Parramatta River

Lesson 1

Activity 1

Watch the following video.

Open a Word document. In your Word document, answer the following questions.

• What is ecological sustainability, and why is it important?
• How is ecological sustainability proposed to be achieved in the video?

Activity 2

Watch the following two videos, and make some key geographical notes based on the videos. The more notes that you make, the eaiser it will be to complete future activities. After you watch the videos, answer the following questions in your Word document.

• Explain what is pollution.
• How is the Parramatta River being polluted? Where is the pollution coming from?
• How is pollution impacting on the Parramatta River?
• Which volunteer groups work on the Parramatta River, and what do they do?

Activity 3

Watch the following video. Make some notes as you watch the video, and then answer the following questions.

• What do the people and groups in the video aim to achieve by 2025, and how will this be achieved?
• What is the point of making the Parramatta River swimmable? How will this impact on both humans and the environment?
• From 1:15 to 1:35, there was a model demonstration. What was happening, and what did it represent?

Activity 4

We have just learnt a lot about the Parramatta River and its pollution problem. But it would be really good if we could now properly locate it.

Go to Google Earth. Find a map of the whole Parramatta River, from where it begins to where it ends, and everything in between. Take a screenshot of the map. Open a Publisher publication, and copy and paste your map into. Now highlight on the map where the river flows.

Do not forget to save your Word document and your Publisher publication.

Lesson 2

This virtual fieldwork study will contain six virtual fieldwork videos. As you watch them, make some key geographical notes based on what you observe in the videos.

Activity 5

Open your Word document. Watch the first virtual fieldwork video, and then answer the following questions.

• Describe the environment. Was there an overlap between the natural environment and human environment? How were humans interacting with the environment?
• Was there any pollution? If so, what pollution did you observe?
• From 1:15 the video showed a boat using the river. What happened to the river after the boat passed?
• At numerous sections of the river, including the section shown at the beginning of the video, large amounts of rocks are being held together by mesh. What might be the purpose of this? How might it be linked to the impact of the boats?

Were you able to answer the last two points? If not, no worries. You will now get some help, and then you can go back and answer those questions again.

What you saw in the video being generated by the boats is known as wash. Boat wash is artificial waves being created by the movements of boats. These are generally stronger than natural waves, and the size and speed of the boats can change the intensity of the wash. 

Activity 6

Go to the following link, and read the section titled 'Bank erosion and wash'.

http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/maritime/safety-rules/general-info/environmen…

Now try and answer the last two points in the previous activity again.

Activity 7

Watch the second virtual fieldwork video.

This video showed a weir. Specifically, this is the Charles Street Weir. A weir is a miniature dam that manipulates and regulates the flow of waterways. Why might this be necessary?

Watch the following two videos, and then answer the following questions.

• What is a weir, and what is its purpose? 
• Why is it necessary to establish weirs?
• The Charles Street Weir also has an additional function. It seperates the fresh water section of the Parramatta River from the the salt water section. Upstream of the weir is the fresh water section, and downstream is the salt water section. Why would this also be an important function of the Charles Street Weir?

Activity 8

Select a moment during the first two virtual fieldwork videos that shows a wide shot of the Parramatta River. Note which video it is in and at what time it appears. Then create a field sketch of what you see in that moment on a blank sheet of A4 paper.

Do not forget to save your Word document, and do not lose you field sketch.

Lesson 3

Activity 9

Watch the third virtual fieldwork video.

This video shows the section of Parramatta River surroinding the Charles Street Weir, particularly the section upstream of the weir. How does the river section upstream of the weir differ to that downstream of the weir?

Select a moment in the video that you see a wide shot of the Parramatta River upstream of the Charles Street Weir. Note the time that it appears in the video, and create a field sketch of what you see.

Activity 10

You should now have two field sketches: one sketch made from either the first or second virtual fieldwork video that shows the river downstream of the wier, and one sketch that shows the river upstream of the weir.

Open your Word document, and compare and contrast the two sections of the Parramatta River, using your field sketches as examples.

• How are the two sections similar? What are the similarities? Why might that be?
• How are the two sections different? What are the differences? Why might that be?
• One key difference in the two sections is the riverbanks and surrounding area. How are the riverbanks and surrounding areas of the two sections different to each other? Why might that be?

Activity 11

We have been studying the Parramatta River. Specifically, we have been focusing on the area surrounding the Charles Street Weir in Parramatta. We should try to locate the area on a map.

Go to Google Earth. Find a map that shows the sections of the Parramatta River shown in the virtual fieldwork videos. Take a screenshot of the map. Open your Publisher publication. Copy and paste the map into your Publisher publication.

You should now have two maps: one map that show the whole Parramatta River, and one map that shows the area shown in the virtual fieldwork videos.

Highlight on the first map the area represented by the second map.

Now try to plot the places shown in the virtual fieldwork videos on the second map.

In which general direction is the Parramatta River flowing?

What is the latitude and longitude of the Charles Street Weir?

What is the latitude and longitude of the Parramatta Wharf?

What is the bearing of the Charles Street Weir from the Parramatta Wharf?

What is the bearing of the Parramatta Wharf from the Charles Street Weir?

Do not forget to save your Word document and Publisher publication, and do not lose your field sketches.

Lesson 4

Activity 12

Watch the fourth vitural fieldwork study video.

Open your Word document, and answer the following questions.

• What fauna did you see in the video? (You do not need to be too specific if you do not know the species)
• Make a table. The collumns should be labelled after the types of animals. For example, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, etc. Try and find out what other species of animals live in and around the Parramatta River.

Activity 13

Watch the following two videos, and answer the following questions.

• What is pH?
• What does it mean for pH to be acidic, neutral or basic?
• Why is it important to know pH levels?
• What is the optimum pH level for water?

Activity 14

Watch the fifth and sixth virtual fieldwork videos, and answer the following questions.

You just observed pH tests being conducted on the water and the soil of the riverbank of the Parramatta River just downstream of the Charles Street Weir. When recording the results of the test, it is important to note the number and not just the colour as different tests may use different colour schemes.

• What was the pH level of the soil? Is this acidic, neutral or basic?
• Is the pH level of the soil optimum? 
• What factors may have impacted on the pH level of the soil?

• The first square on the water test strip represents the pH level. What was the pH level of the water? Is this acidic, neutral or basic?
• The third square on the water test strip represents alkalinity, which is how basic the water is. Was the total alkalinity of the water high or low? How does this relate to the pH level?
• Is the pH level of the water optimum?
• What factors may have impacted on the pH level of the water?

• How does the pH level of the water relate to that of the soil?
• What impacts are these pH levels having on the environment?

It is important to note that the pH tests shown in he virtual fieldwork videos are not conclusive. 

• Why are these pH tests not conclusive?
• What would have to be done to get conclusive results?

Do not forget to save your Word document.