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May 2009 |
Getting a Kick Out of ScienceWhat happens when a curious 3rd-grader and an oceanographer cross paths? They mount a unique research project unlike anything ever conducted. 
Claire Dworsky, for the win!
Claire consults with oceanographer Adina Paytan.
Claire collects water from a soccer field.
One of many water samples collected.
Although University of California researcher Adina Paytan is officially an oceanographer, “water investigator” might label her work more precisely, as much of Paytan’s research involves tracking movements within our worldwide network of water. Like other investigators, Adina Paytan uses “fingerprints” to identify her subjects. As human pollution threatens freshwater supplies (just 3% of the water on earth), using these identifiers to understand where and how contaminants migrate is integral to our efforts in protecting this limited resource. When high levels of nitrogen were found in Hawaii’s Hanalei Bay, for example, Adina launched an investigation. She explains, “High nitrogen can negatively impact coral reefs in this area. Where is this nitrogen coming from? To answer this I collected algae from the bay and analyzed the isotopes on nitrogen in the algae which reflect the nitrogen they use. Different sources of nitrogen (sewage, fertilizer, air) have different nitrogen isotope signatures which mark them like fingerprints.” Adina’s tests linked this particular nitrogen incidence to heavy use of fertilizers on a nearby golf course. Paytan is now collaborating with 3th-grader Claire Dworsky––a winner in our Kids’ Science Challenge competition––who has questions of her own about water runoff. Claire is an avid soccer player, and when her town began replacing grass fields with artificial turf, she wondered about the environmental impact. In her entry Claire writes, “How can we test the water that comes off the turf and grass fields? Can we test different stages of the water cycle––runoff, groundwater and evaporate from grass and turf fields––to see if there are harmful chemicals, if one is more toxic than the other, and if they could hurt plants, people, animals or ocean life?” Adina and a panel of judges selected Claire’s as the winning entry in the water category, and Claire is now collecting dozens of samples from a variety of fields in her San Francisco neighborhood, using professional sampling supplies sent to her by Adina. The two will now meet to test those samples, which have since taken over every available inch of space in the Dworsky family freezer! As it turns out, the efforts of this inquisitive 3rd-grader will result in the largest scientific study of its kind ever conducted. Want to track the progress Adina and Claire have made? For all the latest, check out the Kids' Science Challenge water page! Links to related stories: Science Diary: Beach Sand - Beach Science Diary: Beach Sand - Sand Science Diary: Beach Sand - Testing Science Diary: Beach Sand - Results Science Diary: Water - Fingerprints Science Diary: Water - Moon Science Diary: Water - Metals Science Diary: Water - Pharmaceuticals Science Diary: Water - Tracking Kids’ Science Challenge: Winners - Claire |
