Aquatic Ecology

The Aquatic Ecology Team provides expertise from agencies and organizations to help students learn about aquatic ecosystems and how to keep them healthy. Students learn about numerous topics pertaining to water including: the hydrologic cycle, watersheds, water chemistry, aquatic macroinvertebrates, seacoast, estuaries, lakes, ponds, streams and rivers, mapping technologies (topographic, bathymetric, ArcGIS, LiDAR imaging), assessing impacts to aquatic ecosystems and designing Best Management Practices to mitigate those impacts. The emphasis is on working with the local community to make sound ecological management decisions. Test questions may be about general aquatic topics or may be related to the annual theme. We ask that students answer the questions as thoroughly as possible and provide explanations in support of their answers.

Examples of themes from past tests include:

How do you map a watershed? Why do we care what is going on in that watershed?
Why is it important to understand the nature and direction of runoff?
How do dams benefit aquatic ecosystems?
How do we use biological and chemical monitoring to assess water quality?
How might soil and water conservation Best Management Practices (BMPs) benefit wildlife and aquatic systems?