Communicating Science about the Gold King Mine Spill and Water
Quality in the Animas River
Essential Question:
a. How have geological, biological and human factors created and exacerbated acid mine drainage and water quality issues in the Animas River?
b. What ecological and human health threats might be associated with the Gold King Mine spill: initially, currently and in the future?
c. What actions can be taken to improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed?
d. What is the role of science in making policy decisions?
a. How have geological, biological and human factors created and exacerbated acid mine drainage and water quality issues in the Animas River?
b. What ecological and human health threats might be associated with the Gold King Mine spill: initially, currently and in the future?
c. What actions can be taken to improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed?
d. What is the role of science in making policy decisions?
Water quality in Farmington Before, During, and After the gold king mine Spill
Reflection
How have geological, biological and human factors created and exacerbated acid mine drainage and water quality issues in the Animas River?
The human factor that originally created this problem was the demand in the U.S for raw materials and metals. Due to this demand the people saw this as a way to make money so the mining industry was created. When the areas that the mines were established in had been exhausted of their raw materials the mining companies abandoned these areas with no thought to cleaning up. This leaves a path for water to escape through that is lined with sulfur bearing minerals. This makes the water acidic so it breaks down whatever minerals were left behind in the mines. So before the mining era the mountain would act as a filter for this water and the water would slowly seep through the cracks but now the water finds these tunnels in the mountain and comes out of the mines full of harmful minerals.
What ecological and human health threats might be associated with the Gold King Mine spill: initially, currently and in the future?
This specific spill has and will not have a noticeable impact on human health or overall ecosystem health. If this had been the first time that mine water had found its way into the Animas then maybe it would have a more noticeable effect but because mine water has been a part of our ecosystem for more than 50 years the ecosystem has already been impacted. The fish population in our river has already been dropping to the point of where now we need to constantly put fish into the river. So this spill will only add to damage that has already been done. If anything I think that this spill may have been a positive thing because it just brought more attention to a problem that has existed in this area for more than a century.
To what degree do scientists have an obligation to communicate scientific concepts and data to the public in an understandable manner?
Scientist definitely have an obligation to communicate information about concepts and data that will have an effect on the environment or the human population. They have this obligation because they are sometimes the only ones who fully understand the data so they need to make this data comprehensible for the public. Not all of the data that is found must be communicated but if it of some importance the bettering of someone's life then the scientist should take the time to make this data understandable. Also there wouldn’t be much merit in doing a scientific study if you don't plan on using the information for something or you don’t plan on letting others use it for something.
How has your understanding of scientific knowledge and/or the process of doing science changed throughout the semester as you’ve examined and manipulated data collected by professional scientists and performed analogous experiments to collect and analyze your own data?
One activity that helped me with the skill of interpreting data was when our class looked at data that the Mountain Studies Institute had collected surrounding the spill. At first glance I didn’t realize that each graph had a different scale for the vertical axis. I then went on to incorrectly complete the exercise. After do this activity I realized the importance of the fine details when you're studying other people's work. Another assignment that improved data manipulation skills was when we took the EPA data and made graphs from it. During this I had trouble finding a relevant question that I could answer with the information. This taught me the importance of taking time to develop a question that is relevant and that there is enough information or some way to get the information on your own to answer it. Both of these activities helped me build my final project and make it clear enough for my audience to understand while also being complex and answering my question.
How have geological, biological and human factors created and exacerbated acid mine drainage and water quality issues in the Animas River?
The human factor that originally created this problem was the demand in the U.S for raw materials and metals. Due to this demand the people saw this as a way to make money so the mining industry was created. When the areas that the mines were established in had been exhausted of their raw materials the mining companies abandoned these areas with no thought to cleaning up. This leaves a path for water to escape through that is lined with sulfur bearing minerals. This makes the water acidic so it breaks down whatever minerals were left behind in the mines. So before the mining era the mountain would act as a filter for this water and the water would slowly seep through the cracks but now the water finds these tunnels in the mountain and comes out of the mines full of harmful minerals.
What ecological and human health threats might be associated with the Gold King Mine spill: initially, currently and in the future?
This specific spill has and will not have a noticeable impact on human health or overall ecosystem health. If this had been the first time that mine water had found its way into the Animas then maybe it would have a more noticeable effect but because mine water has been a part of our ecosystem for more than 50 years the ecosystem has already been impacted. The fish population in our river has already been dropping to the point of where now we need to constantly put fish into the river. So this spill will only add to damage that has already been done. If anything I think that this spill may have been a positive thing because it just brought more attention to a problem that has existed in this area for more than a century.
To what degree do scientists have an obligation to communicate scientific concepts and data to the public in an understandable manner?
Scientist definitely have an obligation to communicate information about concepts and data that will have an effect on the environment or the human population. They have this obligation because they are sometimes the only ones who fully understand the data so they need to make this data comprehensible for the public. Not all of the data that is found must be communicated but if it of some importance the bettering of someone's life then the scientist should take the time to make this data understandable. Also there wouldn’t be much merit in doing a scientific study if you don't plan on using the information for something or you don’t plan on letting others use it for something.
How has your understanding of scientific knowledge and/or the process of doing science changed throughout the semester as you’ve examined and manipulated data collected by professional scientists and performed analogous experiments to collect and analyze your own data?
One activity that helped me with the skill of interpreting data was when our class looked at data that the Mountain Studies Institute had collected surrounding the spill. At first glance I didn’t realize that each graph had a different scale for the vertical axis. I then went on to incorrectly complete the exercise. After do this activity I realized the importance of the fine details when you're studying other people's work. Another assignment that improved data manipulation skills was when we took the EPA data and made graphs from it. During this I had trouble finding a relevant question that I could answer with the information. This taught me the importance of taking time to develop a question that is relevant and that there is enough information or some way to get the information on your own to answer it. Both of these activities helped me build my final project and make it clear enough for my audience to understand while also being complex and answering my question.
Other chemistry work that I am proud of
honors_detection_limit_presentation.pptx | |
File Size: | 888 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
The above file is of a powerpoint presentation that the honors students put together to demonstrate to the rest of the class what we did during a lab. I am proud of this because I felt like I really understood the concepts in the powerpoint and I also felt like I took on a leadership role while making this presentation with the other honors students.
Humanities Project: Voices from the Animas
I this project our class interviewed many different people that were effected by the Gold King Mine Spill. We then uploaded these interviews onto a Story corps. Check it out in this link