A Rising Tide Project for Grades 11 and 12

Background

Classroom Activities
   pH
   Ions

Resources and Links

Glossary

Main l Classroom Activity l Objectives l Standards Addressed l Background l Methods/Teacher Guide l Rubric l Resources

Key Points 

Key Points will give you the main information you should know to teach the activity.   

• The acidity of the rain falling on the ecosystem is only one component in understanding the chemical interactions that take place between the plants and the precipitation. 
• All data was collected and processed by Dr. Guentzel and her team at Coastal Carolina University.  All field and laboratory equipment used was of the highest standards.  Data collection and recording were performed by highly trained individuals.  The data presented here is from rain samples collected on Waites Island, South Carolina (at the ocean)
• *There was no precipitation on Waites Island for several weeks before June 18.  See the answer key in Method/Teacher Guide; this information is critical to make accurate inference from data. 
• All precipitation from the atmosphere contains water-soluble ions.  The atmosphere contains many different kinds of gas molecules. 
• The precipitation at Waites Island will predictably have a higher content of chloride ions because of its proximity to the ocean (sea spray). 
• Most students are able to successfully interpret data from a plotted point graph; however, it will be necessary to explain all components required for producing a plotted point graph; i.e. titles, scales, units, coordinates, best fit line, key. 

 Detailed Information

Detailed Information gives more in-depth background to increase your own knowledge, in case you want to expand upon the activity or are asked detailed questions by students.  

• Direct precipitation falls directly to the ground without organic interference. 
• Throughfall is precipitation that falls through the leaves and branches of trees and bushes. 
• Deposition is the deposit of any organic or inorganic matter on the leaves or branches of any plant from the atmosphere.  The deposition of insects, bird waste products, or atmospheric compounds may ‘wash off’ into the collection bottles for throughfall precipitation. 
• Foliar interactions occur when rain (which is acidic) falls onto the leaves of plants and trees.  The rain may either wash off deposition, cause compounds to leach out of the leaves and stems, or both. 
• Leaching from leaves and stems is a process wherein a compound is percolated out of the plant tissue (due to the acidic nature of rain).