Communicating Science about Gold King Mine Spill and Water Quality in the Animas River
Essential Questions
How have geological, biological and human factors created and exacerbated acid mine drainage and water quality issues in the Animas River?
b. What ecological and human health threats might be associated with the Gold King Mine spill: initially, currently and in the future?
c. What actions can be taken to improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed?
d. What is the role of science in making policy decisions?
b. What ecological and human health threats might be associated with the Gold King Mine spill: initially, currently and in the future?
c. What actions can be taken to improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed?
d. What is the role of science in making policy decisions?
Project Reflection
Brenden Wedertz
Chemistry Project Reflection
2. How has your understanding of scientific knowledge and/or the process of doing science changed throughout the semester as you’ve examined and manipulated data collected by professional scientists and performed analogous experiments to collect and analyze your own data?
My understand of scientific knowledge has changed throughout this semester because I know have a much greater understanding of how theories and laws come to be. It all begins with understanding the significance of your data collected while being able to explain that idea to others who then can take that knowledge to next levels. This communication is what leads our understandings to laws and theories. I have learned that is so important to correctly record your data because that information can lead others to the correct or incorrect ideas. For example I wasn’t really recording my data in one of our labs and later when we were writing the lab I had use other color spectrums which yielded me incorrect conclusions in emission spectra lines, and made the experiment less precise.Throughout this semester have learned about how exact everything needs to be for your experiment to be as precise as it can be. I thought that I had an understanding of how repetitive the testing process is, but until the first lab I didn’t truly know how repeated the testing is until I dropped chemicals into well after well examining the reactions. Lastly, I learned this extensive, repeated process is time consuming but it is necessary to be exact with your conclusions, and it allows you to walk away with the best understanding.
3. What is the role of science in making policy decisions?
Science plays a very important role in making these decisions. Often science shows us the logical side of the argument or problem, for example numbers and statistics. For example the river data came from scientists and this allowed us to understand that there is not only metals in the river, but also dissolved metals, that all can affect our health. This data allowed us to pursue a superfund site in Silverton after we learned there was a huge problem with the river and its pollutants. Data can be the deciding factor for these issues, because it makes the situation about what is really happening instead of just how people feel or what they think. Overall, data shows the truth of the situation.
4. What actions can be taken to improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed?
The current operation at Gold King Mine is the most effective and realistic. Lime-water treatment is the most effective for this because it works to remove the most of the total and dissolved metals making the water as safe as it needs to be. To improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed we should be testing the water to find where it is highest in metals, then find the source of the pollutants by locating the mines and then the acid mine drainage that is occurring. We need to stop the pollutants at the source, the decaying mines.
Chemistry Project Reflection
- To what degree do scientists have an obligation to communicate scientific concepts and data to the public in an understandable manner?
2. How has your understanding of scientific knowledge and/or the process of doing science changed throughout the semester as you’ve examined and manipulated data collected by professional scientists and performed analogous experiments to collect and analyze your own data?
My understand of scientific knowledge has changed throughout this semester because I know have a much greater understanding of how theories and laws come to be. It all begins with understanding the significance of your data collected while being able to explain that idea to others who then can take that knowledge to next levels. This communication is what leads our understandings to laws and theories. I have learned that is so important to correctly record your data because that information can lead others to the correct or incorrect ideas. For example I wasn’t really recording my data in one of our labs and later when we were writing the lab I had use other color spectrums which yielded me incorrect conclusions in emission spectra lines, and made the experiment less precise.Throughout this semester have learned about how exact everything needs to be for your experiment to be as precise as it can be. I thought that I had an understanding of how repetitive the testing process is, but until the first lab I didn’t truly know how repeated the testing is until I dropped chemicals into well after well examining the reactions. Lastly, I learned this extensive, repeated process is time consuming but it is necessary to be exact with your conclusions, and it allows you to walk away with the best understanding.
