Students want to determine the impact of soil erosion from the development of new housing. They plan to measure the density of a
species of algae growing along the bottom of a river that flows through their town. The town is built in a heavily forested area, but a large area of trees along the river was recently clear-cut to allow for the construction of a new housing development, which has caused exposed soil to wash into the river. The river flows north to south through the town and is still forested both up- and downstream of the town. Which of the following explains the variable that would be the best for students to measure to determine the direct impact of soil erosion caused by the construction project on the river?
D). Turbidity, because a decrease in water clarity would indicate and increase in soil erosion.
Explanation:
The last option most aptly describes the direct effect of soil erosion i.e. 'turbidity' which would assist the students in discovering the impact produced by the construction project built on the river. The turbidity is characterized as the 'unit of measuring the transparency of a fluid or the state of being unclear and lesser sediments being disturbed' which <u>causes a significant fall in clarity of the water which signals that there has been a rise in erosion of soil after the construction of the project</u>. Thus, <u>option D</u> is the correct answer.
