SCI 207 Week 5 Lab Report

Week 5 Lab

SCI 207: Our Dependence Upon the Environment

Week 5 Lab

Introduction

Background—What is important to know about the topic of this lab?

The most important thing to know about this lab is the long-term effects of an oil spill, especially one that is in the ocean. It can take years to clean up the oil, let alone the long term affects the oil has on the animals in the local area. It is not easy to recover from an oil spill and takes a tremendous amount of effort and resources.

Outcomes—What was the main purpose of this lab?

The main purpose was to show how long it takes to break down oil.

Hypotheses—What were your three hypotheses for this lab? Identify each hypothesis clearly, and explain your reasoning.

Tubes 1 and 2:I think tube two will change color because it has some of the Rid-X in it. I think I will see the oil broken down a little bit in tube 5 but not much change at all in tube 3. Both tubes I expect to see a color change rather quickly.

Materials and Methods

I followed the instructions laid out in the lab.

Results

Observations/Data Tables

Data Table 1. Tubes 1 and 2 Observations

Day Tube 1 Tube 2
0(Initial setup) Setup went well and I was able to add all ingredients as required. Setup went well and I was able to add all ingredients as required.
1 Fluid inside seemed clear without any coloring I expected this will stays that way. Has a cloudy tinge to it. I expect this tube to change color over the next few days.
2 Tube is still clear and the oil seems largely unchanged The color of the liquid in the tube is now pinkish. Oil seems to be forming into droplets.
3 Pretty much the same as the last 24 hours. Pink color has deepened and seems more cloudy oil is definitely in droplets now.

Data Table 2. Tubes 3 and 4 Observations

Day Tube 3 Tube 4
0(Initial setup) Fluid appears clear. Fluid appears cloudy
1 Fluid has remained clear. Oil is in smaller droplets now. Still appears cloudy but not colorful at all.
2 The same as previous day. Still appears cloudy but no additional color.
3 This day the water is slightly cloudy with oil in small droplets. Fluid has stayed the same.

Data Table 3. Tubes 5 and 6 Observations

Chosen environmental factor to alter/change: I took 200ml of tap water and added 1 tsp sea salt. Added 1 mil to tube 5 and 2 ml to tube 6 with clean pipet

Day Tube 5 Tube 6
0(Initial setup) Fluid has a slightly yellow hue to it Fluid has a slightly yellow hue to it
1 Fluid has changed color to a reddish color Fluid has changed color to a reddish color a little darker thank tube 5.
2 Color continues to darken. Oil droplets have started to form Color continues to darken. Oil droplets have started to form
3 Color continues to darken. Oil droplets have started to formed Color continues to darken. Oil droplets have started to formed

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Day 0 (initial setup)

Day 1.

Day 2.

Day 3.

Discussion

Based upon the results of each activity, explain whether you accepted or rejected your hypotheses and why.

I accepted my hypotheses.

What important information have you learned from this lab? Use at least one outside source (scholarly for full credit) to answer this question.

During this lab I have learned the lasting effects that an oil spill can have on an area in the ocean. It is crucial that we keep oil out of our oceans. If we do spill oil the clean up process is not an easy one and it will take a long period of time.

What challenges did you encounter when doing this lab? Name at least one.

I had a very difficult time with this lab because I am having to submit a lab report that I don’t feel like I had enough time to work on.

Based upon your results in this lab, what next step(s) might a scientist take to determine how microbes might be used to clean up oil spills to better safeguard fish populations?

I think more testing must be completed before saying microbes are our best option. Yes they are good but we need something that works better and faster.

References

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