3. Resuspension and Measurement of Fluxes

Try these first

1. 1.

   Define sediment resuspension in your own words.

   Hint

   Think about the forces at play, like water flow.

2. 2.

   What is meant by flux in environmental science?

   Hint

   Consider the flow of materials over a surface.

3. 3.

   What is sediment resuspension?

   • A process of sediment being pushed deeper
   • The lifting of sediment into the water column
   • Settling of sediment

   Hint

   Consider how sediment can interact with moving water.

4. 4.

   The closed volume method is used to:

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Think about how we can isolate a system to obtain accurate data.

5. 5.

   Calculate the average flux of a contaminant if 200 milliliters of water with 5 parts per million (ppm) of the contaminant is collected over a period of 2 hours from a defined area of 1 square meter.

   Hint

   Remember to convert units where necessary.

6. 6.

   Discuss the implications of using a closed volume method in a highly biodiverse area and its impact on results.

   Hint

   Consider what happens to organisms and sediment dynamics when you disrupt their habitat.