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Governor, We Have a Problem... In this project, you will be investigating the contamination of Mercury in Maryland Fish. You will be the acting Chief Officer of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Some researchers have collected samples of fish tissue in three of your lakes and have submitted the data to you for your analysis. The components of this project will be as follows: Task 1. Analyze data regarding 3 lakes in Maryland. Determine the level of contamination and make a recommendation as to whether a fish advisory should or should not be made for each lake. Task 2. Using your weight as an example, determine what amount of fish would be safe for you to consume in a week. Investigate the effects of over-consumption of mercury laden fish. Use this information as an example in your report to the Governor. Task 3. Investigate other fish advisories and watershed information across the country. Include this information for comparison. At the end of this project, you will hand in a 2 page report with the results of your research. You will also hand in supporting information such as data tables, your fish consumption worksheet, printouts of other similarly impaired waterways.
Task 1 Analyze data regarding 3 lakes in Maryland. Determine the level of contamination and make a recommendation as to whether a fish advisory should or should not be made for each lake. The research team has sent you a copy of their data. It is your job to make sense of this data. Your training will come in handy here. You know that 3 lakes were sampled; Lake Lariet, Clopper Lake, and Big Piney Reservoir. The following is known about each lake. Big Piney Reservoir - Youghiogheny Watershed; Northwest corner of the state; Appalachian Plateau Region. Surface Area of the lake is between 100 and 1,000 acres (medium sized). Impoundment - Man-made lake. Made in 1990.
Clopper Lake - Middle Potomic-Catoctin Watershed; Center of the state; Piedmont Region. Surface Area of the lake is between 100 and 1,000 acres (medium sized). Impoundment - Man-made lake. Made in 1975.
Lake Lariat - Patuxent Watershed; Southeastern part of the state; Coastal Plain Region. Surface area is between 86 and 100 acres (somewhat small). Impoundment - Man made lake. Made in 1965. No chemical data is available for this lake. A few samples are taken from each lake (one fish would not tell the whole story). The report contains the data table and a few graphs to illustrate the data. Look at the graph carefully. Do you see any trends in the data? The averages of mercury concentration are included in the table. Are any of the lakes above the allowable concentration? Which ones? You may include bits and pieces of this data in your paragraph to support your decision but please don't copy the table in. Write your second paragraph about what you see happening in the first and second graph. What differences do you see between the lakes in the first graph? Why might that be? Can you think of some reasons for those results? The second paragraph illustrates another trend. What is that graph telling you? Are there differences between the lakes in the second graph? What factors might affect those results?
Task 2 Using your weight as an example, determine what amount of fish would be safe for you to consume in one week. Investigate the effects of over-consumption of mercury laden fish. Use this information as an example in your report to the Governor. The researchers have supplied you with a worksheet to determine your maximum recommended amount of fish consumed. Your Assistant Chief Officer (teacher) will supply you with a hard copy of the worksheet. Once you work through the worksheet, answer the following questions in a paragraph or two. 1. What was the maximum amount of fish you were allowed to consume in one week? 2. Do you actually consume more, less, or the same amount of fish in one week? 3. What populations in your home town would regularly consume much more fish that this allowable amount? 4. What effects do you think that over-consumption will have on these special populations? Determine the effects of over-consumption of mercury. Include two paragraphs in your report that illustrate the health effects of over-consumption of mercury laden fish. Several sources are available to assist you in your investigation. General fish consumption Facts have been supplied to you by the Maryland Department of the Environment. You have also been supplied with a map of current fish advisories in Maryland. In your paragraphs, consider the following: Are the lakes you are investigating listed? Should they be listed? What is the solution the state has for general chemical contamination? Mercury is inside the actual fish tissue (meat). Do you think this method will be helpful in avoiding mercury contamination in people's foods? Is this guideline fine how it is or should it be changed? Write about these health issues in a narrative paragraph. What is the prime concern for the consumption of mercury? What is Minamata Disease and how did it affect the people living in Japan? task 3 Investigate other fish advisories and watershed information across the country. Include this information for comparison. Choose your home state (not Maryland) from the list found on EPA Fish Advisory. Identify the contaminant 'Mercury' in your chosen state and hit search. You will get a report of the watersheds in that selected state that have advisories for mercury. Write a paragraph that compares fish advisories in both Maryland and your home state. Does one state have more Mercury contamination than the other? Can you explain this using the information you have gained in this exercise? Is there a scientific method difference (or flaw) you may be able to use to explain any of the differences? Mercury is a mineral that enters the atmosphere by human actions. Mining operations, paper making, waste incineration, and the burning of fossil fuels create mercury emissions. Once released into the atmosphere, these particles can travel on the wind for a very long time (months or up to a year). The Mercury then settles, possibly on the other side of the world, onto soil and water. When rain runs over the soil, mercury travels into the receiving waterway. When waterways are dammed up, mercury can collect in the lake from the submerged land. Foregin countries also have industry that produces mercury emissions. Their emissions could end up blown to our country. As a conclusion to your report, what would you suggest be the Governor' next steps in regards to fish advisories, business for the state, and international relations. Wrap It Up! You should have approximately 6 paragraphs completed for your report. Check your spelling and grammar. Make sure you addressed every question posed in this webquest. Make your report neat and appealing to the eye. Remember, this is going to the Govenor. It needs to look good! Attach any pertinent information that you have gathered during your research. You should attach:
Staple all of these item together and hand them to your assistant. Your assistant will proofread them and send them on to the proper officials. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||