{"id":22567,"date":"2017-11-14T14:31:20","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T19:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=22567"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:37:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:37:06","slug":"go-with-the-flow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=22567","title":{"rendered":"Go with the Flow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Streambeds act as natural water filters by trapping particles and pollutants. To better understand the dynamics of these small yet complex systems, a UNC hydrologist is creating (and clogging) her own stream<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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\"Kaylyn
Kaylyn Gootman observes the water in the racetrack flume, as her undergraduate research assistant Savannah Swinea sets the Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The basement of Chapman Hall is a maze. Wind through several hallways, swipe a UNC OneCard to gain access through a heavy, locked door, and enter the massive chamber of the\u00a0Joint Applied Math and Marine Sciences Fluids lab<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Turn left, walk past the wind tunnel and the towering 36-meter wave tank, and you\u2019ll see hundreds of gallons of water swirling threw an elevated metal structure. Kaylyn Gootman, a PhD candidate in the\u00a0Curriculum in Environment and Ecology<\/a>, dumps a large plastic bag full of what looks like flour into the water and watches closely as the contents disperse.<\/p>\n

The large oval-shaped metal structure, called a racetrack flume, holds approximately 430 gallons of water, the equivalent of about eight bath tubs. Using an electric trolling motor and an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV), Gootman can control the direction and speed of the water. The material that looks like flour is actually finely ground clay \u2014 and Gootman is very interested in how it moves.<\/p>\n

Gootman calls the set-up a \u201cmock stream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re studying the physical impact of a natural pollutant \u2014 like how much clay gets embedded in a streambed \u2014 and the natural clean-up processes that the water circulation of a stream provides,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Water movement is complex \u2014 in a natural stream, water flows up, down, and all around. To understand the whole system, Gootman, and her undergraduate assistant Savannah Swinea, are examining the individual processes of a stream they built here in the fluids lab.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to narrow our focus to major physical controls allows us to study a few key processes without much interference,\u201d Gootman says. \u201cThat knowledge can then act as a foundation for better understanding in the natural environment where things happen in multiple directions and dimensions all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Constructing a stream<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think of a streambed as a kidney. \u201cKidneys filter blood, and streams filter water \u2014 both trap toxins,\u201d Gootman says. While kidneys filter toxins like alcohol, streams break down particles from surface water runoff including pollutants from irrigation, construction, or industrial agriculture. But just as kidneys can fail, so can streams \u2014 a kidney stone is akin to a clogged streambed.<\/p>\n

Gootman\u2019s research can help geoscientists, developers, and land owners better understand erosion events, especially as they relate to urbanization. How much pollution can a stream filter before the system gets overwhelmed?<\/p>\n

Working in the fluids lab allows her to save time and resources \u2014 and she\u2019s not harming the environment. \u201cGoing out to a stream and dumping a bunch of clay in it would not be very good environmental stewardship,\u201d Gootman says with a smile.<\/p>\n

Using a contained system like the racetrack flume also gives her the ability to obtain precise measurements.\u00a0 She can focus on one particular direction of water movement, like down-welling, or the downward flow of water into the streambed. Examining each parameter individually simplifies the inherently complex nature of fluid dynamics.<\/p>\n

Obstructing a stream<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Gootman
Gootman holds some of the sand she and Swinea use to \u201cclog\u201d their stream.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Turbidity, or the level of \u201ccloudiness\u201d in the water, is another important indicator when measuring quality \u2014 but it\u2019s a difficult measurement to obtain in natural streams. \u201cThe most accurate way to measure turbidity is to take samples, then go back to the lab to filter them,\u201d Gootman says. \u201cAnd you have to do that a lot. It\u2019s really expensive and time consuming.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there are other methods for measuring turbidity, including optical sensors. \u201cOptical back scatter\u201d is a technical term used by hydrologists that refers to the use of light to determine how much material is in a body of water. Optical backscatter sensors (OBS) emit infrared light into the water column. As soon as the light comes into contact with suspended particles, it bounces back to the sensor. Faster signals indicate more particles in the water.<\/p>\n

Gootman and other hydrologists measure the optical back scatter in river networks all over the world, but no two rivers are the same. \u201cIt\u2019s very location specific work \u2014 a calibration for the Haw River is different from the Mississippi,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s another advantage of working in the fluids lab \u2014 we can make these kinds of calibrations more accurately and easily than we can in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decoding the data<\/strong><\/p>\n

