1. Water Quality Factors
2014 SCIENCE CLASS

2. pH – Water (7) Water temperature affects the pH
Amount of light can affect the pH
Algae and plants affect the pH
Types of rocks can affect the pH
pH level affect the biosphere and what can live in that water.

3. Macro-invertebrates Use them to test water quality
3 Groups: Each group can live in different water conditions
Polluted water, Somewhat polluted water, Clean water
Play role in food web

4. Water Clarity Clear water usually means limited nutrients
Measured by light penetration and transparency (turbidity or cloudiness)
Soil, mud, sand, plankton, algae are common items that cause water clarity to decrease
Heavy rainfall speeds up soil erosion
Animals can stir up sediments on the bottom
Wind helps add sediments to the water
High temperatures = more aquatic plants. When plants die, they decompose and decrease water clarity.

5. Water Clarity continued
Aquatic plants need sunlight. If the water is cloudy they do not get the sunlight. That in turn does not allow more dissolved oxygen to be in the water which living organisms need to survive.
High turbidity is bad for drinking water supplies
Clear water = people want to gather there (ex: vacations) Which leads to more pollution

6. Water Temperature Warmer water hold less dissolved oxygen
Shallow water is warmer
The amount of Trees that give shade affect the water temperature
Thermal pollution = hot water is being released into rivers

7. Dissolved Oxygen
Too many plants in the water causes higher dissolved oxygen rates
Changes in water temperature changes the amount of dissolved oxygen
Warm water has less dissolved oxygen
Oxygen levels are high at day and low at night
Changes in Dissolved Oxygen can put aquatic life at risk

8. Weather Conditions
Affects temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation and cloudiness which affect water quality
Rain affects the pH level
Acid rain

9. Current Speed
Fast flowing waters are cool which gives it more dissolved oxygen
More water = faster moving
Flows faster through narrow openings
Current speed changes during seasons
Fast flow = more sediments moving
Stream bed affects how fast the water can go