Turbidity

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Turbidity

• By,
• Ghazel, Scientist
• Sullivan Middle School
• Fairfield Suisun USD
• Spring 2005

Photo taken by Gio, March 15, 2005
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• Why do we want to protect our environment?
• Is the Suisun Marsh healthy? Why or Why not?
• How can turbidity indicate the health of Suisun
  Marsh?

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Turbidity

• Turbidity is the amount of material in water and
  the measure of how cloudy it is.
• For instance when rivers are slow flowing they
  become a clear green color resulting in low
  turbidity.
• But when it is a rainstorm particles get into
  the river. The water becomes a brown color so the
  turbidity is pretty high.

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Turbidity

• Turbidity is caused by clay,silt,divided organic
  ad inorganic matter,plankton, and microscopic
  organisms.
• Nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) is when the
  turbidity is measured when light shines through
  water.
• Today our environment is protected. Turbidity
  meters are being installed into rivers and many
  places so we can observe how much turbidity there
  is in water.

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Turbidity And Water

• We measure turbidity to get an estimate of the
  total suspended solids in the water.
• The Nephelometric turbidity units is measured
  with a Nephelometer, also called a turbidimeter.
• Turbidity adds a real cost to the treatment of
  the surface of the water.

http//waterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/turbid
ity.html
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Turbidity And Water

• Turbidity is the amount of material in water and
  the measure of how cloudy it is.
• We measure turbidity to get an estimate of the
  total suspended solids in the water.

www.cat.cc.md.us/.../ labmanua/lab2/turb.html
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RESULTS

• The Turbidity from the dock on March 15, 2005 was
  about the same as the turbidity from Jan.
  29,2005. And the same thing happened at the pond,
  the turbidity was about the same. But for the
  bridge the amount of turbidity decreased a huge
  amount. On Jan. 29 there was more water at the
  bridge then on March 15. So since there was less
  water there was less turbidity.

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How can turbidity indicate the health of Suisun
Marsh?

• The health of the Suisun Marsh is really
  important to the environment. As I said turbidity
  can tell you hoe cloudy the water is. If we do
  not know the turbidity then we dont know if the
  water is healthy for the fish and environment.
  And if there is bad stuff in the water the fish
  cant really breathe right. So it is very
  important to know the turbidity of the water.

Credit to Gio Montoya
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References

• Water on the web , May 11 2004,
  httpwaterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/turbidit
  y.htm
• Water Science For Schools, May 2003,
  http//ga.water.usgs.gou/edu/characteristics.htm
  
• Turbidity Meter And Turbidity Sensor Measurement
  Testing. 2004. http//www.globalwater.com/products
  /turbidity.htm

www.lenntech.com/ turbidity.htm