We included line drawings and photographs of typical organisms found in streams. This model allows students to experiment with the impact of sewage on stream oxygen by changing some values in the simulation model and running the model to see what happens. This last part we use as an electronic experiment in the laboratory. Understanding stream ecosystems requires understanding the physical forces that bring water to and through streams and understanding the effects stream physics and chemistry have on the organisms that live in the stream. Additionally, because streams are used as water supplies, they are regularly monitored for water flow, chemistry, and biology.
Some federal agencies operate real-time information sources on the Web to track stream flow.
By linking to these real-time information sources, we can show students stream flow data in a variety of places at any given time, and this can all be done through the campus network.