Mentor/s
Kirk Bartholomew
Participation Type
Poster
Abstract
Investigations into the effects of land use and cover (LULC) on ecosystem function are important in areas stressed by human activity. The conjoined Feohanagh, Milltown, and Owenmore River basins of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland are similar in size but vary but vary significantly in LULC. Our current work focuses on understanding the effects of differences in LULC on the river water quality. Anecdotally reported differences in microclimate between river basins could be a confounding variable in our investigations. In this experiment weather parameters (temperature, precipitation) were correlated with water quality measurements (dissolved oxygen (DO), and conductivity) in the three basins to investigate how basin microclimates related to changes in water quality. Weather data from the basins was collected using Onset RX3000 remote monitoring systems in conjunction with HACH conductivity and DO data loggers to record water quality parameters. We created python coding scripts to condense and organize data points recorded at five-minute intervals from March 2022 to January 2023. Due to malfunctions in the RX300 from the Owenmore basin considerable data was lost at that site. Preliminary analysis suggests significant temporal and spatial differences between the watersheds in both weather parameters and river outflow water quality measurements.
College and Major available
Biology
Location
Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons
Start Day/Time
4-28-2023 12:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-28-2023 2:00 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Prize Categories
Best Visuals, Most Creative, Best Writing
Is It Raining Over the Hill? Microclimate on the Dingle Peninsula
Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons
Investigations into the effects of land use and cover (LULC) on ecosystem function are important in areas stressed by human activity. The conjoined Feohanagh, Milltown, and Owenmore River basins of the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland are similar in size but vary but vary significantly in LULC. Our current work focuses on understanding the effects of differences in LULC on the river water quality. Anecdotally reported differences in microclimate between river basins could be a confounding variable in our investigations. In this experiment weather parameters (temperature, precipitation) were correlated with water quality measurements (dissolved oxygen (DO), and conductivity) in the three basins to investigate how basin microclimates related to changes in water quality. Weather data from the basins was collected using Onset RX3000 remote monitoring systems in conjunction with HACH conductivity and DO data loggers to record water quality parameters. We created python coding scripts to condense and organize data points recorded at five-minute intervals from March 2022 to January 2023. Due to malfunctions in the RX300 from the Owenmore basin considerable data was lost at that site. Preliminary analysis suggests significant temporal and spatial differences between the watersheds in both weather parameters and river outflow water quality measurements.
Students' Information
Charlotte Ribaudo: Biology major, Honors student, year of graduation 2024
Ilona Farkas: Marine Biology major, year of graduation 2023