1. Bronx River Investigation
Living Environment October 22, 2010

2. INVESTIGATING

3. THE BRONX
RIVER

4. The Urban Assembly Academy of
History
and Citizenship for Young Men
(UAAHC)

7. Introduction
In this unit, we are studying The World Around Us,
focusing on the Bronx River. The Bronx River is
approximately 24 miles long and flows from
Westchester County, from north to south through the
Bronx, and empties into the East River. In the Bronx,
the River separates the East Bronx from the West
Bronx.
Our investigation was an observational study of the
biotic and abiotic factors of the Bronx River ecosystem.
We made observations and collected data at the Gun
Hill Road Canoe Launch of the Bronx River. Using our
data, we will design controlled laboratory experiments
to investigate questions and issues that we uncover
from analyzing the data that was collected.

8. LEARNING TARGETS
 I CAN EXPLAIN HOW BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC
FACTORS ARE CONNECTED IN THE
EVNIRONMENT
 I CAN DEVELOP TESTABLE QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

9. THE DATA WE COLLECTED
WATER TESTING
 pH
 Dissolved Oxygen
 Temperature
 Materials Used: Vernier Probes
AQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATES
 Identification of macroinvertebrates in the River
 Materials Used: Kick nets, waders, macroinvertebrate
identification guide

11. THE DATA WE COLLECTED
SOIL TESTING
 Soil Texture
 pH
 Materials Used: Soil pH Test Kit
TERRESTRIAL MACROINVERTEBRATES
 Identification of macroinvertebrates in the soil
 Materials Used: Spade, sweep nets, macroinvertebrate
identification guides

13. THE DATA WE COLLECTED
WORM COUNT
 Raised worms from the soil
 Identified and counted worms
 Materials Used: PVC quadrat, mustard slurry, worm
identification guide.

15. OUR RESULTS
Test Measurement
Water Temperature 11.5 °C
Dissolved Oxygen 7mg/L
River pH 7.2
Soil Quality Silt and sand
Soil pH 8.0
Macro Invertebrate Quantity
Flat Worm (2.5 cm – 15 cm) 5
Circular Worms (3 cm – 7.5 cm) 4
Centipede N/A
Slug N/A
Sowbug N/A
Round Worm N/A
Beetle N/A
Leaf Hopper N/A

16. WHAT’S NEXT…………
Design controlled experiments to investigate issues
and
questions uncovered by our data:
 Why are there more worms on one side of the river
than the other?
 What is the effect of changes in temperature, soil pH
and soil quality on terrestrial macroorganisms?
 What causes changes in the pH level of the river?
 What other nutrients are important to river health?

17. QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE INVESTIGATION
 What is the biodiversity of macroinvertebrates
in the Bronx River?
 Look for macroinvertebrates at different locations
in the Bronx River
 What are ideal soil conditions for
macroinvertebrates around the Bronx River?
 Additional soil testing
 Test multiple locations
 What is the general health of the Bronx River?
 Comparison of nutrient levels and evidence of
pollution to species abundance and biodiversity
around the Bronx River.

18. THANK YOU
We would like to acknowledge and thank everyone who helped to make
this investigation a success!
Kim Notin, Cary Institute for Ecosystems Studies
Damian Griffin, Bronx River Alliance
Matthew Piazza, Columbia University Medical Center
Teresa Willis, Middle Passage Middle School
UAACH Staff: Ms. Hudson, Mr. Acevedo, Ms. Riviere
Our Living Environment Teacher: Ms. Comer