Through hands-on investigation, students measure water chemistry and observe organisms found in Corpus Christi Bay. Students use laptop computers to add their data to the Aquarium's water quality data set, and to graph and analyze the data. Since students continuously expand the data set, it may be used as a historical record of the health of Corpus Christi Bay.

Eighteen laptop computers have been generously donated to the Texas State Aquarium by

The following data can be downloaded into a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet for manipulation.

Download/Save Excel File

Click on "Download/Save Excel File," then save to your own computer as an Excel spreadsheet. In your saved document, use the graphing functions to compare different parameters over time.

Use the data to:

Discuss terms such as salinity, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, plankton, and temperature. How might we use these factors to determine the health of a bay habitat? How might these factors affect the plants and animals found in and around a bay habitat?

Identify weekly, monthly, or seasonal changes in temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, or pH. What trends can you note in each variable? What might contribute to changes in temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, or pH?