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Lesson 1- Storms and Streams
In this lesson, students will measure the effect of a storm on a local stream. First, make baseline measurements in physical and chemical characteristics under 'normal' conditions. Then return to the stream shortly after a storm (when it is safe) and make the measurements again, in order to compare the stream under normal and high flow conditions. This lesson requires flexibility in scheduling as well as trust in your students-you need to be very careful working in or near a stream after a storm. Streams can be moving much faster than they seem and can easily sweep a person off of her/his feet. Also, sometimes storm water contains sewage overflow; if the stream smells like raw sewage, don't have your students touch the water without proper safety precautions.
Lesson 2- A Storm's Effect on Wappinger Creek
In this lesson, students will use data collected in Wappinger Creek to study how a storm changes the chemistry and flow rate of a stream. The data were collected every hour at the onset of a storm and 8 hours after the storm ended. Students will be able to see the lag between the when the rain fell and when the stream rose. They will be able to view the timing of the chemical changes as they occurred during and after the storm. If your students are unfamiliar with Excel, you should have them complete the Excel Tutorial (link) before beginning this lesson. This lesson can also be used in lieu of the Lesson 1 if field trips are not possible.
Lesson 3- Hurricane!
Students now have a sense of the impacts of a storm event, but this lesson will give them a chance to view data and explore the changes of a hurricane. Students begin by reading an article from the Poughkeepsie Journal discussing the variety of impacts of floods and potential mitigation strategies. Then, they compare local data during a hurricane (Hurricane Floyd, 1999) with a large storm that caused major flooding in April 2007. They then expand this information to think about the effects of increasing hurricanes on ecosystems.
Lesson 4- How Much Water is in That River?
In this lesson students will measure the stream flow and then extrapolate the data for the Hudson River. Students will compare their measurement of how much water passes down the river under 'normal' conditions with river flow data after a big storm such as a hurricane, as well as think about the impacts under climate change, when flow in the Hudson River is expected to increase by 20%.
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