PROJECT ABSTRACTS

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The Contribution of Nitrogen-Fixing Invasive Species to the Nitrogen Content of Riparian Soil and Stream Water Alex Bensick

I studied the impact of invasive nitrogen-fixing legumes on the nitrate and nitrite concentrations in riparian soil and water samples. My experimental site had a riparian zone that was dominated by the invasive nitrogen-fixer French broom, while the control site was further upstream where French broom was not growing. I expected to find a measurable increase in the useable nitrogen (nitrate and nitrite) content of the soil and a corresponding increase in the useable nitrogen in the stream water in the presence of the nitrogen fixing plant.

I measured the concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, and dissolved oxygen in water samples collected from both sites. To measure the amount of nitrogen in the soil I prepared a soil extract and then conducted the same nitrogen tests on the extract that I did on the stream water.

There were no detectable amounts of nitrate or nitrite in either the water or soil, so it is clear that this tiny stream does not contribute in a measurable way to the flow of useable nitrogen to the coast. However, the water at the experimental site did yield less dissolved oxygen than that at the control site, indicating that there could be more microbial activity in the presence of the invasive species.

Genetically Modified Organisms: An Invesigation of the GMO Status of “Non-GMO” and “Organic” Products Justine Chia

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genetic composition has been directly altered by humans with a special set of technologies. Much controversy has arisen over the issue of genetic modification, because of the associated costs and benefits. While GMOs provide obvious benefits such as increased nutrimental value, and better resistance to disease pests and herbicides, there are so many unknowns about their potential threats that a sizeable population of people is skeptical. The GMO status of a product can be confirmed by the detecting presence of a specific regulatory DNA sequence. Genetic engineers use only a small number of regulatory sequences (promoter and terminator sequences) to control the expression of the inserted genes, so these sequences are common to the majority of genetically modified crops. Using PCR and gel electrophoresis is a method of testing for the presence of a specific sequence of DNA. The status of genetic modification is indicated by the presence or absence of a band. The presence of a band implies the presence of the 35S promoter and NOS terminator, indicating that the sample is a GMO. The absence of a band implies that the sample is non-GMO. I tested the hypothesis that products from Marin County labeled as ‘organic’ and ‘No Genetically Modified Organisms’ would not contain GMOs.

Green Business Certification in the East Bay Josh Cohen

In this study, I surveyed the owners, founders, CEOs, presidents, ministers, and other administrators and staff of twelve Green Certified businesses, organizations, and companies occupying a broad range of sectors (from retail, to churches, to business services) within Alameda County. My goal was to determine why one wishes to become "Green Certified", what the benefits associated with the certification are, and whether or not the certification is simply a formality for those who are already practicing "Green" business. The survey was conducted in the format of a survey with twenty-six questions that could be answered on paper forms or an online survey. Approximately ninety-two percent of the participants opted for the online survey.

The results demonstrated that the majority of the participants became certified either because it was aligned with their business philosophy or because they wanted to help the environment. The initial investments put into their certification tended to be very low if not at all costly. While the majority of participants considered their businesses to be "Green" prior to their certification, most did not market themselves as "Green." This causes me to believe that the certification process for most was simply a formality to achieve increased recognition with in the community. While savings did result from most of the actions taken, they did not seem to be the primary goal of becoming certified. Recycling and reduction measures tended to provide the broadest area for change, where as measures for energy efficiency tended to produce the greatest savings.

Fair Trade Coffee and Tea Rachel Cohen

I studied the economic prevalence of fair trade coffee and tea in a variety of different stores, but there were some stores that were not studied for different reasons. I studied stores from three distinct different areas: Berkeley/Oakland, Lafayette/Walnut Creek, and Concord. These three different regions of the East Bay have different socio-economic and political views. I also surveyed both grocery stores and specialty shops. I stayed away from large national and international chain stores to avoid strong corporate regulation of prices. I did this to see if prices of all coffees and teas, but especially fair trade items, fluctuate depending on the regional demand. In each region, I tried to focus on stores that the average person in each area would go to.

