Track: High School STEM Poster Competition

Abstract

This study was motivated by the primary investigator’s love for the environment. Specifically, an interest in ocean acidification led to the process described in which common brine shrimp were used to simulate the impact of acidification on the world’s oceans. Through the use of white, distilled vinegar acting as the “acidification” for the simulated conditions, three populations of brine shrimp were monitored before, during, and after varying levels of acid were added to their individual habitats. Analyses of the data utilizing the Kruskal-Wallis Tests and Chi-Square Test for Association were implemented to compare the effect of acid levels on brine shrimp survival. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences in the survival between the populations of brine shrimp as a function of varying acid concentrations utilizing the Kruskall-Wallis method. Further, the results of the Chi-Square Test for Association demonstrated an association between the acid levels and brine shrimp populations. This investigation is significant because it provides insight into the damage that ocean acidification can cause to oceanic organisms and is demonstrative of the impact humans might be having on our global environment.