Water Microbiology

Fluoridated Water

admin — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:04:29 +0000

Fluoride thwart and may possibly overturn tooth decay. Over sixty percent of the American population with regards to public water supply system has right to use the water fluoridated at roughly one part fluoride per million portions of water, which is the maximum level for avoiding tooth decay. In an entirely different situation, numerous research studies in both animals and humans have revealed that there is no connection between fluoridated water and the threat of acquiring cancer disease. (more…)

Scientists Hunt for Acid Rain and Methane in Wetlands

admin — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:10:06 +0000

The article discussed about research study sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration popularly known as the NASA that aims to discover the effects of acid rain with the methane gas that generates from moist lands in the United States, Sweden and England. (more…)

Ocean Quahog under the Microscope

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:32:54 +0000

Here is an article about ocean quahog seen under a microscope. It is found to be extensive that the geographic range of the ocean quahog. This occurs along the east coast of North America north of Cape Hatteras to St. George Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, off the southern coast of Iceland, off the Faroe and Shetland Islands, and along the European coast northward from the Bay of Cadiz, Spain, around the British Isles, in the North Sea, and off the Norwegian coast to the White Sea in Russia Off the Middle Atlantic coast it is common at depths of 35 to 75 m. (more…)

Arctic Sea

admin — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 00:58:42 +0000

The article tackles one of the unique features of the polar ocean which is sea ice. The thickness and extension of these structures vary with the changes in season, generally taking form during winter months and melts in the summer. It’s is estimated that about half of the winter sea ice melts during the warmer months in the Arctic, the density of which can measure up to a thickness of 2 to 4 meters.

Also within the discussion is the composition of sea ice; during the formation of ice, a salty solution called brine fills the gap between ice crystals. Brine channels form a network of tubes usually with diameters of small micrometers up to several centimeters; within these networks specialized sympagic community or ice–associated ecosystem has highly adapted within this conditions. Sutherland was also mentioned being the first to describe life in Arctic sea ice as “minute vegetable forms of exquisite beauty.” For multitudes of years after which, a great number of scientific studies have been made on The Antarctic and The Arctic with regards to the structural role of sea ice.

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Understanding turbidity

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:18:17 +0000

The article contains figures and brief explanations about the property of water simply known as turbidity. Turbidity is simply the property or water referring to the amount of suspended organic or inorganic matters within it. It is a simple measure of effects of these suspended materials with the amount of light rays that passes through the water. Measurements of higher intensity of scattered light simply indicate high turbidity. Most of these materials can include clay, silt, planktons and other microorganisms, organic and inorganic matters, etc.

In simple terms, turbidity makes the water appear cloudy or affecting its opacity. These can sometimes be caused by naturally occurring factors such as flashfloods due to heavy rains and effects of such. Nevertheless, man made factors can also contribute to the turbidity of naturally existing rivers and lakes. An example would be mining and constructions near or on waters; disruption of the water floor would likely result in the mixture of foreign materials with water.

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Water Quality Terms

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:53:01 +0000

The article describes the different properties and qualities of water; terms that are usually used to describe the qualities of the latter. Here are a few of the discussed items:

pH or the hydrogen ion concentration of water is a convenient method of expressing the basicity or the acidity or a solution. The pH scale usually runs from ranges 0 to 14 with the pH value of 7.0 indicating a neutral solution. Solutions with pH levels above 7.0, indicates basicity; naturally, ranges below 7.0 indicates acidity. Natural water usually has pH levels between 6.5 up to 8.5. These values are derived from common logarithms thus a difference of one pH unit indicates a tenfold or 10¹ difference in acidity; a difference of to units would indicate a hundredfold or 10² difference in acidity. The term was derived from the French, “pouvoir hydrogène” which literally means “hydrogen power”.

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The Emergent and Submergent Plants Communities

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:31:51 +0000

The mangals and salt marshes belong to the marine plant community called emergent plant communities. The growth of these plants under this community takes place above the surface of the sea. They also inhabit muddy area. The mangals usually develop and grow under the warm climate. Furthermore, due to the fact that their leafy portions are above the water, little animals crop directly on mangrove plants. As a result, their leaves that fall into the water bounding their roots serve as essential source of energy for the detritus based food chains of these communities.
The mangals in cooler climates are substituted by different salt marsh plants that have heavy contribution also to the production of detritus in their protected surrounding. There are feature extensive stands comprising various species of emergent grasses, specifically some species of Spartina. Spartina in its higher elevation give way to the like of Salicornia, Suaeda, an array of rushes and reeds and the brush and smaller trees of the local area. These verdant pastures are exceptionally productive and shelter a matchless group of organisms and this include the commercially significant shellfish and finfish. Despite of this, most of the time, they are positioned in the near large urban center. They become well known sites for waste dumping, recreation, dredging and filling and other hazardous uses. The dreadful conditions of salt marshes is rather a grave and worldwide problem that becomes rigorous as the population of human expand and put more pressure on these delicate habitats. (more…)

The Role of light in Marine Primary Production

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:28:37 +0000

The needs for light enforce a basic limit on the distribution of all marine organisms that undergo photosynthesis. In order for them to go on living, these organisms must stay in the upper region of the ocean where the sun energy is abundant for photosynthesis will reach them. The deepness of the photic zone is resolve by the aptitude of sunlight to infiltrate the seawater. As a result, this influenced by the variety of conditions such as the atmospheric absorption of light, the angle that between the sea surface and the sun and last, the transparency of water. (more…)

Using the Satellite in Examining Marine Production

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:27:50 +0000

For so many years, the dioxide or radioactive carbon based measurements of primary productivity or of standing crop were taking place from ships at space sampling stations. The changes in the environment as the ship steamed from one station to the next could not be evaluated, nor were the facts between the stations that were examined. Therefore, it is only right to assume that the information gathered at the sample stations could be mediocre compared to areas between stations and between sampling period. The intricacy and richness of small to moderate spatial variations in the abundance of phytoplankton were missed, since the day to day variations occurring at any sampling station. (more…)

The Radioactive Carbon Measurements Method

admin — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:36:03 +0000

The procedure in radioactive carbon is the same with that in dioxide production technique. However, the radioactive carbon procedure is more sensitive when productivity is very low. In this technique, paired light and dark bottles are also used. (more…)