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Solute in Sample, Distance From Shore
Name: James A.
Status: Student
Age: 20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: May 23, 2003
Question:
I was working on an experiment on the solutes in water
from different locations, and, while I was gathering water samples, I was
asked if I wanted samples from near the shore or far away; as I had
already collected some samples from near the shore, I decided to maintain
consistency with my other samples and said to take samples from near the
shore. In any case, I was curious, and I wanted to ask the question:
does the distance from shore affect the solutes in the water? If the
answer is yes, how so?
Replies:
You do not say what type(s) of body of water you were sampling, but in almost any case, I would expect
differences between near-shore and off-shore samples. There are many things that affect solute types and
concentrations in water bodies: vegetation, geology, animals, fish, amphibians, etc., as well as currents,
shape of the body of water, degree of mixing of water, water inlets and outlets, to name a few. In terms
of your experiment, it sounds as if you made the right decision to keep your sampling area limited. You
certainly could conduct another experiment to answer your own questions about near-shore vs. off-shore
samples. I think it is great that you are thinking about these things! I hope that you pursue a career
in science-you seem to have a good start.
Pat Rowe
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Update: June 2012
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