & tadpoles.

Some of the animals that live in these waters Some of the animals that live in these waters are similar to the ones on Louisiana’s are similar to the ones on Louisiana’s wetlands.wetlands.

SPOTS COLA DE CABALLO

PRESA DE LA BOCA

1 Whiling beetle Snails

2 Fishing spiders Dead shrimp

3 Tubliflex worm Black Worm & pupa

4 Tadpoles Snails

5 Mosquito larvae & Tadpoles

TYPES OF INVERTEBRATES FOUND

DIFFICULTIES:when we went to the Presa de la when we went to the Presa de la

Boca, it was so polluted that we all Boca, it was so polluted that we all got a rare red rash.got a rare red rash.

We all had different syntoms like We all had different syntoms like fever, headaches, throat infection, fever, headaches, throat infection, and our arms and feet were red, and our arms and feet were red, full of rash, and it was painful.full of rash, and it was painful.

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This test is important because it measures the marsh health by measuring the thickness and the amount of roots of a plant. If both are in good condition that means that water near the plant is not polluted at all.

If we take plant samples at Cola de Caballo and Presa de la Boca then we will find that the plant samples from the Cola de Caballo are healthier (have more and bigger roots) because they are growing in cleaner wetlands.

Our hypothesis was supported by our research. Since the water in Cola de Caballo is moving all the time, every kind of substance that may pollute it is washed away quickly. Since the water in Presa de la Boca is stuck, pollutants stay there for long time. The polluted water is not able to provide the soil with nutrients. That is why the plants in Cola de Caballo are much healthier and bigger.

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To check pH is very important because it not only affects organisms, but can also be very important factor of pollution. Fresh water is usually around 6.5 to 8.2 pH level. Pure water has a neutral pH level (7).

The farther the water is from 7, is more polluted. Organisms can’t live on water of low or high pH level.

Why is pH important?

What is pH?This is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. pH means "Potential of Hydrogen“.

What is the pH paper?It’s a paper that tells you the pH level when its dipped into a substance, because of it’s special chemicals. It is also known as litmus paper.

The pH of normal rain is about 5.6. It is a little acid because the Earth's atmosphere naturally has carbon dioxide and it dissolves in the rain drops forming carbonic acid.

What is the pH of normal rain?

6

0

1

3

2

4

5

7

11

10

9

8

12

13

14

Neutral

A

C

I

D

I

T

Y

A

L

C

A

L

I

N

I

T

Y

Lemon juice

Soda

Soap

Saliva

Kool-aid

Sweat & Urine

Stomach acid

Household bleach

Pure H2O

Battery acid

Lye

Let’s

answer

the

questions!!!

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The temperature of air is controlled sometimes by the amount of pollution because of the greenhouse effect (when pollution is absorbed by the atmosphere and amplifies the sun’s heat). In a city like Monterrey there is a lot of pollution so the temperatures are high.

When there is a high temperature in air, the temperature of water increases. Pollutants affect the temperature of air and in consequence the temperature of water. Temperature is very important for animals’ body processes. Some specific temperatures are needed by animals to live. Pollution makes temperature high so the specific temperature needed by animals changes. So animals die.

This test indicates the amount of pollution in Monterrey. High temperatures in Monterrey will relate to the high amount of pollution of our city. Understanding the temperatures of our wetlands is also important because organisims depend on a certain air and water temperatures to survive.

My hypothesis is that the water temperature from Cola de Caballo will be lower than the one of Presa de la Boca because Cola de Caballo is further away from Monterrey so pollutants don’t increase temperature of air (affecting water temperature). Also Cola de Caballo has greater movement and it is at a higher altitude so pollutants do not increase the temperature of water as much and fewer aquatic animals are affected. Also Presa de la Boca is stagnant so pollutants stay there and temperature is higher. Also Presa de la Boca is near Monterrey, so it is more polluted. So basically Cola de Caballo will be fresher.

Materials:

Water from Cola de Caballo and from Presa la boca.

6 bottles

5 thermometers.

Procedure:

1. Take 5 bottles and fill them with water from each place.

2. Take the temperature of the water in each bottle.

3. Record the temperature.

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N/DN/DN/DN/DN/DN/DN/DN/DN/DN/DN/DN/DPrecip.

