On Tuesday we collected the data from our classes' trash collection. Most of the trash collected in a day by the entire class was significantly lower than I thought it was going to be. My trash collecting experience left me wondering about how much trash the entire school would bring together in a week. The flaws that may have occurred when collecting the data would be that some people might have changed their ways for the day or for some reason they collected more trash than they would on a regular day due to some different reason. Another factor that could have resulted in skewed data is some trash items weigh more than others. For example thin plastic bags weigh less than heavy cardboard but cardboard is less detrimental to the environment because it is a paper product. Plastic can not be broken down as quickly as cardboard can which is a factor we need to consider when buying products in the store or how much of it we use. After collecting our data and putting in a graph, we started the notes for our new unit on oceans. Prior to this unit my knowledge on oceans was very limited and being educated on oceans would overall help my view on what I can do to help near the ocean where I live.
On Wednesday we did more notes on the oceans unit. Today we went over salinity in the oceans and some factors that go into it but we did not go into much detail. One thing I learned that I did not know before is the amount of solids able to be dissolved in water are much higher when the water is warmer. I also learned that plankton are a key micro-organism in the ocean ecosystem and provide many larger animals with a food source. After taking notes we worked on the pre-lab questions for the upcoming lab. These questions pertained to the oceans and most were basic questions about the definition of words that seemed to have nothing to do with oceans. One question I struggled on was the question about micro and macro nutrients and was curious to see what they had to do with the hydrosphere.
On Thursday we continued with the notes for the unit. One new thing that was introduced to me that I did not know before was that the oceans are highly affected by convection almost like what occurs in the mantle. We also briefly went over the Coriolis Effect which is rumored to change the way in which the toilet water flushes depending on where you live. Now this is probably not true but natural water does take on this effect. After that we worked on our ocean water lab. In this lab we tested the difference of the boiling and freezing point of fresh and slat water. The freezing point of salt water is much lower because it is denser which did surprise me. We also tested the salinity levels of different water mixtures both salt and fresh.
On Friday we started the class with notes. We reviewed the Coriolis effect by watching a video that both explained and proved that the theory exists. In the video two men on both sides of the world performed the same type of experiment. The experiment was that a pool was drained on both sides of the world. Food coloring was put in the pool to show direction and both sides went different ways proving the effect to be true and the reasons that toilets swirl different ways is because they are man made. After watching the video and taking notes we worked on the lab. Today we tested salinity of the different samples and compared density. We put the data in graphs to better show our data.
This week I think everyone can improve on the amount of trash they produce. I can do this by being more resourceful and recycling the items that actually can be recycled. One important thing I learned this week is that if our trash production doesn't decrease the landfills will continue to get bigger which is not good for the environment.
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