The value of this kind of high-tech instrumentation is it records every tiny signal \u2014 the downside is it records\u00a0a lot<\/em>\u00a0of data. On paper, it looks like a jumbled mess. \u201cThe instrumentation is so sensitive it\u2019s almost like earthquake data,\u201d Gootman says. To make sense of it, Gootman meets with UNC\u2019s resident earth science data expert and chair of the Department of Geological Sciences,\u00a0Jonathan Lees. \u201cHe\u2019s helped me discern the signal from the noise,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In addition to decoding her backscatter data, Gootman analyzes the migration of clay particles by examining sediment cores. \u201cHow deep clay particles travel into the streambed tells us a lot about the physics of the water in the stream,\u201d she says. \u201cYou might not think that a tiny thing like bits of clay could have a large impact but enough of it over a certain amount of time could.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gootman and Swinea spend hours separating the sediment cores by hand in the lab \u2014 but that only gets them so far. \u00a0Fortunately, Gootman can borrow a laser particle size analyzer from\u00a0Laura Moore<\/a>, \u00ad\u00addirector of the\u00a0UNC Coastal Environmental Change Lab<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to utilizing the resources and expertise of the Department of Geological Sciences, Gootman also collaborates with faculty in math, physics, and marine sciences. \u201cThis is inherently collaborative work,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd it has also afforded me the opportunity to be a mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blazing a trail<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Swinea
Swinea holds the ADV steady as Gootman begins to fill the flume with water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a junior pursuing a major in environmental science and a minor in marine science, Swinea knew she wanted to get experience with hands-on research.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking for research opportunities for the summer and realized that UNC has a program for students in the geosciences from underrepresented communities,\u201d Swinea says. The\u00a0IDEA Undergraduate Research Experience<\/a>, a program funded by the\u00a0National Science Foundation<\/a>, matched Swinea with Gootman and the two women have created a strong partnership.<\/p>\n

The collaboration has given Swinea experience and research skills she didn\u2019t have before this past summer. \u201cLearning how to program a probe or use a test tube is useful, but the biggest things I\u2019ve learned from Kaylyn are being adaptable and being patient \u2014 those are overarching qualities that you don\u2019t necessarily learn in a class.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Swinea\u2019s enthusiasm and eagerness to learn also inspires Gootman. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool to see a woman who is younger than me on the early part of her scientific path,\u201d she says. \u201cSavannah is a great student \u2014 she\u2019s curious, she\u2019s a quick learner and she\u2019s not afraid to ask for help when she\u2019s stuck. And she\u2019s getting started with research much earlier than I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the greatest strengths of their work together, and one of the most vital things for Swinea, has been seeing herself in Gootman. Because Gootman also went to UNC for undergrad, Swinea can visualize a similar trajectory for herself. \u201cKaylyn has given me a lot of advice about academia and grad school and life decisions,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat\u2019s kept me on the science path is not only teachers and peers encouraging me \u2014 it\u2019s being able to see myself in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Swinea contemplates the possibilities associated with a career in science, Gootman considers impact of the research they\u2019re currently conducting together. \u201cThere are lots of things happening to our rivers and streams as housing developments and commercial developments increase,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The work Gootman and Swinea are doing in the fluids lab will one day help inform issues like bank erosion, excess runoff, and water quality. \u201cOur data provides information on the baseline physical dynamics of streams \u2014 how water functions as a filter,\u201d Gootman says. \u201cHaving that information on hand can help us target places to study out in the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kaylyn Gootman is a PhD candidate in the Curriculum in Environment and Ecology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Savannah Swinea is an undergraduate pursuing a major in environmental science and a minor in marine science. She was a 2017 recipient of the IDEA Program, administered by the UNC Institute for the Environment.<\/em><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Joint Applied Math and Marine Sciences Fluids lab<\/a>\u00a0is supported by the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, National Institutes of Health, and UNC College of Arts and Sciences. The racetrack flume is owned by three principal investigators, including Brian White, Rich McLaughlin, and Roberto Camassa.<\/em><\/p>\n

Story by Mary Lide Parker for endeavors <\/a>magazine.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Streambeds act as natural water filters by trapping particles and pollutants. 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