CCMT10311 Principles of Environmental Science Assignment Question 2024

Assignment Brief

The Canal and River Trust has asked us to carry out water sampling on the sites listed below. The labels have been removed and the samples mixed up, so based on the water quality experiments (weeks 10-15, see page 8), the aim of this assessment is to attempt to assign the results from each water sample to one of the following water sources:

• The Irish Sea
• Gann Estuary (Brackish)
• Erewash Canal
• Dew Pond

There are some very similar samples here, however, a brief look into the history and location of each of these watercourses may provide insight into slight differences between each of the samples. Grading will not be reduced for incorrect assigning of each sample water however a higher grade will be gained for good interpretation of results and good lab practice performed.

Specific Tasks

Using all the results you have obtained, write up a laboratory report which discusses your findings. Your report should include:

• A non-technical summary of no more than 300 words that a non-specialist could read and understand (this will be read by the Canal and River Trust)
• An introduction – set the context for how and why water quality varies in different aquatic systems.
• A method statement – a short description of each method you used to attain your data.
• A results and discussion section – outline your results and assign each water sample to the given sources. Your discussion should include a justification of why you assigned the results to each water type.
• Reference List – this will not count towards your word count.
• Appendix – completed laboratory worksheets (see page 8) should be typed up or scanned, and included as an appendix to your report.

Where appropriate, your text should be supported by peer-reviewed references. You should use tables, figures and/or photographs to present your key findings. Within reason, text in tables and figures will not be included in your word count; please refrain from putting large amounts of text into tables to avoid surpassing the word count, as this will be counted.