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Nitrogen and Phosphorus Slide 2 Nitrogen WHAT is it? Element # 7 in the Periodic Table A colorless gas that makes up 78% of our atmosphere, where it exists as N 2 N NN Slide 3 An ingredient in Ammonia (NH 3 ) Nitrogen combines with Hydrogen to make Ammonia An ingredient in Nitrite (NO 2 ) and Nitrate (NO 3 ) Nitrogen combines with Oxygen to make Nitrates H H H N O O O N Slide 4 Atmospheric nitrogen is converted to ammonia or nitrates as part of the Nitrogen Cycle. Ammonia (NH 3 ) Nitrogen combines with Hydrogen to make Ammonia Nitrates (NO 3 ) Nitrogen combines with Oxygen to make Nitrates NN N fixation Nitrification N fixation Slide 5 N 2 from the air is converted in 3 ways Atmospheric fixation The enormous energy of lightning breaks nitrogen molecules apart and allows nitrogen atoms to combine with oxygen forming N 2 O. NN Slide 6 Industrial Fixation Under high pressure and temperature and using a catalyst, atmospheric nitrogen (N 2 ) and hydrogen are combined to form ammonia (NH 3 ), for use as fertilizer. Slide 7 Biological Fixation (the source of most nitrogen fixation) Highly specialized bacteria live in the roots of legume plants (like peas and beans) or in the soil and have the ability to combine atmospheric nitrogen with hydrogen to make ammonia (NH 3 ). Slide 8 Nitrogen in Water: Where does it come from? Decomposition Soil erosion Runoff of: Sewage and animal waste Fertilizers Manufacturing waste Slide 9 Phosphorus WHAT is it? Element # 15 in the Periodic Table A colorless, waxy solid when pure, and highly flammable, it is usually present with oxygen as phosphate ( PO 4 ) and commonly found combined with minerals in rocks P O O O O P Slide 10 Phosphorus in Water: Where does it come from? Weathering of rocks Soil erosion Runoff of: Sewage and animal waste Fertilizers Manufacturing waste Slide 11 Why should we care about N and P in our water? Nitrogen and especially phosphorus feed aquatic plants Too many nutrients can lead to excessive plant growth (eutrophication) in streams and lakes. Eutrophication can be natural or human-caused. Slide 12 Eutrophication can cause Increase of plants floating or in shallow water (potentially affecting recreational activities and water supplies) Increased cloudiness of water Decrease in dissolved oxygen Toxic secretions from some microorganisms Loss of sensitive species such as trout Decreased quality of drinking water (due to changes in color, taste and odor) Increased cost of water treatment Slide 13 Science is all about solving mysteries. Often its like putting together pieces of a puzzle to see the whole picture The data from Morrell Creek can help you solve mysteries related to the health of Morrell and other surface water in our watershed Slide 14 The puzzle of nutrients in Morrell Cr. How high are they? Are they higher in some places than in others? Where are they coming from? Other questions? Slide 15 Question/Hypothesis? Dependent Variable(s)? Independent Variable(s)? How to look for patterns? A Natural Experiment Slide 16 Slide 17 Slide 18 Slide 19 3 4 Slide 20 4 3 Trail Blind Cyn Mountain Slide 21 . = well site and associated septic Slide 22 Slide 23 =((B3*C3)+(D3*E3)+(F3*G3)+(H3*I3))/(C3+E3+G3+I3) ((Morrell N*Flow) + (Trail N*Flow) + (Mountain N*Flow) + (Blind Canyon N*Flow)) ___________________________________________________________________ (Morrell Flow + Mountain Flow + Blind Canyon Flow) Slide 24 Are any of these variables correlated? Flow Turbidity TSS (total suspended solids) Total P Total N NO2+NO3 What kind of graph would you use to find out? Slide 25 Slide 26 Slide 27