Lake in a Bottle: A Laboratory Demonstration of the Unusual Stability Properties of Freshwater

Lake in a Bottle A Laboratory Demonstration of the Unusual Stability Properties of Freshwater

Using simple laboratory gear, students can simulate the stratification properties of a freshwater lake and the impact of salt on the relationship between temperature and density. Because some students have little or no intuition for different thermal stratification regimes, this activity is designed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oceanography (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 136 - 142
Main Authors: AUSTIN, JAY A., VOYTEK, EMILY B., HALBUR, JULIA, MACUIANE, MESSIAS A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: The Oceanography Society 01-12-2011
Subjects:
Cooling
Enthalpy
Fresh water
freshwater lake
HANDS-ON OCEANOGRAPHY
Heat flux
Ice
Lakes
Sea water
therman stratification
Thermistors
Water pollution
Water temperature
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Summary:Using simple laboratory gear, students can simulate the stratification properties of a freshwater lake and the impact of salt on the relationship between temperature and density. Because some students have little or no intuition for different thermal stratification regimes, this activity is designed to focus on this fundamental behavior of freshwater lakes. The experiment exposes students to basic data collection, analysis, and visualization techniques using an inexpensive, commercially available data logger and sensors. It can be used as motivation for a discussion of sampling techniques, such as sampling density and sampling rate, and how choosing among them can influence the reliability of an experiment's results.
ISSN:1042-8275
2377-617X
DOI:10.5670/oceanog.2011.107