Project:

Marine Worms and Pollution

Students:

Celina Cassar, Rebecca Kelly, Jennilee Barayuga

School:

St Dominic's High School, Nassau

Mentors:

Melissa Cipriano

Abstract:

This experiment will be conducted to discover the relationship between specific types of marine worms that serve as indicators of water pollution in aquatic ecosystems around Long Island. The group will be collecting samples in beaches around Long Island. The goal is to find marine worms that are indicator species, which are species whose existence in an area points to the existence of something else in the same area, generally form of pollution. The group will be looking for polychaetes, which are a class of marine worms that have been proven to be indicators of pollution, specifically eutrophication, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons. The existence of water impurities will be confirmed through the use of water impurity testers, which can be purchased online or in home improvement stores. Polychaetes include bloodworms, lugworms, and ragworms. If any polychaete is found in an area, then there will be pollution in the nearby water. The data from this experiment can help people avoid pollu

Poster:

Team samples: