Olcmulgee RIver Lab

For this Lab, we traveled to the Ocmulgee River Walk to do a few experiments and tests. The three main tests that we performed were: elevation determination, flow rate, and clam population.

 

Elevation Determination:

- To determine the depth or elevation of the riverbed, we used two poles with a string attached in the middle to take the measurements. The poles are demarcated with feet and the change in the placement of the string determines the difference of the elevation between areas. You always need to have a point of reference for the zero point of elevation. This can be the highest point or even the sea level.  We started at the top of the riverbank and moved all the way across the river to the other side.



 

Flow Rate

- The flow rate is a measurement made in units of distance/time. It is a determination of how quickly water is flowing. To determine this, you use an object that floats such as a ball or something else that is at hand. This procedure needs two people to complete. One stands further up the river and releases the object and the second person is at the end of the river to catch the object and time its movement. We tested three branches of the river to see if any one channel flowed quicker. We found that the deeper channel flowed the fastest.

 

Clam Population

- In our study, we tried to determine the clam population in different areas of the river. We used a large sifter and took three samples: from the standing water, flowing water, and dry land. We shoveled sand into the sifter and then counted the number of the clams in the top of the sifter. Based on our observation we came to the conclusion that the clams prefer a still place covered by water. The most clams were found in the standing water. The fewest were found in the dry land. This indicated that the clams did not enjoy the dry land. They need the water. Also, the flowing water did not contain many clams. They seemed to get washed away before they could burrow into the sand.