They pushed a hollow tube into the ground and then used a stick to push the column of dirt out on to paper. They then examined the color, odor, and particle size of the sediment. Sediments are particles deposited onto the bottom of an aquatic site through the action of rivers, glaciers, or wind. The kinds of sediments deposited are important, because they help determine the drainage of the site. The finer the sediments, the less the water is able to drain through the site.
Some drainage is beneficial, because de-oxygenated water or heavier pollutants can drain away.
A well-drained aquatic site usually supports a larger variety of organisms than a poorly drained aquatic site. After a picnic lunch the Gunston students went back to school to analyze the data they recorded during their trip to the edge of the Potomac River at Belmont Bay in the Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge. The results of their experiments are posted on the Jason Project Aquatic Field Investigation Web Site. A Service of Whole Systems Design, Inc.