3. What is the role of science in making policy decisions?
Science plays a very important role in making these decisions. Often science shows us the logical side of the argument or problem, for example numbers and statistics. For example the river data came from scientists and this allowed us to understand that there is not only metals in the river, but also dissolved metals, that all can affect our health. This data allowed us to pursue a superfund site in Silverton after we learned there was a huge problem with the river and its pollutants. Data can be the deciding factor for these issues, because it makes the situation about what is really happening instead of just how people feel or what they think. Overall, data shows the truth of the situation.
4. What actions can be taken to improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed?
The current operation at Gold King Mine is the most effective and realistic. Lime-water treatment is the most effective for this because it works to remove the most of the total and dissolved metals making the water as safe as it needs to be. To improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed we should be testing the water to find where it is highest in metals, then find the source of the pollutants by locating the mines and then the acid mine drainage that is occurring. We need to stop the pollutants at the source, the decaying mines.
Finished Product
Optimizing Chemical Reactions by Measuring Precipitate Formation Lab Report
Optimizing Chemical Reactions by Measuring Precipitate Formation
Brenden Wedertz
Pre-Lab Questions
Part 3 Data Analysis:
Brenden Wedertz
Pre-Lab Questions
- To maximize the product all of the reactants should be used in the reaction.
- The concentration measures the amount of substance in a solution. For example the amount of salt in salt water.
- Moles=Volume*Molarity
- They must have the same number of moles dissolved.
- 2 substance react to form solids, it’s the particles that aren’t suspended in the air.
- The ‘(s)’ on the products side of the chemical equation represents if the substance is a solid, if it wasn’t a solid before that means it is the precipitate.
- Is this first experiment the precipitate was CaCo₃.
- Our group identified well number 4 to form the most precipitate.
- Well number 5 was the well to have the most formed precipitate in the end.
- The amount of precipitate shows us that there was too much of that substance to be suspended in air after the reaction. This allows us to recognize there is too much of one substance going into this reaction to have so much substance left over.
- CaCl₂- 0.10M
- Na₂CO₃- 0.10M
- In well 4 there were 4 drops of water, 4 drops of CaCl₂, and 6 drops of NaCO₃.
- In the molarity equation number of drops best represents volume. You don’t change the amount of concentration you add to the overall amount of liquid.
- According to my answers, I believe that the number of moles are equivalent in concentration and volume, however when they are equal they give the best reaction.
- In well five the the ratio is 1:1.
- In the chemical equation must be balanced to have the specific 1:1 ratio and get the most precipitate.
- In this reaction the precipitate is Ag2Co₃.
- Our group identified well 4 as maximum precipitate.
- Well number 5 was the identified most by other classes.
- The amount of precipitate tell us that in the reaction a substance formed to create a solid. It shows us that the the most precipitate is formed when all of the reactants are used in the chemical reaction.
- AgNo₃- 0.10M
- Na₂CO₃- 0.10M
- Well number 6 had 6 drops of AgNO₃ and 3 drops of Na₂CO₃.
- In the molarity equation number of drops best represents volume. You don’t change the amount of concentration you add to the overall amount of liquid.
- The number of moles corresponds to the number of drops.
- The ratio in well number 6 is 2:1. For every 6 drops of AgNO₃ there are 3 drops of Na₂CO₃.
- In this chemical equation it is saying the reaction optimizes the amount of precipitate when the ratio of 2:1 drops. 2 AgNO₃to 1 Na₂CO₃.
Part 3 Data Analysis:
- Our group identified well number 4 as the maximum precipitate.
- Well number 3 was expected to yield the most precipitate.
- The amount of precipitate shows how much substance is left over at the bottom of the tube. It allows us to see if more or less of either substance affects the precipitate and that can lead us to maximizing reactions.
- 0.20 M CaCl₂
- 0.10M NaCO₃
- 3 drops of CaCl₂ and 6 of NaCO₃.
- The number of drops best represents volume in the molarity equation.
- Based on my understanding the number of moles must correlate with the number of drops.
- The ratio in well 3 is drops of CaCl₂ to 6 drops of NaCO₃.
- The final ratio of the chemical equation shows 3 drops of CaCl₂ to 6 drops of NaCO₃ the equation represents this being the maximum precipitate ratio