Project:

The Effect of Pollution on Aquatic Biodiversity in Robert Moses State Park

Students:

LUKE SULLI, EMILY DEVITO, KATIE SCHWAN

School:

SEAFORD HIGH SCHOOL, Nassau

Mentors:

Janine Cupo

Abstract:

It is known that the burning of fossil fuels releases mass amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, leading to wide spread air pollution that may have effects on ocean biodiversity. Much of it becomes "fixed" and stored in marine plants such as seagrass, but the "loose" carbon from carbon dioxide will dissolve into the seawater, which creates carbonic acid. This carbonic acid will likely alter the pH, changing the chemistry and the quality of that water. The result is known as ocean acidification. Although carbon dioxide may have a negative effect on the organisms, nitrogen gas may be a positive factor. Vehicles drive on the beach emitting nitrogen gas. This nitrogen gas is then absorbed into the ocean. Microbes gradually fixate nitrogen into ammonia which is necessary for many organisms. Our purpose is to determine whether nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas have an effect on aquatic biodiversity in Robert Moses State Park. We hypothesize that the presence of four-wheel vehicles

Poster:

Team samples: