Abstract

====Our group's research question was to find out how science can be used to determine the effects of chemical pollution to its environment within the West lake. We examined the question from different perspectives. ====

====As Physicists, we aimed to find a method to measure the pollution level of the lake. In order to do this, we took different water samples from around the lake with different pollution levels, and we measured the refractive index of each sample in order to formulate a relationship between the pollution level of the water and its refractive index. ====

====To figure out the level of pollution, our chemists compared the levels of contaminants in tap water and lake water from the West Lake. We assumed that the lake water would be more contaminated in all aspects. Generally, our hypothesis was correct but there were some inconsistencies where tap water had higher levels of contaminants. ====

====Our biologists aimed to figure out the differences in the anatomy of the identical aquatic species caught in the West Lake and caught in the non-polluted environment, as we expected that the pollution would have caused some physical deformities. The results of the experiment showed that there are no visible physical differences, but we concluded that there may still be diseases undetectable merely from the appearance. ====

====Assuming that pollution would affect the human life around the lake, we, as Environmental Systems and Societies researchers, interviewed the local and foreign people around the lake for their thoughts about the pollution. The results showed that local people don’t view West Lake as polluted; they use it for cooking and personal needs, some of them even making their main income from it. However, foreigners believe that it is the source of filth and diseases that they would never eat seafood from it. ====