Effects of Goat Grazing on Plant Reproductive Success and Biodiversity Abby Falk-Rood

My study was intended to investigate the effect of moderate goat grazing on plant species composition. To do this I compared the number of flowers produced by every species of plant in my test site in Hayward to the total number of plants of that species, in grazed and ungrazed plots. What I found was that in the grazed plot, fewer flowers were produced per plant than in the ungrazed plot. My results suggest that goat grazing, like cow grazing, can affect species composition and biodiversity. More research is needed to establish the extent of these effects, and their consequences.

Snowmobiles and Hydrocarbons Sam Judd

In this study, I investigated the question of whether snowmobiles pollute the Sierra snow pack with hydrocarbon emissions. This study was conducted for two primary reasons.  First, there is little to no information on any long term impacts snowmobiles may have in the areas that they are allowed.  Second, snowmobiles have been shown to release up to 33% of their fuel out of the tailpipe entirely unused.  Snow samples taken in the Blue Lakes Meadow, although they give no definitive information on long term impacts, clearly show that snowmobiles are contributing to hydrocarbon contamination in the snow on which they drive.

Climate Change and Wine Scout Katovich

My family has been making our own wine for the last 15 years, so the subject of winemaking has always been of interest to me. As global warming has come to the forefront of both scientific research and media, I began to contemplate the effects that warming might have on agricultural industry, and more specifically wine making. I set out to look at the effects of past hot years on the quality of Napa Valley wines in order to try to be better able to predict the effects of near-future rises in temperature. My hypothesis was that the quality of Napa Valley wines would be affected by temperature, and more specifically that quality would be higher when temperature was higher. This hypothesis was supported when results from Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay were compiled, supported for Chardonnay alone, and not supported for Cabernet Sauvignon alone.

Water Quality in Urban East Bay Creeks Ian Linford

Humans have impacted east bay creeks for decades. Dozens of different types of chemicals have been dumped into them, and development has come to their edges, and in some cases over them. The urbanization around these creeks has led to various alterations in the creeks’ flow. This is most notable at Strawberry Creek in Berkeley, which runs through the University of California at Berkeley campus. Strawberry Creek is almost exclusively in underground culverts beginning at the U.C. Berkeley campus all the way to the bay. Codornices Creek in Albany, on the other hand, has only short periods of underground channeling. Thus, I hypothesized that Codornices creek would have lower nitrate concentrations and biotic index, and higher dissolved oxygen percentage and EPT index than Strawberry Creek in the middle and lower reaches. I ran nitrate and dissolved oxygen tests, as well as macroinvertebrate samples utilizing leaf packs and kick sampling. The results indicated slightly better water quality in Codornices Creek than in Strawberry creek. However, due to reasons discussed in the conclusions section, there is likely insufficient data to accept the hypothesis as true.

Eutrophication and Dissolved Oxygen in Lake Merritt Nathan McAlone

Lake Merritt is a man made tidal lagoon located in the heart of Oakland. Water from a variety of urban streams mixes with water that ebbs and flows from the San Francisco Bay creating a brackish mix. It is well documented that Lake Merritt suffers from nutrient loading which causes eutrophication (Nguyen, 2005). This eutrophication is one of the causes of the chronically low dissolved oxygen levels in various parts of Lake Merritt. The low DO levels in Lake Merritt observed by a probe placed at various points, caused the EPA to label Lake Merritt as “impaired” in the 1999 303d list of impaired water bodies. Since that time there have been a variety of efforts to help “clean-up” various aspects of the lake. The goal of this project was to assess the extent of the nutrient loading (nitrogen and phosphorous) at present and also to determine the source of the nutrient loading. I also tested for dissolved oxygen levels to get a sense as to the relative levels of oxygen available for use by organisms at each of the various locations.

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Area Effects on Species Diversity in California Oak Woodlands Lauren Nguyen

The purpose of my study was to measure the area effects on biodiversity in plots of land that have had relatively little human disturbance compared to the area around them. The intention was to investigate how species diversity actually does vary depending on the size of habitat in common Northern California woodland. Based on ecological theory and previous research, I hypothesized that plant diversity in large tracts of protected open space would be greater than in relatively undisturbed, but much smaller, plots. To test this hypothesis, I estimated plant diversity in different sampling sites using a quadrat approach to measuring plant species numbers at the different locations. The results of my study showed that the mean number of plant species in a larger area of undisturbed land was significantly larger than the mean number of plant species in a smaller plot.

