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Water Quality Data from the Russian River

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Water Quality Data from the Russian River

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We will meet you at the Russian River to do water quality testing.

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We will do this together on our virtual field trip.

Continue reading below.

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Biologists investigate water quality by testing different variables to measure if the water is healthy for salmon.

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1. Do you think the Russian River is healthy for salmon?

2. What evidence can you think of to support your answer?

Write your answers on page 19 in your journal.

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Gather the data: As one of our educators at the river gathers water quality data.

Analyze the data: Based on the evidence of the data we collected and what salmon need to be healthy, Do you think water at the Russian River is healthy for salmon?

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Water freezes at 32 °F
Water boils at 212 °F

Tool used: Thermometer
Units of Measurement: Degrees Fahrenheit (°F)

I wonder how creeks and rivers keep cool? Write your answer on page 19

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Tool used: pH strip
Units of Measurement: pH scale ranges from 0 to 14

Salmon like a pH
of 6, 7, and 8

Acid-sensitive organisms cannot tolerate high levels of acidity or changes in acidity levels.  Acidification can release toxic metals from soils into the water.

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Salmon prefer low turbidity.

I wonder how high turbidity might affect salmon?  Write your answers on page 19.

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Threatened
Chinook salmon are the largest member of the salmon family.  The juveniles spend 2 to 4 months in freshwater before migrating to the ocean.

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Endangered
Coho salmon are listed as endangered in the Russian River, meaning that their populations are at a greater risks of extinction.

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Threatened
Unlike other Russian River salmon species, steelhead can return to the river and spawn more than once during their lifetime.

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After watching the Salmon Life Cycle Video, complete the Salmon Life Cycle matching game on page 26 in your Journal.

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Creeks and rivers get oxygen from the atmosphere and from aquatic plants. Running water, such as that of a swift moving stream, dissolves more oxygen than the still water of a pond or lake.

Scientists measure Dissolved Oxygen in ppm (parts-per-million.)

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1. What is the ideal temperature range salmon live in? What would be too hot or too cold?

2. What pH range can salmon live in? Can you name some acidic fluids that you like to drink?

3. What level of turbidity can salmon live in?

Write your answers on page 19 in your journal.

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Dissolved oxygen: the amount of oxygen dissolved in water (measured in parts per million - ppm)

Ecosystem: the interaction of all the living and non-living parts of an environment

Endangered: a species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction.

pH: a measure of how acidic or alkaline water is (a scale 1 to 14)

ppm: parts-per-million (we measure Dissolved Oxygen in ppm)

Runoff: water that drains over the surface of the land

Sediment: small, solid particles carried by water

Storm drain: a system of gutters, pipes, and ditches used to carry storm water into creeks and rivers

Threatened: a plant or animal species generally perceived as likely, in the near future, to become endangered.

Turbidity: a measurement of the clarity of water

Watershed: an area of land that collects all of the rain and snow that falls within its boundaries and then drains it into a body of water such as a creek, river, lake or ocean; also called a catch basin