16°C19°C23°C27°C29°C29°C29°C27°C24°C21°C17°C14°C

Media

10°C13°C18°C22°C23°C23°C23°C21°C18°C14°C11°C9°C

Mínimas

21°C24°C28°C32°C35°C34°C34°C32°C30°C27°C22°C19°C

Máximas

Test 1 2 3 4 5

Cola de Caballo

18°C

18°C 18°C 17°C 16°C

Presa la boca

22°C

23°C 24°C 25°C 25°C

Places Temperature

Presa de la boca

26°C

Cola de Caballo

27°C

Temperature of air during the different trips.

My conclusion is that Cola de Caballo water is colder than the one of Presa la Boca and so my hypothesis is supported. This is because of the altitude of Cola de Caballo and also because Presa la Boca has more pollution and it is stagnant. Heat from the sun stays there in Presa la Boca. Also Presa la Boca is nearer to Monterrey so the pollutants go there. These explains that Presa la Boca is more polluted than Cola de Caballo and has a different water temperature.

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The importance of knowing the water speed is that if the water runs faster it means that the water is cleaner so you can determine if the water is more contaminated and if it can be used in domestic places.

To measure the water speed we went to different parts of the Cola de Caballo and the Presa de la Boca and we put a little ball in one part of the water and let it travel to another part measuring how

many distance it ran in a certain amount of time. Then we divided the distance (meters) by the time (seconds) and we

got the speed. We compared the speeds from each location to know in which

areas water was moving faster.

If the water of the Cola de caballo runs faster than the one of the presa de la boca then it means that the water of the Cola de caballo is cleaner than the one in the presa

de la boca because contaminants are being washed away or destroyed and bacteria is not being allowed to grow.

Our hypothesis was supported,

Because the water of the Cola de Caballo

runs faster than the one in the Presa de la boca.

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Dissolved Oxygen

What is dissolved oxygen?Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is

microscopic molecules of oxygen (O2) that is moved from water to the blood of the organisms like any other diffusion system. This

means that if there is not the certain, necessary amount of DO in the water(H2O) the organisms

can die and that prevents the water from being useful to any

living thing.

Dissolved OxygenIntroduction

In this test we are looking at how much oxygen is dissolved in water samples from different areas around both of the areas of investigation. This is important to study because the amount of oxygen dissolved in water can affect aquatic life there as mentioned previously.

HYPOTHESISWe think that water from the

Presa de la Boca will contain less dissolved

oxygen than water from the Cola de Caballo because the route of water from Cola de Caballo (including

lots of rapids and falls) to Presa de la Boca releases lots of the

dissolved oxygen as the water crashes. That is why the ecosystem (plants and animals) at Cola de

Caballo needs less oxygen.

DISSOLVED OXYGENIn this experiment we are adding 2 grams of

Oxyplus to each sample of water, to discover if the water has the correct amount of oxygen or if it needs

oxygen. We add two grams to a 100ml of water because is the enough oxygen that the 100ml of

water needs. After we add the 2 grams of Oxyplus we wait until we can see the oxygen is left. We took the extra oxygen out from the water and we try to make an estimation of how many oxygen was not

absorbed by water. Basically, the greater amount of Oxyplus powder left as a residue in the water

indicates a higher amount of dissolved oxygen. If a small amount of the powder is left, then there was a small amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. In

this way we can compare different dissolved oxygen levels in different areas of water.

Procedure1. First we took 5 different samples of water.2. Then we added 2 grams of oxygen to the water.3. After 15 seconds we checked how much oxygen is left in the glass.

Results Cola de Caballo

1/5 of 2 grams spoon 02#5

½ of 2 grams spoon 02#4

½ of 2 grams spoon 02#3

3/5 of 2 grams spoon 02

#2

¾ of 2 grams spoon 02 #1

Dissolved OxygenPlace

Results Presa de la Boca

½ grams spoon 02#5

¼ 2 grams spoon 02#4

1/5 2 grams spoon 02#3

¾ of 2 grams spoon 02#2

¾ of 2 grams spoon 02#1

Dissolved OxygenPlace

Conclusion Our hypothesis was supported because after doing the experiment we found that when water is at a higher altitude water has more oxygen than at a lower altitude.

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