Posted on 11/20/2009 1:36:13 PM PST by Willie Green
During the big Michigan Week jump, Ohio State University's Mirror Lake and a baby pool have a lot in common.
The jump, which will take place tonight, is one of many student traditions. But Ohio State also is a research university, so it was inevitable that someone would apply a little science to this ritual.
Last year, students in the College of Earth Sciences tested the water in Mirror Lake before, during and after thousands plunged in to psych themselves up for The Game.
"Interesting results from last year's study include a lake-wide temperature increase of approximately 3 degrees Fahrenheit during the course of the night and an ammonia spike around 1 in the morning," said Steve Goldsmith, a postdoctoral research associate.
The temperature increase could be chalked up to warm-blooded people standing in a cold lake, Goldsmith said. But, yes, that ammonia spike means exactly what you think it means.
Urine.
"It went from a background of 5.2 parts per million to a peak of about 42 parts per million," Goldsmith said. "So it was an eightfold increase."
Claire Mondro, a senior majoring in geology and English, helped with the research last year and plans to jump in with her friends tonight.
"It's nothing dangerous," she said. "It's just kind of icky."
Then she'll dry off and take water samples around 2 a.m.
The project has grown this year. Goldsmith said the sampling will continue every half-hour into the wee hours of Friday morning, and biology students will test for bacteria and other microbes.
It's a fun project, said Anne Carey, an associate professor of earth sciences who is overseeing the research. But the students take it seriously.
"We treat this as rigorously as any other research study we've done on natural water bodies," she said.
Goldsmith said he doesn't want to stop anyone from jumping in, though he does advise taking a shower afterward.
"Have fun, but don't open your mouth."
For real? Ur a smart feller!
There was an episode of South Park that dealt with too much urine in a water park pool. And they had percentages of allowable levels in the water. Geez, who knew somebody would take measurements in a lake after groups of people were in there.
Yes
Did I say that out loud?
IF Texas were flat and featureless, there would be enough for the whole world’s population...
And everyone would have a space bigger than my first post-home residence...
Yes, I can show you my math...
"I'm too old for that kind of stuff now."
I wonder if he'd heard about the test samples, though. :)
I’ve done that math myself, and I concur. The only problem is, where would they build the restaurants and the bars?
Second floor, silly :)
I had just hit reply to say the same thing when I saw your post. So much for "scientists", huh?
If i went up to a clean toilet bowl and took a massive morning pee would the ammonia level in it go up?
I think we need a multi-million dollar study on it, Just to know the facts.
Restaurants in Oklahoma and the bars are already in Louisiana.
Mirror lake looks HUGE.
Like my bathtube.
Like she said, not dangerous, just icky. Ammonia is dangerous in high enough concentrations, which these weren't, but the source doesn't matter. If the lake has fish, frogs, etc, it has ammonia.
Estimate 70 kg per person (a little more than 150 lbs). If people are close enough to neutrally boyant in water to assume that they have the same density as water (1 kg/liter) and you have 6.5 billion people then the total volume will be 455 million cubic meters. Spread that evenly over 335,258,000 square kilometers of ocean surface and you get 0.0014 mm displacement. Nope, not enough to notice.
If i went up to a clean toilet bowl and took a massive morning pee would the ammonia level in it go up?
It all depends on whether you remember to lift the lid.
I didn’t mean bathtube.
That a private thing between me and the “Tube.
hehe
I meant our bathtub.
Beautiful!
So, “I’m going out for a few beers with the guys,” means, “Don’t look for me ‘til next Tuesday.”
And going out to eat means, “Don’t forget to book a room.”
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