You
will need to write a 1-page lab report using the scientific method to answer
the following question:
·
If
current human development does not change, will groundwater sustainability be
affected?
envsci_muse.docx
scie211_lab1_worksheet_envsci.doc
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Part 1:
Background Information
Planet Earth’s surface is over 70% water, but less than 1% of the water on Earth is considered
accessible, usable freshwater for sustaining humans’ and other organisms’ lives. Of the accessible
freshwater, approximately 99% is located in aquifers, natural underground water chambers, and
other groundwater sources. Unfortunately, humans are depleting the aquifers faster than they can be
recharged by the hydrological cycle. Therefore, three quarters of groundwater is considered
nonrenewable.
Conditions
The main reason we using groundwater resources mainly for drinking and irrigation. As a result, this
not only decreases an important source of freshwater—it also can cause pollution of that
groundwater by saltwater intrusion. The recharge rate of groundwater is further hindered by land
clearing and deforestation caused by human development. When land is cleared for human
development, more flooding occurs, the transpiration rate (the amount of water that evaporates into
the atmosphere from plants) is reduced, and rainwater is inhibited from
adequately percolating(penetrating the soil) into the ground to allow for aquifers and groundwater to
be recharged.
Figure below shows Saltwater Intrusion:
(Wright & Boorse, 2010)
Impacts
Forty percent of the world’s food is produced via irrigation. As a result, if the current rate of
groundwater usage continues, food production could be drastically reduced worldwide. This
reduction in food supply would be detrimental in sustaining the projected worldwide human
population of over 10 billion within the next 50 years.
Part 2:
Timeline
Use the Hydrologic Cycle Figure below to understand the impact of industrialization and human
development on ground water over 3 centuries.
(Wright & Boorse, 2010)
The table below shows the impacts:
Reference:
Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. (2010). Environmental science: Toward a sustainable future. (11th ed.)
White Plains, NY: Addison Wesley.
Name:
Date:
Instructor’s Name:
Assignment: SCIE211 Phase 1 Lab Report
Title: Human Impacts on the Sustainability of Groundwater
Instructions: You will need to write a 1-page lab report using the scientific method to answer
the following question:
If current human development does not change, will groundwater sustainability be
affected?
When your lab report is complete, post it in Submitted Assignment files.
Part I: Using the time progression of industrialization and human development, fill in the data
table below to help you write up your lab report.
Time
Period
Impact to
Forest
Groundwater
Levels
Saltwater
Intrusion
Farming
Industrial
Population
development
1800s
Large forest
Lots of
groundwater
No saltwater
intrusion
Small farms
No cities
1900s
Decreased
by 50%
Decreased by
50%
Ocean
moved into
groundwater
Farms are
larger but
they are
fewer
Exceptional
Substantial
growth of
increase in
cities and
housing
industrial
development
2000s
Decreased
by 90%
Decreased by
90%
Greater
movement of
ocean into
groundwater
Same
number of
farms, but
size
decreased by
20%
Industrial
development
decreased by
10-15%
Part II: Write a 1-page lab report using the following scientific method sections:
Limited
housing
House
development
decreased by
10-15%
Purpose
o State the purpose of the lab.
Introduction
o This is an investigation of what is currently known about the question being
asked. Use background information from credible references to write a short
summary about concepts in the lab. List and cite references in APA style.
Hypothesis/Predicted Outcome
o A hypothesis is an educated guess. Based on what you have learned and written
about in the Introduction, state what you expect to be the results of the lab
procedures.
Methods
o Summarize the procedures that you used in the lab. The Methods section should
also state clearly how data (numbers) were collected during the lab; this will be
reported in the Results/Outcome section.
Results/Outcome
o Provide here any results or data that were generated while doing the lab
procedure.
Discussion/Analysis
o In this section, state clearly whether you obtained the expected results, and if the
outcome was as expected.
o Note: You can use the lab data to help you discuss the results and what you
learned.
Provide references in APA format. This includes a reference list and in-text citations for
references used in the Introduction section.
Give your paper a title and number, and identify each section as specified above. Although
the hypothesis will be a 1-sentence answer, the other sections will need to be paragraphs to
adequately explain your experiment.
When your lab report is complete, post it in Submitted Assignment files.
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