2015 Research Experience for Undergraduates in Ocean, Marine, and Polar Science

Title: A Corresponding Study of Water Quality Evaluation in the Pasquotank Watershed in Northeastern North Carolina

Keywords: water quality, Pasquotank, watershed, dissolved oxygen, pH, salt, conductivity, clarity, turbidity

Abstract

The Pasquotank River Watershed covers over 450 square miles and is located in the Coastal Plain of northeastern North Carolina. It flows from the Great Dismal Swamp at the Virginia/North Carolina border into the Albemarle Sound. The watershed is part of the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System, the second largest system in the United States after the Chesapeake Bay Estuary and provides a transition between spawning grounds and the waters of the Albemarle Sound. Forested swamp wetlands border much of the waterways. Increased agricultural and urban development has greatly affected water quality during recent years.

The 2015 Research Experience for Undergraduates Pasquotank River Watershed Team completed various tests along the tributaries and the river itself, adding to the previously gathered data from 2011, 2013, and 2014. The test points were derived during the 2011 Summer Watershed Team research project with four points added during the 2014 summer project. Results were compared with previous readings for analysis. Streams tested were the Newbegun Creek, Knobbs Creek, Areneuse Creek, Mill Dam Creek, and Sawyers Creek. These streams, along with the river, cover a large area of the watershed and provide a wide variety of shore development from swampland and farmland to industrial development.

In-house tests on this year's samples continued to include pH, salinity, total dissolved solids, and conductivity. Air/water temperature, dissolved oxygen, wind speed/direction, and turbidity/clarity measurements were taken in the field. The results from these readings were placed into an online database where they are correlated to the location of the sample using Google Maps®.

Analysis tools were developed in order to compare the data from all years for any variations or similarities. Excel spreadsheets were developed to look more closely at individual points and tests for each point. Past projects have used a general analysis of the entire stream to determine water quality. Steps were also made to research the development of an online graphing tool for analyzing the data at individual points over several years. Test results collected were added to a database developed during the 2014-2015 academic year at Elizabeth City State University. This database was connected to a data visualization page utilizing Google Maps®.

The results show that there were variations for the individual water quality scores, but the overall water quality score for all the tested water sources remained at a comparable level from previous years. Mill Dam Creek rose above the previous three scores of 48 (2011), 47 (2013), and 49 (2014) and achieved a medium water quality score of 57. Areneuse Creek improved in water quality with a medium water quality score of 60. Sawyers Creek became the lowest scoring waterway tested at 35. Knobbs Creek decreased from previous years with a water quality score of 42. For a fourth consecutive testing year, Newbegun Creek fell within the medium water quality range with a score of 65. Pasquotank River rose from the previous testing year's score of 35 but still remained within the bad water quality range with a score of 45. The Lower Pasquotank remained the highest scoring tributary for a second consecutive year with a score of 85.

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Poject Website

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Educational Parnership Program

Title: The Impacts of Seasonal Flooding on the Mississippi Delta and Future Adaptation Management Planning

Team Members: Ricky Dixon

Mentor: Dr. Nancy Beller-Simms (Climate Program Office)

Abstract:

Flooding has been a major part of the Mississippi Delta’s history.  One of the worst floods occurred in 1927 when the levee in Greenville, Mississippi, the heart of the Delta and my birthplace, broke and flooded the town much like what happened in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina.  Typically from December to July the Delta has many floods. My main goals for this project were to to better understand the weather and climate in the Mississippi Delta and its impacts on flooding, as well as to give insights on adaptation measures for future flooding.  In order to reach these goals there are some I  first had to learn more about climate and get a better understanding of flooding.  In order to do this I analyzed reports of past projects on flooding that were sponsored by the Sectoral Applications Research Program.  Once I analyzed the reports I then broke them down and put them in a database that now serves as an archive for the SARP team.  Next I will began interviewing decision-making professionals and stakeholders from the Mississippi Delta as well as NOAA staff and researchers in the area for information on flooding and how the public has dealt with it in the past.  This included speaking to hydrologists and climatologist as well as the United States Army Corps of Engineers.  I also interviewed my grandfather, Roosevelt Parker, as a means of getting the story from the view of a resident who had lived through the floods that have occurred in the Mississippi Delta.  This information has been used to write an article that I will be attempting to have published to the CPO website in the future.

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Paper

Powerpoint

Title: Applications of Integration Using Mathematica

Team Members: Ricky Dixon

Mentor: Dr. Latonya Garner (MVSU)

Abstract:

The purpose of this research was to find out if Mathematica is a viable resource when answering problems about the applications of integration. I began my research by first searching the many applications of integration.  I then searched throughout my textbook for problem that could be used in this research. I also found one problem dealing with the application specifically. I decided to pick a problem that used integration to find the depreciation of a machine.  Once the problems were gathered I answered each of them by hand and used the answers as my control group.  Next I researched the many commands for Mathematica.  I then inserted each problem into Mathematica to see if I would get the correct result. In the end I found that Wolfram Mathematica can be used to shorten the time it takes to answer application problems but it should never be a primary source because students could come to use it as a crutch.

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Powerpoint

2013 Research Experience for Undergraduates in Ocean, Marine, and Polar Science

Title: Using Common Core State Standards of Seventh Grade Mathematics in the Application of NXT LEGO® robotics for CReSIS Middle School Students

Team Members: Ricky Dixon (MVSU), Jessica Hathaway (ECSU), Malcolm McConner (ECSU)

Mentor: Dr. Darnell Johnson (ECSU)

Abstract

In 2010 Common Core Standards included critical content for all students in American education for forty-five states. Previously, every state had its own set of academic standards and students in each state were learning at different levels. In the new global economy, all students must be prepared to compete on a global basis. Students are expected to develop a deeper mastery of content and demonstrate what they know through writing and other projects. The North Carolina Department of Instruction's current curriculum and instruction are more student-centered with greater focus on skills, abilities, and a shift towards more performance assessments. This research was designed to focus on mathematical processes of the Common Core Standard in mathematics lesson plans for seventh grade students. A group of seventh grade students from two middle schools of Elizabeth City Public Schools in northeastern North Carolina were selected for this research at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) for the Center of Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS). Pretest and posttest data were collected through student assessments and teaching observations to evaluate student growth in content knowledge, understanding and application. The Research Experience Teachers (RET) Team used mathematics strategies to teach various scientific, mathematical, and design concepts, through designing, by programming NXT LEGO® Robotics for the seventh grade level. The students received hands on experience for robotics construction and programming with application of mathematics, motion, and problem solving in a collaborative group setting.

Key Terms— Common Core Mathematics Standards, NXT LEGO® Robotics, CReSIS

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PowerPoint

2013 Watershed Watch

Title: How Campus Development Affects Forest Growth

Team Members: Ricky Dixon (MVSU), Jessica Hathaway (ECSU)

Mentor: Annette Schloss (UNH)

Abstract
Canopy cover is the percent of a fixed area covered by layers of branches and foliage at the top of a forest's trees. It is an indicator to how healthy the trees are in an area. We hypothesize that using canopy cover would be effective to compare forested areas on campus in undeveloped areas (such as the Outdoor Classroom) and areas surrounded by roads and parking lots. We also wanted to test different methods of measuring canopy cover. Trees are important in developed and urban areas as sources of shade, and other factors. Based on earlier research we knew that trees needed room to grow and could be deprived of oxygen and water due to competition from other trees. Also we understand that the tree's roots need a source above the ground to collect water.

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(Poster)