Is Your Stream Clean? Using Data-Mining to assess the health of a stream

Zack ThomasDoctoral Student

Texas Tech University-Junction

http://www.ttu.edu/traditions/doublet.phpViewed 2/22/10

http://www.copusproject.org/participants/participants.php?organization_id=480Viewed 2/22/10

Water Quality “Check-up”

• How do you know if a stream is healthy?• To do this, I utilized data-mining on the internet to

assess the “health” of Schooner Creek in Lincoln City Oregon with the past year.

• So, how do you determine stream “health” you ask? By searching for…

Benthic macroinvertebrates!

All photos from www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/benthosclean.html Viewed 2/19/10

www.graphicshunt.com viewed 2/19/10

Before we talk about data mining for macroinvertebrates, let’s1) Define macroinvertebrate2) Discuss why macroinvertebrates are important3) Discuss what macroinvertebrates can tell us about a

stream’s “health”

www.clker.comViewed 2/20/10

Benthic Macroinvertebrates?

• BENTHIC: Living or near the bottom of an aquatic environment.

• MACRO: Large enough to see without any aid.• INVERTEBRATE: Lacking a backbone or

vertebrate.So, a macroinvertebrate is a large spineless aquatic organism that likes to hang-out near the bottom.

Great! So why are they important?http://edu-connect.com/science.cfm?subpage=1055550 Viewed 2/19/10

Indicator Species!

• Benthic macroinvertebrates or “benthos” are great “indicators” of stream “health” or better know as water-quality.

• To do this, scientists (or students) sample a stream habitat and examine the quantity and diversity of macroinvertebrates they find.

All photos came from Audubon Naturalist Society www.audobon natrualist.org Viewed 2/19/10

What makes macroinvertebrates good indicators?

• Aquatic macroinvertebrates:spend the majority of their life-cycle in waterlive in habitat suited for their survivaleasy to collect differ in the amount and type of pollutant they

can tolerateeasy to identifyhave limited mobility

Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/invertebrate.html

What do macroinvertebrates tell us?

• Macroinvertebrates are also important with regards to assessing biological diversity.Biodiversity has both economic and aestheticvalue, and is an important indicator of the overall health of the environment.

(http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/index.html)

However,• There are several threats to biological

diversity!http://reslife.tamu.edu/diversity/ Viewed 2/19/10

Threats to Biological Diversity

Exotic Species

Pollution

Habitat LossPhotos from top to bottom:http://swittersb.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/snakehead-fish-invasive-freakazoid-ban-the-sale-of-live-snakeheads-in-us/, http: //wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/tag/epa/,

http://msrivertn.blogspot.com/2009/01/loosahatchie-bar.html Viewed on2/19/10. Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/index.html

So, why is pollution highlighted?

• Macroinvertebrates differ in the amount and type of pollutant they can tolerate.If we find benthos that can only live in clean water, then we know that stream “health” is good or excellent.If we find benthos that can live in polluted water, then we know that the stream “health” is fair or poor.

Examples of Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Stoneflies

• Immature life-cycle of the aquatic insect, “nymph”

Stoneflies are sensitive to pollution, and are found in clean water. Thus, if we find stoneflies that typically mean that the stream is in good “health.”

Adult

www.audubonnaturalist.org Viewed 2/19/10

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/stoneflies.htmlw Viewed 2/19/10

Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/stoneflies.html

Examples of Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Riffle Beetles

• Immature life-cycle of the aquatic insect, “nymph”

Riffle beetles are sensitive to pollution, and are found in oxygen-rich fast moving water. Thus, if we find riffle beetles that typically means that the stream is in good “health.”

Adult

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/rifflebeetles.html Viewed 2/19/10

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/rifflebeetles.html Viewed 2/19/10

Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/rifflebeetles.html

Examples of Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Dragonflies

• Immature life-cycle of the aquatic insect, “nymph”

Dragonflies are moderately tolerant to pollution and found in slower moving water, typically indicative of lower oxygen levels. Thus, if we find dragonflies that typically means that the stream is in fair “health.”

Adult

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/dragonflies.html Viewed 2/19/10

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/dragonflies.html Viewed 2/19/10

Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/dragonflies.html

Examples of Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Blackflies

• Immature life-cycle of the aquatic insect, “nymph”

Blackflies are moderately tolerant to pollution and found in fast moving water, and are typically indicative of high nutrient levels. Thus, if we find blackflies that typically means that the stream is in fair “health.”

