Audience: mid-level undergraduate hydrology students
Time: 2–3 hours
Author: Tao Wen
Provider: SERC, Data and Model Driven Hydrology Education
The SERC teaching activity uses online observations to examine stream chemistry around brine-disposal locations in Pennsylvania. It also introduces questions about earthquakes and disposal of waters produced during oil and gas extraction.
Students compare water chemistry upstream and downstream, investigate possible explanations for seismic events, and use public records to examine brine disposal. The activity develops data-analysis, interpretation, and synthesis skills.
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The activity page provides instructions and assessment questions. Its listed tools include HydroClient, the Pennsylvania DEP oil and gas mapping tool, and Google Earth. Instructors should check these services before class and adapt the instructions if an interface has changed.
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