Created by: Lauren Sless, Colleen Gardina, and Whitney McClees

    The Spume Effect was our research project for the Environmental Science Summer Research Experience for Young Women.  We investigated the effect of pH and phosphate on algae in the Back Woods of Roland Park Country School.  We noticed that the levels of algae were low in an area with a lot of sunlight and water, in which algae would normally thrive, and high in a different area where algae would be less common (with less sunlight and less water).  We also noticed that pH was high in the area of low algae and low in the area of high algae. The phosphate levels were the curious part because they were relatively the same between the two areas.  Phosphate is one of the three components that make up DNA and RNA.  Therefore, it is extremely important in the makeup of algae.  Without phosphate, the algae would not exist.  We researched that pH, phosphate and algae were all connected.  The correlation between all three was a typically high pH, low phosphate levels and low algae levels (or vice versa).  If pH is around 6.5, it will allow phosphate to be freed up for plants and algae to use.  Therefore, we decided that the unusually high levels of algae, in a site where algae should not be high, are due to the low pH releasing high levels of phosphate for the algae to use and be more plentiful.

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