Adult

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/blackflies.html Viewed 2/19/10

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/blackflies.html Viewed 2/19/10

Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/blackflies.html

Examples of Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Leeches

Leeches are pollution tolerant. Thus, if we find leeches it is indicative that a stream is in poor “health.”

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/leeches.html Viewed 2/19/10

Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/leeches.html

Examples of Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Midge Flies (a.k.a. blood worms)

• Immature life-cycle of the aquatic insect, “nymph”

Midge flies are pollution tolerant. Thus, if we find midge flies it is indicative that a stream is in poor “health.”

Adult

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/midgeflies.html Viewed 2/19/10

http://www.southforkoutfitters.com/HatchChart.htmlViewed 2/19/10

Information referenced from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/midgeflies.html

So, how do we collect macroinvertebrates?

Waders Water Dipnet

But in our case, we will skip the outdoor experience and use data mining to collect macroinvertebrates and answer our question.

http://www.riverbum.com/Simms-G3-Guide-Stockingfoot-Waders/ 2/20/10

http://www.auburn.edu/projects/sustainability/newsletter/020909.html 2/20/10

http://www.envcoglobal.com/catalog/product/invertebrate-nets/collapsible-dip-nets.html 2/20/10

What is Data Mining?

• The concept of data mining was first introduced by Bernie Dodge and Tom March by way of WebQuest (1995) (Smith, 2010).

• The idea is for students to use the internet to collect, analyze, and apply raw data found on the internet to answer a given question (Smith, 2010).

• Through hands-on, inquiry-based learning, data mining affords students the opportunity to practice various skills sets to answer questions that have real-world application (Smith, 2010)

Question

• Ok, now that you know what macroinvertebrates are, why they are important, and what they can tell us about the “health” of our streams, I ask you this question (and myself):

Is Schooner Creek in Lincoln City, Oregon a healthy stream?

http://edu-connect.com/science.cfm?subpage=1055550Viewed 2/20/10

Photo of Schooner Creek, Lincoln City, Oregon. http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1092865661012208939mvy Viewded 2/21/10

The GLOBE Program

• The GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program launched on Earth Day, 1995. It is a global hands-on, inquiry-based education program aimed towards primary and secondary science learning (www.globe.gov).

http://www.ciser.ttu.edu/outreach/globe.aspx Viewed 2/20/10http://www.globe.gov Viewed 2/20/10

GLOBE Program Mission

• The GLOBE Program mission is to:“To promote the teaching and learning of science, enhance environmental literacy and stewardship, and promote scientific discovery.” (www.globe.gov).

http://www.sthilda.ca/environmental.html Viewed 2/20/10

GLOBE Program Goals

• The GLOBE Program goals are to: “Improve student achievement across the curriculum

with the focus on student research in environmental and Earth system science.”

“Enhance awareness and support activities of individuals throughout the world to benefit the environment.”

“Contribute to scientific understanding of Earth as a system.”

“Connect and inspire the next generation of global scientists.”(www.globe.gov)

http://www.bisconsulting.ca/seminars/goal_setting.php Viewed 2/20/10

GLOBE Program Vision

• The GLOBE Program vision is:“A worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve Earth’s environment at local, regional, and global scales” (www.globe.gov).

• As a result, this vision promotes and supports all participants to collaborate on hands-on, inquiry-based studies on the environment (www.globe.gov).

http://thegreennews.net/issues/0806.htm Viewed 2/20/10

Value to students

• GLOBE allows students to: Take scientific measurements in various disciplines

(atmosphere, hydrology, soils, and land cover/phenology (depends on their local curriculum).

Report data through the internet (this is where data-mining to answer our question comes into play!!!).

Publish research projects. Can create maps and graphs using the GLOBE website to

analyze data. Collaborate with other students and scientists from around the

globe (social-networking component too!!)

http://kwork-aok.ning.com/ Viewed 2/20/10

Who’s involved and how does it work?

• The GLOBE Program currently has 111 participating countries, including 140 U.S. partners.

• Partners integrate GLOBE activities into their local and regional schools.

• As a result, more than 50,000 teachers in over 20,000 schools have been certified to teach GLOBE curriculum.

