Audience: mid-level undergraduate hydrology students
Time: about 2 hours
Authors: Liza Brazil, Susan L. Brantley, Jennifer Z. Williams, Seth Pelepko, Stew Beattie, Kyle Homman, and Andrew Nyblade
Provider: SERC, Data and Model Driven Hydrology Education
This teaching activity guides students through three hypothetical water-supply investigations where methane has been detected in Pennsylvania surface waters. It uses Shale Network observations collected by Penn State, the U.S. Geological Survey, and volunteers.
Students examine stream chemistry, nearby oil and gas wells, and well records to consider different methane sources. The three examples concern Chartiers Creek, Black Moshannon Lake, and Sugar Run.
Access and teaching
Open the activity and lesson steps.
The activity provides instructions and assessment questions. It uses HydroClient and Pennsylvania oil and gas records; instructors should check those external services before class. Its purpose is to practice evidence-based investigation, not to infer a methane source from concentration alone.