Public Perception of Genetically Modified Organisms Karina Piser

The question of whether or not genetically modified organisms have positive implications is hotly debated in today’s society. Most of what we purchase at supermarkets contains GMO’s of some sort; virtually all corn products are genetically modified. GMO’s don’t only affect us personally, they also serve as a tool in humanitarian aid and relief. How do average grocery shoppers conclude on both of these issues? Is it taboo for us, as conscientious Bay Area citizens, to consume genetically modified foods, but necessary for the third world? In order to answer these controversial questions, I decided to survey customers at Costco, Safeway, and Monterey Market, in order to get a diverse pool of opinions. I hypothesized that Monterey Market customers would be more concerned with the prevalence of GMO’s in their food than the Costco and Safeway shoppers would be, but that their opinions regarding GMO’s as a tool in humanitarian aid would not be of the same concern.

Environmental Education in the East Bay Julia Schneider

I tested the hypothesis that teachers at schools in Berkeley and Oakland with lower APIs (determined by scores on standardized tests) would spend less time and resources on environmental education. I also tested the hypothesis that students from schools with low APIs would have less knowledge of the environment than students from schools with high APIs. I surveyed both teachers and students and found in the schools that I surveyed that there is in fact a significant correlation between API and quality and quantity of environmental education.

Real and Perceived Environmental Quality in Urban and Suburban High School Students.

Jager Stewart

The Bay Area is home to both rich and poor, cluttered urban sprawls and open California hillsides, environmental triumphs and environmental defects. I studied environmental justice in the Bay Area by conducting a survey of local high school students. I visited six schools: three of low socioeconomic rank and three of high. My survey analyzed each student’s perceptions of the environmental risks associated with their neighborhood. Combined with air quality data, I attempted to ask a simple question: Is the health of your environment dependent on your socioeconomic class? Does environmental racism exist here in our Bay Area communities?

California Coastal Estuaries Ursula Stoller

I thought that estuaries were a very interesting ecosystem to study, because of their fascinating environment and unique specifications. They also react quickly to any change in climate, and so I thought originally it would be interesting to look at the changes in estuaries due to global warming. However, such a study would have to be done over a long period of time. Instead, I ended up comparing the water quality of two protected estuaries: Drakes and Limantour, with an unprotected estuary: Tomales. I predicted that the protected estuaries, and their watersheds would have much higher water quality than the unprotected water, and found that there was a strong correlation between protection and good water quality.

Bay Area Golf Courses: A Study of Chemical Contamination Alan Wun

In recent decades, golf courses have been heavily criticized for their severe effect on the environment. There are more than 12,000 golf courses in the United States, with an average use of half a ton of chemicals per year, primarily in the form of fertilizers and herbicides. The goal of my project was to determine if chemicals applied to golf courses impact the surrounding soil and water. I took soil samples from several local golf courses and tested them for the presence of nitrogen and phosphate compounds, as well for the presence of a variety of other chemicals. My hypothesis was that chemicals do in fact seep out of the golf course, and that the levels of chemicals in the soil and water decrease with distance from the course. To test my hypothesis I went to three Bay Area golf courses that I knew were situated on or within a more “natural” ecosystem so that I could better test the distance of effects. The golf courses included in my study were: the Lake Chabot Golf Club, which is a municipally-owned 6102 square yard, 27-holed golf course in the Oakland hills; the Tilden Park Golf Course of Berkeley, which is an 6294 square yard, 18-hole golf course situated on the East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) land and right next to Lake Anza; the Meadow Club in Fairfax, situated on a Marin Municipal Water Department (MMWD) watershed near Mt. Tamalpais (encompassing lakes Alpine, Bon Tempe, Kent, and Lagunitas), including 6202 square yards with 18 holes. Both Lake Chabot and Tilden are public courses while Meadow Club is private. My results partially supported my hypothesis. Soil samples collected at the Fairfax Golf Course showed extremely high values of nitrogen and phosphorous, and high levels of these nutrients were also found in surrounding soil samples. Notably, a stream running out of the golf course into Alpine Lake, one of the major reservoirs serving the Marin Watershed District, also contained extremely high levels of nitrogen and phosphate.