Dead Zones: Graphical Analysis

Dead Zones: Graphical Analysis
Objectives:
This assignment addresses the following common course outline (CCO) objectives:
2. Present environmental information using effective written and/or oral communications.
3. Describe, numerically and graphically, various presentations of data.
4. Apply mathematical methods to the interpretation of environmental data.
9. Describe the impact human activities have on natural systems.

This assignment also addresses the following Unit 1, Module 1.2, objectives:
• Apply the concept of biogeochemical cycling to carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen.
• Discuss the process of eutrophication and identify its impacts on ecosystems in the US & globally

Due Date: Please see the Assignment and Syllabus for Due Dates
Credit: 30 points possible; see Rubric for additional details.
Assignment:
Create two (2) graphs based on the data below and answer questions related to the data.
Graphing:
The data in Table 1 (below) are the yearly flow of water and the amount of nitrogen input into the Chesapeake Bay.
• Plot the annual flow data versus nitrogen input data on a scatter plot.
• Plot the water flow per year as a column graph.
• Use Excel to construct your graphs (select the scatterplot option for the yearly flow and nitrogen load graph and the column option for the water year and annual flow graph).
• Be certain to clearly label all axes (including units) and provide a descriptive title in the form of a sentence.
• There is an Excel Graphing Tutorial in this Learning Module. Excel is available by logging into your MyCCBC account and choosing the OneDrive personal storage link. This will enable you to use Office 365 online.

Analysis:
In several (3) well written paragraphs, describe the relationship between river flow and nitrogen input based on your graphs. Your work must be in academic English, include proper citations for your information sources in APA (name,year) format and include answers to the following:

1. What is that relationship between river flow and nitrogen loading into the Chesapeake Bay?
Refer to your graph to explain your answer.

2. A) What are the 4 sources (parameters) that went into calculation of the “Rounded Total” of nitrogen Pollution Load entering the Chesapeake Bay?
You will need to investigate the data set found at: thttp://www.chesapeakebay.net/indicators/indicator/nitrogen_loads_and_river_flow_to_the_bay1

B) Which of these sources is not due to river/water inputs? Which of these sources (parameters) contributed most to the rounded total load?

3. A) What is the expected relationship between nitrogen loading and dead zone formation? Be sure to describe the connection between eutrophication, nutrient pollution, and dead zones.

B) Based on this relationship, during what water years would you expect the Chesapeake Bay dead zone to have been largest? Would you expect the 2018 dead zone to be larger or smaller than the dead zone in 2011? Explain your answers.

Table 1. Annual Chesapeake Bay River Flow and Nitrogen Loading for Water Years 1990 through 2018.

Water Year (WY) Annual flow WY (billion gal/day) Nitrogen input, rounded total (million lbs nitrogen/year)
1990 48.86 348
1991 54.29 394
1992 39.04 275
1993 65.28 474
1994 69.16 484
1995 38.71 270
1996 74.33 522
1997 58.04 382
1998 68.51 441
1999 29.47 194
2000 45.63 269
2001 34.00 209
2002 29.34 191
2003 76.91 488
2004 76.27 599
2005 56.62 400
2006 50.09 338
2007 51.38 316
2008 48.02 300
2009 40.98 239
2010 51.64 314
2011 73.03 536
2012 51.71 296
2013 49.12 277
2014 52.55 303
2015 41.04 225
2016 46.28 255
2017 47.70 254
2018 70.51 423
Source: Chesapeake Bay Program Nitrogen load data, Accessed on 05/23/2020
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/indicators/indicator/nitrogen_loads_and_river_flow_to_the_bay1

References
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Satellites Environmental Visualizations Laboratory. (2010, August 2). The Dead Zone | Ecosystems | NOAA’s State of the Coast. Retrieved August 7, 2014, from http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov/hypoxia/dead_zone.html
Chesapeake Bay Program. (2012). Nitrogen Loads and River Flow to the Bay – Chesapeake Bay Program. Retrieved August 7, 2014, from http://www.chesapeakebay.net/indicators/indicator/nitrogen_loads_and_river_flow_to_the_bay1

Submission:
Submit your Dead Zones Graphing Assignment as a single document (copy and paste your graphs into the Word document) and upload it the assignment submission link on Blackboard. Your document should include both your tables, your essay, and references. You must use academic English in your response, and you must provide citations in APA for all information outside of your personal experiences (include in-text citations AND a full reference list)