Monitoring the health of the mangrove ecosystem
Clean and healthy water is necessary for all things that are living, the Mangrove wetland system filters the water that travels through the park, when it is covered by the tide.
Water (Hydrosphere)
Water pH
Your result
7pH
Average range
6-7pH
Is feature within range
Yes
Method
Put Universal indicator into the water and shake slightly. The water will then turn a certain colour and you would have to match it against the colour matching chart.
Water Temp.
7°c
~16 - 20°c
No
Place a thermometer into the water for one minute, then take it out and check the reading.
Turbidity
15 NTU
~<40
Yes
Place the creek water into the turbidity tube and look down the centre. Keep adding water until you cannot see the black squiggly line at the bottom. If you can't pour some out and see what it measures up to on the side of the tube.
Salinity
30.7ppk
15-35ppk
Yes
Place the salinity metre into the water and wait a short while, take it out and then look at the screen and it should say the reading.
Air (Atmosphere)
Humidity
Your result
73%
Average range
~60 - 90%
Is feature within range
Yes
Method
Using a hygrometer, measure both wet (right) and dry (left) bulbs. Once you have both scores, subtract the wet-bulb temperature from the dry-bulb temperature.Then by using the chart on the hygrometer you can find the humidity.
Air Temp.
22°c
~12 - 26°c
Yes
By using the hygrometer measurements.
Wind Speed
1m/s
~0.0 - 2.0m/s
Yes
Hold the wind metre above your head and wait 30 seconds, the reading is displayed on the screen.
Soil (Lithosphere)
Soil pH
Your result
6pH
Average range
~5.5 - 8pH
Is feature within range
Yes
Method
Place a small amount of contrast medium (powder) onto a small piece of soil, then place universal indicator onto the powder and soil. Wait a short time and compare it to the colour chart.
Soil Type
Amount of clay?
High
Yes
First you pick up some of the soil provided, you then take out any sticks or bark. Next you roll it into a sausage and try to make it into a doughnut. If it makes a doughnut and it doesn't break the soil is high in clay, if it breaks it is low in clay.
Soil Size
Fine/ √
Medium/
Coarse/
Medium/
Coarse/
Fine
Yes
Pick up a small sample of the soil and rub it through your fingers, if you can feel the individual grains the soil is coarse, if you slightly can it is medium and if not at all or barely, it's fine.
This is a salinity metre and a turbidity tube.
Bicentennial Park's Mangrove Ecosystem
Overall, the mangrove ecosystem is extremely healthy and in perfect condition. All of the results were perfectly in the average range making Bicentennial Park a perfect place for all different organisms to not only survive, but thrive.
This was the experiment to test the soil pH.