Head Count Essay

Based on what I read, "Head Count" by Elizabeth Kolbert, the Haber-Bosch Process is a very positive thing in human civilization. It keeps the population growing everyday. The process provides humans with resources to keep this growth rate going. I find it even more fascinating that it is a artificial nitrogen fertilizer. Also that Haber proved all that opposed to creating ammonia in a laboratory with just nitrogen gas and hydrogen wrong. The Haber process helped around the world even during the first World War; Germans were able to use this process as an advantage. "Thanks to The Haber-Bosch process, the Germans were able to keep the bobs dropping even after their supplies of saltpeter had run low." There is another question within the article regarding the effects if we stop using the process. I don't understand why would there be a reason to stop. We receive resources off of this process which is a good thing according to the population growth. Although, I agree if the population increases too much we will result in having a less supply of resources. But women can control their child development easily with the sources they are supplied with as well. Which does relate total fertility rate, if women use the sources they are supplied with we will not continue to have this problem. We should find a balance of life and death within the population growth. In that case the Haber-Bosch process is very resourceful and should be used as an in advantage in human civilization. If used correctly and with a balance in population and it can lead to an increase in our food source.

Furnace Brook Lab Report

 

 

Furnace Brook Lab Report

Introduction: First you test the PH of the water at Furnace Brook Creek. Find what’s a healthy enough PH for the micro-invertebrates. The dissolved nitrogen and oxygen compound were to be intended on. Sampling the water would tell us the population of each species available in the water under these conditions.

Research Question:  Which location would have a healthier environment, low flow  water and silt or very rocky and high flow water?

Hypothesis: In fast moving waters there isn’t enough time for any species alive to absorb or catch the nutrients or daily necessities also the fact there is rocks or rough patches makes it even harder to catch them. Versus slow moving waters and non-rocky.

Variable Identification:  

Controlled variable	Method of controlled variable
Location 1	Location 2
clear	swampy
not so deep	deep
rocky	silt
fast flow rate	slow flow rate

Experimental Setup: This lab was conducted at the creek, Furnace Brook, located behind Corcoran High School and continues through Elmwood Park. Materials that were used were a kick-net, plastic paint tray, meter stick, tape measure, stop watch, golf ball, dissolved oxygen tablets, pH tablets, two vials varying in size, a water thermometer, and a calculator.   

Procedure:

1. Get into groups of 3 or 4

2. Find an appropriate site to sample in the river

3. Using a LaMotte kit filled with the following

Ph tablets

DO tablets

Secchi disc

Thermometer

Chart with turbidity, ph and do readings

2 vials

Find a location and keep track of the coordinates

A huge net

Water boots

4. Fill up cup with water to check turbidity. Then using same water check temperature using thermometer wait to read until the strip turns green.

5. Put water is the small glass bottle and drop 1 do tablet into bottle. Invert bottle 10 times or until the pill is completely dissolved. Record color of water.

6. Gather water in long bottle, drop a pH tablet in then follow same instructions given in #5.

Data:

	Total biomass in sample (g)
	Stream A	Stream B
stone fly	5	3
midge larvae	8	20
caddisfly	13	19
scuds	16	28

Results:

The light green color represents the second data collection. And the dark green color represents the first of data collection.

Discussion:  TURBIDITY OF 0.

D.O. OF 6PPM

Ph OF 7

Temperature of 8 Degrees

Evaluation: Some things that could have affected the experiment would have been location; how high or low flow ate down the stream and time of day that the data was taken. Or even the season, or even the speed of the water. What the environment around the water is already, and the acidity in the water already is. Also what human disturbances affected the water before testing. Or if we didn’t kick around the organisms in the water. Maybe the data we collected during the experiment would differ.

References – Macroinvertebrates - Environment." Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.