6.1. Research Implications and Questions

Try these first

1. 1.

   Define diffusion in your own words.

   Hint

   Think about how a drop of food coloring spreads in water.

2. 2.

   What is resuspension?

   Hint

   Recall how water can become cloudy after a storm.

3. 3.

   What is the primary driving force of diffusion?

   • Pressure
   • Concentration Gradient
   • Temperature

   Hint

   Think about how perfume spreads in the air.

4. 4.

   True or False: Resuspension only occurs in still water bodies.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Recall that turbulence enhances sediment movement.

5. 5.

   Consider a river with high sediment loads during a storm. How would increased turbidity affect aquatic plants and animals? Discuss potential long-term ecological impacts.

   Hint

   Reflect on how light influences growth underwater.

6. 6.

   You have a sediment sample with contaminants. How would you mathematically model the dispersion of these contaminants into the water? Describe your boundary conditions.

   Hint

   Think of the variables that might change over time.