Production

For the production of our project, we have spilt it into multiple different sections each equipped with their own set of steps and materials required. 

We began by assembling the beginning parts of our study where we gathered different materials used in building the coastal homes that were affected and placed them into saltwater to watch how these materials degrade over the course of a few weeks. The materials we focused on are rusty nails, wood, a plastic container, and aluminum foil. This is meant to mimic the materials that are degrading on the ocean floor and what happens to them after the fires.

Next, we placed each of these materials into their own separate container's of saltwater as opposed to putting them all together like we did at first. This part of the experiment allowed us to see which material is most harmful to the water individually. We observed and collected data of what happens to these materials in the containers to help draw conclusions.  We did the same with container containing all of the materials as well. 

After we allowed for some time for these materials to sit in the water, we collected samples and tested them with water quality strips to test the lead, nickel, pH, and many other metals that could possibly be in all of the different tanks. These were additional important data points that strengthen our understanding of what's happening in the ocean.

The last steps of the production process were to use all the information we got from the various parts of our experiment to deduce how safe the ocean is to swim in right now and if it is wise for researchers and scientists to be reopening the beaches. 

An additional part of tying our project together wad comparing and contrasting our findings with similar research conducted by a team of experts at UCLA who specialize in what we are studying. By doing this, our project gained a proffesional perspective on this topic. When we interviewed one of the experts, we were able to get insight on the conclusions the team has made and their take on a study that breaks down how certain materials affect the ocean. This interview also helped us narrow down our project into what will give us the most evidence to back up our conclusions.

Below are many different photos from different times and aspects of our project and  the evolvement of the tanks and how the water looks overtime.