Possible Contamination of the Sandusky River by Wastewater Discharge by Bucyrus, Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geological Sciences, The Ohio State UniversityThe objective of this study was to determine changes in the chemical composition of water that result from its use by the town of Bucyrus in Crawford County, OH, and to document the effect of the discharge of wastewater on the quality of water in the Sandusky River. The results indicate that the wastewater is enriched in the major elements (Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Sr) compared to tap water in the town of Bucyrus. However, the treated wastewater does not significantly alter the chemical composition of water in the Sandusky River represented by a ten-year average from 1984 to 1994. The concentrations of Mo in raw water and in the wastewater are nearly identical, which means it cannot have an anthropogenic source. The wastewater does not contain P because this element is effectively removed as required by the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Ocean and Great Lakes Awareness Among Fifth and Ninth Grade Ohio Students: A Continuing Study

Author Institution: School of Natural Resources and College of Education, The Ohio State UniversityThe Ohio Sea Grant Education Program conducted a baseline study of ocean and Great Lakes awareness among Ohio's fifth and ninth grade students in 1979, and repeated it with some curriculum-specific additions as a longitudinal study in 1983. This report of the 1983 data indicates that over the 4-year period the ninth graders, cohort of the 1979 fifth graders, increased over 10% in ocean and Great Lakes knowledge scores. However, information considered critical to responsible decision-making is still lacking. Attitudes toward Lake Erie and the oceans, while remaining slightly positive for the group, did not change commensurate with knowledge. A new set of test items dealing specifically with information from Ohio Sea Grant curriculum materials was added to the survey in 1983 to provide a new baseline for future testing. The main self-reported source of student information about these topics changed over the period, so that in 1983 students in both grades were relying more on the classroom than on media sources for aquatic information. The survey will be repeated at regular intervals, continuing a longitudinal study unique to marine and aquatic education in North America

Ohio Students' Knowledge and Attitudes about the Oceans and Great Lakes

Author Institution: School of Natural Resources, The Ohio State University ; Science and Mathematics Education, The Ohio State UniversityA program to develop instructional materials for implementing marine and aquatic education in Ohio middle schools was begun by Ohio Sea Grant in 1977. This was followed 3 years later by a grant to disseminate the materials to schools in Ohio. To determine the effectiveness of the dissemination process a baseline study was conducted in the autumn of 1980. The survey obtained information on attitudes and knowledge of the Great Lakes and oceans from fifth and ninth grade students in randomly selected schools within 3 arbitrarily determined zones: the lake region, the central region and the Ohio River region. In addition, students responded to items to determine their perceptions of the sources of their knowledge