A slideshow details my 2020-2021 Scientific Research project titled “ The Effects of Various Common Ocean Pollutants on the Productivity of Phytoplankton”. Property of Lauren McDonough as unpublished research.

1. The Effects of Various Common Ocean Pollutants on the
Productivity of Phytoplankton
Lauren McDonough

2. Purpose and Hypothesis
- Purpose - to research effects of different common pollutants on phytoplankton!
- Hypothesis -
- known pollutants (atrazine and tributyltin (anti-fouling paint) ) = worst effect
- plastics and algae = least ill effect

3. Phytoplankton??
- Phytoplankton are incredibly important
- Producers
- Base of food web
- Food for the world
- Energy for marine ecosystem
- Produce oxygen
- Take CO2 out of atmosphere (global warming)
- Greatly affected by marine pollutants
- Pollutants taken up transfer through full food web

4. Background
- Ocean pollution is a HUGE issue
- Runoff
- Industrial
- Agricultural
- Trash islands
- Plastic
- The health of our oceans is steadily declining
- Industrialization
- Growing population

5. Background
- Tributyltin and atrazine = known pollutants
- Cigarette butts - plentiful in ocean and full of toxins
- Oil from oil spills - shown to inhibit photosynthesis
- Organic pollution in Lebanese waters also inhibited
- Agricultural chemicals (Reconquista River) killed off most phytoplankton

6. Materials
- Glass jars with lids (57)
- Distilled water
- Phytoplankton
- Algae (purple helical coralline algae)
- Vernier Dissolved Oxygen probe
- Vernier LabQuest 2
- Gasoline
- Plastic water bottle
- Plastic grocery store bag
- Anti-fouling paint (Seahawk Mission Bay)
- Lead
- Cadmium
- Copper chops
- Iron flakes
- Atrazine pesticide
- Organic fertilizer
- Scotts Turf Builder
- Magnesium Sulfate fertilizer
- Granular pesticide
- Liquid pesticide
- Cigarette butts
- PVC plastic

7. Procedures
- Sterilize jars
- Label jars
- Add appropriate amount of pollutant to each jar
- 10 mL of most liquids
- 25 g most solids
- 1 piece of heavy metal
- Add 200 mL water to each jar
- Add 15 mL phytoplankton
- Seal jars
- Take DO readings using probe at 48, 72, and 96 hours
- Ensure probe is properly calibrated and cleaned each time

8. Data

9. Graphs

10. Images
This is an image of a few of the jars containing the pollutants that were
tested in the experiment. Grocery bag plastic, algae, anti-fouling
paint, lead, and copper can be seen here. (Taken November 7, 2020)
This is also an image of the jars containing the pollutants being
tested. Seen here is lead, copper, cadmium, iron, and atrazine.
(Taken November 7, 2020)
This is an image of the process of taking dissolved oxygen reading with the Vernier probe. Here, the probe is
inserted into the sample (here, it is copper), and the dissolved oxygen reading shows up on the Vernier LabQuest2.
This result is then recorded in the iPad to the left. (Taken November 9, 2020)
This is an image of the screen displayed on the Vernier LabQuest2
while taking dissolved oxygen readings. This reading is that of
cadmium at 48 hours from trial 2. (Taken November 9, 2020)

11. Statistics
ANOVA test that was run returned a p-
value of 1.52e -28.
Since this value is much less than 0.05
(significance level), it can be concluded
that variance between the means of each
of the pollutants is significantly different.

12. Conclusion
- Gasoline, atrazine, organic fertilizer, liquid pesticide, granular pesticide, cigarette butts = most detrimental
- Strong chemicals that readily released toxins into water
- Algae, anti-fouling paint, cadmium, copper, lead, PVC plastic, and water bottle plastic = least detrimental
- In forms that didn’t readily release toxins
- Grocery bag plastic, iron flakes, magnesium sulfate fertilizer, and Scotts turf builder = intermediate
- Either not as toxic as the worst pollutants, or were in forms that more readily released toxins than least
- Hypothesis - partly supported, and partly failed to be supported

13. Applications
- Ocean health
- Phytoplankton health
- Ocean is being increasingly polluted, phytoplankton must be protected
- Global warming
- Oxygen
- Base of food chain
- Nutrient cycling
- Creation of legislation and regulations
- Ban or limit release of certain pollutants into ocean
- Protect health of phytoplankton, and thus the health of all marine life
- Ensure primary producers of the ocean are protected!

14. Limitations
- Due to COVID-19, had to be done at home
- Limited in tools
- Depth project could go into
- Pollutants that could be used
- Time
- Couldn’t do more extensive measurement over weeks, month, or even years

15. Error Analysis
- Done at home
- Technical errors
- Human errors
- Probe calibration
- Varying pressure conditions because of weather
- Caused some slightly negative DO values (most negative was -0.2 mg/L)
- No large errors occurred

16. Future Research
- Test more pollutants
- Test effects of pollutants on other organisms
- Over longer periods of time
- Effects specifically had on phytoplankton (what the pollutants actually do)
- Specific compounds within pollutants that are causing harm

17. Thank you!