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Kristin J.

Narrative

Natural And Cultural history of Piney Z / Lake Lafayette

  1. Piney Z is a site, which gets it’s name from an abundance of pine trees and it’s z-
    shaped land configuration. Piney Z is located east of Tallahassee, and about a mile off of Appalachee Parkway. Piney Z is one of the many lakes included in the Lake Lafayette area.
  2. Man has impacted this area in many different ways. Considering in the past, Indians use to inhabit this area, using every resource, making sure they used their resources wisely. For the present, man has deteriorated this area and it’s resources. People have dug in many places looking for ancient artifacts, not being mindful of how they were destroying this area. Also, people have started building homes and destroying the nature of Piney Z. Today, many wildlife conservers have started taking a closer look at the future of Piney Z. For the future we can look forward to a system to build up what was lost. Piney Z is a man made restored lake.

This is a picture of the houses that have destroyed the nature of Piney Z.

This is a picture of Piney Z on one of its not so good days.
This picture was taken from Dike 3.

This is a picture of my group and me. This picture was taken from the first time we went to the lake.

Eutrophication

Eutrophication is a condition in an aquatic ecosystem where high nutrient conditions stimulate blooms of algae. (example- phytoplankton)

Why Should We Be Concerned?

Although eutrophication is a natural process in the aging of lakes and some estuaries, human activities can greatly accelerate eutrophication by increasing the rate at which nutrients and organic substances enter aquatic ecosystems from their surrounding watersheds. Agricultural runoff, urban runoff, leaking septic systems, sewage discharges, eroded stream banks, and similar sources can increase the flow of nutrients and organic substances into aquatic systems. These substances can over stimulate the growth of algae, creating conditions that interfere with the recreational use of lakes and estuaries, and the health and diversity of indigenous fish, plant, and animal populations.

Algal blooms hurt the system in two ways. First, they cloud the water and block sunlight, causing underwater grasses to die. Because these grasses provide food and shelter for aquatic creatures (such as the blue crab and summer flounder), spawning and nursery habitat is destroyed and waterfowl have less to eat when grasses die off. Second, when the algae die and decompose, oxygen is used up. Dissolved oxygen in the water is essential to most organisms living in the water, such as fish and crabs. Increased eutrophication from nutrient enrichment due to human activities is one of the leading problems facing some estuaries in the mid-Atlantic.

Karst Topography

This is an example of how the Piney Z area is. It is a combination of underground and aboveground water that passages and systems of sinkholes. Also, Karst topography is caused by soluble rock sediment underground. Forcing all nutrients into our Floridian Aquifer. This is harmful because we really do not know what to do to stop the flow of the nutrients from eventually landing in the water that we’ll be drinking.
http://www.dhr.dos.state.fl.us

The Floridian Aquifer

The Floridian aquifer underlies all of Florida, South Georgia, and parts of both Alabama and South Carolina. This particular aquifer system is one of the major sources of ground water in the United States. The Floridian aquifer is composed of several carbonate rock formations that are connected by water flow to make one hydrologic unit, which is why the development has been uneven. Two different things have interrupted the flow system of the aquifer: man's activities such as pumpage, impoundments, and dredging as well as deviation from normal amounts of rainfall. The disruption of the aquifer's flow could begin at almost any point on its path. The aquifer's water originates in the larger bodies of water of the Appalachian region; it flows downstream until it is forced underground. The aquifer flows from the higher altitudes of North Georgia and South Carolina to the flatter area, which is Florida.

Water Quality

Water Quality is important to the maintaining of the lake. These aspects help control and balance the lake for aquatic, plant, and animal life can survive. These aspects are: Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, Turbidity, Phosphates, and Nitrates.

  • Temperature is an important factor in the Piney Z area. The temperature is used to maintain a temperature for organisms to live and grow. It can affect the lake in many ways. If the water is too hot or too cold fish, plants, animals, and other organic life cannot survive. We measured the temperature of the lake by the use of a graphing calculator device.


  • Dissolved Oxygen is the amount of oxygen dissolved in water. This is important in that if the Dissolved Oxygen level is too low, the fish won’t have enough oxygen to breathe. We measured the Dissolved Oxygen in the lake by the use of Winkler method.


  • ph is the amount of acid in the water. The natural pH is 7, which is a neutral pH level. If the lake has a eutropicated level, it causes the pH level to jump up and down causing the lake to have too much acid or not enough. This would cause problems for the organism’s ability to survive. We measured this by the use of a graphing calculator device.
  • If the lake is has turbidity, than it has sediment or foreign particles suspended in it. This can affect the eutropication of the lake and the lakes pH level. We measured turbidity through the use of our visual observation.


  • Phosphates and Nitrates are two essential nutrients for plants and other animal life to survive. Fertilizers and lightening are examples of how the levels of these nutrients can be thrown off. We measured this by the use of a graphing calculator device.