• Consequently, GLOBE students (with the help of their certified teachers of course), have submitted over 20 million measurements to the GLOBE database for use in a variety of science projects.(www.globe.gov)

Accessing macroinvertebrate data from GLOBE

• So, going back to my question, I accessed raw data from the investigations table under the hydrology section, checking the freshwater macroinvertebrates box. It looks like this:

www.globe.gov

Accessing macroinvertebrate data from GLOBE

• Next, I clicked on “get the data now!” and then and the following screen appeared:

www.globe.gove Viewed 2/21/10

Accessing macroinvertebrate data from GLOBE

• Next, I selected Taft elementary, Lincoln, City OR, (Taft had a decent amount of benthos data collected compared to others) and then worked my magic (simply put, I cleaned up the data) and placed:

into

Microsoft ExcelGLOBE benthos data

Statistics calculated from raw GLOBE data• As you can see, based on the graph The most obvious graphic is the number of caddisflies. Followed by the water striders.

• Next in line are the mollusks, aquatic worms, crustaceans, and water the water penny beetles • Lastly, the damselflies, dragonflies, mayflies, midges, stoneflies, and true water bugs round out our data.

http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/caddisflies.htmlViewed 2/22/10

Data was collected during winter months

Comparison of macroinvertebrates collected from Schooner Creek

Sensitive species• Mayflies (n=1)• Mollusks (n=7)• Water penny beetles (n=2)• Stoneflies (n=1)• True water bugs (n=1)• Water striders (n=9)

Moderately tolerant species• Damselflies/Dragonflies

(n=1)• Crustaceans (n=2)• Caddisflies (n=46)Pollution Tolerant Species• Aquatic worms (n=3)• Midges (n=1)

n= number of macroinvertebrates sampled from creek population

Conclusions

• So if we look at the data a bit closer, with regards to species *diversity (richness) we see: 6 macroinvertebrate species were collected that

are considered sensitive to pollution.3 macroinvertebrate species were collected that

are considered moderately tolerant to pollution. 2 macroinvertebrate species were collected that

are considered tolerant to pollution.

*Diversity refers t the variety of species collected

https://rundle10.wikispaces.com/BiodiversityViewed 2/22/10

Conclusions

• So if we look at the data a bit closer, with regards to species *abundance we see: 21 macroinvertebrate species were collected that

are considered sensitive to pollution.49 macroinvertebrate species were collected that

are considered moderately tolerant to pollution. 4 macroinvertebrate species were collected that

are considered tolerant to pollution.

*Abundance refers to the number or amount of a certain species collected http://www.global-

greenhouse-warming.com/biodiversity.htmlViewed 2/22/10

Conclusions

• So, from the data we can conclude that:• We have the most diversity amongst the sensitive species. • The least diversity amongst the tolerant species. • While the moderately tolerant species are sandwiched

between the two.• We have the most abundance amongst the moderately

tolerant species• The least abundance amongst the tolerant species• While the sensitive species are sandwiched between the

two

Conclusions

• So, now the question is:Which is more important, species diversity or species abundance?

• The answer is…BOTH!

https://rundle10.wikispaces.com/BiodiversityViewed 2/22/10

+ = Healthy ecosystem!

http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/biodiversity.htmlViewed 2/22/10

Conclusions

• So, finally we can answer our question and say that based on the raw data we collected from The GLOBE Program, that Schooner Creek, although not excellent, is in good health

• Based on the species diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrates students from Taft Elementary School collected from Schooner Creek indicates that the creek currently has good water-quality

Conclusions

• Based on the species diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrates students from Taft Elementary School collected from Schooner Creek indicates that the creek currently has good water-quality

Job well done students of Taft Elemetary!You all deserve a round of

http://www.philebrity.com/2009/10/08/happy-100th-day-state-budget-impasse-and-thank-you-for-killing-the-arts-tax-in-its-sleep/Viewed 2/22/10

ReferencesEnvironmental Protection Agency (2010, February 22). Invertebrates as indicators.

Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/html/invertebrate.html

Environmental Protection Agency (2010, February 22). Aquatic biodiversity-the variety of life. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/index.html

Globing Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) (2010, February 22). The GLOBE Program. Retrieved from http://www.globe.gov/fsl/html/aboutglobe.cgi?intro&lang=en

Smith, W. S. (2010). Weeks 5-6 of technology in science education [PowerPoint slides]. W. Smith, personal communication, February 16, 2010.