| > Oceanography > Issues > Archive > Volume 21, Number 3 |
2008, Oceanography 21(3):98–106, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2008.44
HANDS-ON OCEANOGRAPHY |
Assessing the Importance of Sand as a Source of Fecal
Indicator Bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus)
Authors | Purpose | Full Article | Citation
Authors
Karen L. Knee | Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, and Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Rose L. Leopold and Ella R. Madsen are middle school students, Pacific Collegiate School, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Adina Paytan | Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to investigate water quality, and the factors that affect it, at a local beach. This is accomplished by (1) measuring concentrations of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus, two types of bacteria commonly used as fecal indicators, in water and sand samples from a local beach; (2) interpreting the collected data with graphs, tables, and statistical tests; and (3) investigating the relationship between concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and other factors such as sampling location, distance from the shoreline, and grain size of sand.
Full Article
Citation
Knee, K.L., R.L. Leopold, E.R. Madsen, and A. Paytan. 2008. Hands-on oceanography: Assessing the importance of sand as a source of fecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus). Oceanography 21(3):98–106, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2008.44.