RESEARCH PURPOSE

The Proctor Pond is the only pond in Proctor Academy. The Proctor Pond plays a very important role. When its lake thaws, the microorganisms, insects and fish in the lake will form a natural ecosystem (Community). In winter, plants and animals in Pond are covered in a layer of ice and go into hibernation. Proctor Pond is not only the most stunning scenery on campus, it is also an integral part of the Proctor ecosystem

That's why our AP Environmental Science has a tradition that every year students do a Proctor Pond survey that examines lake water quality and ecosystems since 2007.

ABCDE? 5 things we need to focus on.

A- Abiotic (nitrate, phosphate)

B- Biotic (Micro creatures）

C- Cycles (Ecosystem cycles, Water cycles)

D- Diversity (the richness of species in the pond)

E- Energy (how energy operate the whole system)

Hypothesis

The Lovely Proctor Pond has experienced heavy rains, drainage, drought and various changes from year by year. Considering Proctor Pond's status as one of the school's most famous landmarks, sights, and even a popular swimming spot in some specific seasons, it's important to assess its health level. I considered nitrate levels, turbidity, pH levels, as well as phosphate and biodiversity, depending on the apparatus we used and how the specimens/samples were collected. If the Proctor pond is healthy, then we should see the turbidity level is low, benthic species are abundant, PH level is around neutral (7), and phosphate and nitrate levels are both low.

Our team currently considers it to be healthy, and its health condition is similar to previous years, because the data indicators are highly similar to those of previous years at this time of year