A Field Investigation of Crescent Bay Lake

Introduction | Hypothesis | Data & GIS | Assignment 1 | Assignment 2 | Notes to teachers | Additional Images | Links

Assignment 1

Help the teachers complete their investigation by completing the following ...

1. What were the variables in the investigation? What type of investigation do you think this was -- descriptive, comparative, or correlative. (Explain)
2. Make your own graph that compares (one) or attempts to correlate (two) variable(s) in the investigation.
3. Describe the results (data) of the investigation. (What happened to the measurements as the depth increased from the surface, 5 meters, and 10 meters.)
4. Was the hypothesis of the investigation correct? How do you know? (Support your conclusion with data.)
5. Provide an explanation for the results? (Choose one or two variables and make an inference about why the variable(s) changed.)
6. Do you think the investigation was a "fair" test of the lake's water quality? What are some limitations or possible sources of error in the investigation?
7. What recommendations would you make for improving or extending this investigation?
8. What recommendations would you have for managing the lake based on these results. Or, what effect do you think these results might have on other parts (biotic/abiotic) of the lake system?

Assgnment 2

Use ArcGIS Explorer to complete the following ...

1. Download and save the spreadsheet file CBL_data-all.csv (Note: data needed to be rearranged in the spreadsheet in order to show all data for all depths at each location; also, this spreadsheet file must be closed before it can be imported into ArcGIS.)
2. Create an ArcGIS Explorer map for Crescent Bay Lake, Grant Co., WA (ArcGIS Explore Online)
3. Select to import the .csv data into the ArcGIS map ("Add Content" | "Import" | "Create features from .csv file" | "Browse for file" ... [CBL_data-all.csv] | "Open" | "Next" | "Import")
4. The four locations should now appear on your map of Crescent Bay Lake. Click on the points and view the data in the Pop-up windows. What similaries and differences do you see in the data? (Make two observations (patterns/changes) and support your observations with specific values.)
5. Use the "Measure" tool to determine the perimeter of the polygon formed by contecting the four locations (A-B-C-D).
6. Use the "Measure" tool to determine the surface area of the lake enclosed by these four points?
7. Select "Pushpin" from the "Add Features" tab and create two additional locations where you recommend additional water quality data be collected. Record the latitude (N/S) and longitude (E/W) for these locations. To find the coordinates...
   1. select the "Measure" tool
   2. choose the "Get the location of a point" option
   3. click on the desired location on the map (change coordinates format, as needed)
   4. the coordinates can be copied to another application or document using the "Copy measure value to clipboard" option**
   5. move your cursor over the compass image in the lower left corner of the ArcGIS Explorer window and select "Show Coordinates." Now, move your cursor over the two pushins you added to the map.) Why did you choose these additional locations?
      
   **Hint: Here's how to make a "New layer" from a series of locations in an ArcGIS map:
   1. use the "Copy measure value to clipboard option" to paste a list of coordinates from the ArcGIS map into Word or Notepad
   2. remove the "degree" symbol (Find/Replace)
   3. optional: add a number or name for each location before each coordinate (such as: 1, 2, 3, ...), followed by a comma
   4. at the top of the list, add a new line with the headings: "location (or some other label for the points if you followed optional step 3), latitude, longitude" (include the commas to seperate the values)
   5. save the file in plain text (.txt) format (your file name will become the name of the new layer in ArcGIS)
   6. CLOSE the file (otherwise, you may not be able to Import)
   7. back in ArcGIS, use the "Add content" tool | "Import" | "Create features from a .csv file" | "Browse for a file" | next to the "File Name" box change from "CSV Files (*.csv)" to "Text Files (*.txt) | find the file and "Open" | "Next" | "Import"
   8. All your points have been imported and are now in a new layer.
   9. Other information could be added to the text file, as well. Put a label for the information in the top line (along with "latitude, longitude") and add a comma to seperate the "fields" of information

Notes to other educators on a budget using PC's:

1. If you have information (text, documents, charts, ...) that you need to make into JPG images, try selecting & copying them into Windows Paint (found in the accessories folder). Using the Paint program, I was able to copy/paste a chart I made in Excel into Paint, and then save as a JPG file. I couldn't find a "Save as..." or "Export" feature that would let me do that directly in Excel. There are other image editing programs that will allow you to do this, but I was looking for something already available on my computer.

2. I found a handy screen capture utility that I didn't know was on my computer, it is called Snipping Tool (found in the accessories folder, or go to the Start Button and type "snip"). In capturing the lake depth map from a .pdf document I found online, I was able to use the Snipping Tool and save the map as a JPG image.

3. Although I usually use Photoshop Elements for editing (adjusting contrast & resizing) images, I found that MS Office Picture Manager also works. I resized many of the images you see on this page using the Picture Manager program.