The long awaited day…the 100 Plastic Rivers project! We weren’t expecting to take on a big load this early on in the summer research institute, however with the help of all involved it was made possible. Perhaps the coolest thing about conducting the 100 Plastic Rivers project was that it wasn’t our own…we were conducting a global collaborative project! Established in the UK, lead investigator of the project hopes to receive various samples of sediment and water worldwide to assess the risk microplastic poses to the environment and public health. Materials for the project were gathered and sterilized the day before going out to Crow Creek, our designated location of data collection. We left St. Ambrose around noon to embark on our adventure. Upon arriving we quickly got to work. First on the agenda was to collect the ethnic sediment sampling, requiring the compilation of sediment from three locations around the river and placing it into one jar. We made sure to avoid scooping up large stones and twigs.
Next up, river water body sampling. What did this entail you might be asking? Well, it involved filtering 100 L through a 64 μm mesh sieve...also known as filtering ALOT of river water! The sample collected constituted of the rinsed mesh sieve using distilled water. Throughout the course of filtering 100 L, it was necessary to rinse the mesh sieve as it became obstructed by tiny particles.
After what felt like forever, we moved on to the next step of the project. From sediment sampling to river water sampling to checking the depths of the river! We measured the depth of the river at equal intervals over the length of the creek. It was quite the challenging task recording the different depths taking into account the constant flow of water and reading the tiny numbers on the meter stick. Although we couldn't control the current of the river, we managed to go over the edge to obtain accurate depth measurements...literally. One brave individual volunteered to bend over the bridge to get a closer look at the readings and was very successful!
Last but not least, the final step of the project was to measure the flow of the river. The flow of river is often calculated using a flow meter, but where's the fun in letting a device do all the work? Taking into account that our group had no possession of a flow meter to begin with, we decided to calculate it instead. To calculate the flow of the river, we needed to measure the time an object traveled 'X' length. The 'X' length was labeled the width of the bridge. We settled on large sticks for our object and used a stopwatch to record time. When the object was released at one end of the bridge, the timer would begin and as soon as the object appeared on the opposite end, the timer would stop. This procedure was done multiple times across the length of the bridge to determine the point of highest flow rate. Interestingly enough, when we reached one end of the bridge, our sticks began to flow the opposite direction. In these instances, we concluded a negative flow rate and gave it a numerical value of zero.
Well that concludes the biggest adventure of week one! Despite the nasty gnats and the beaming sun, we all felt accomplished at the end of the day. Not many people get the chance to say they were contributors of a global project, guess we’re the lucky few. On to the next adventure!
Last but not least, the final step of the project was to measure the flow of the river. The flow of river is often calculated using a flow meter, but where's the fun in letting a device do all the work? Taking into account that our group had no possession of a flow meter to begin with, we decided to calculate it instead. To calculate the flow of the river, we needed to measure the time an object traveled 'X' length. The 'X' length was labeled the width of the bridge. We settled on large sticks for our object and used a stopwatch to record time. When the object was released at one end of the bridge, the timer would begin and as soon as the object appeared on the opposite end, the timer would stop. This procedure was done multiple times across the length of the bridge to determine the point of highest flow rate. Interestingly enough, when we reached one end of the bridge, our sticks began to flow the opposite direction. In these instances, we concluded a negative flow rate and gave it a numerical value of zero.
Well that concludes the biggest adventure of week one! Despite the nasty gnats and the beaming sun, we all felt accomplished at the end of the day. Not many people get the chance to say they were contributors of a global project, guess we’re the lucky few. On to the next adventure!
