Aim:
To show that the soil revealed when excavating a mine will melt the Arctic faster than normal (By absorbing heat).
Hypothesis:
I believe that the ice-block covered in dirt (mine) will melt much faster than than the one without dirt.
Variables:
One Ice-block will be covered in dirt while the other shall not. Everything else such as the distance and angle of the light must remain the same for both ice-blocks as well as the brand of light and lamp in order to keep the heat emitted as close to exact as possible. The volume of water in the larger containers as well as the volume of water going into the containers to create ice must also be exact. The two large containers as well as the two smaller must also be the same size and of the same volume.
Science Experiment 1
Materials:
1. (2) identical small containers
2. (2) identical large containers
3. Water
4. Freezer
5. A cup of Dirt
6. (2) Bowls
7. (2) Lamps
8. Measuring Cylinder
2. (2) identical large containers
3. Water
4. Freezer
5. A cup of Dirt
6. (2) Bowls
7. (2) Lamps
8. Measuring Cylinder
Method:
1. Fill the 2 small container with exactly the same amount of water. Use the measuring cylinder if it makes things any easier.
2. Place the containers into the freezer and wait for them to freeze.
3. While waiting for the water to freeze set up other materials.
4. First lay the two larger containers on a table next to a power point
5. Set up the 2 lamps and place them at the same angle and distance from the container (One for each container).
6. Fill the large containers with the exactly the same amount of water, do not fill it to the top.
7. Place a bowl upside down in the water and wriggle it around untill the air escapes and it sinks.
7. Take your ice-blocks out of the freezer and gently take them out of the containers.
8. Lay them on top of the bowls so the tops are out of the water.
9. Sprinkle one of the blocks with dirt (Try and cover as much of the surface area as possible).
10. Take a picture every 5 minutes to record results.
2. Place the containers into the freezer and wait for them to freeze.
3. While waiting for the water to freeze set up other materials.
4. First lay the two larger containers on a table next to a power point
5. Set up the 2 lamps and place them at the same angle and distance from the container (One for each container).
6. Fill the large containers with the exactly the same amount of water, do not fill it to the top.
7. Place a bowl upside down in the water and wriggle it around untill the air escapes and it sinks.
7. Take your ice-blocks out of the freezer and gently take them out of the containers.
8. Lay them on top of the bowls so the tops are out of the water.
9. Sprinkle one of the blocks with dirt (Try and cover as much of the surface area as possible).
10. Take a picture every 5 minutes to record results.
Results
In the experiment above my hypothesis proved incorrect as the iceblock without dirt melted much faster. The ice-covered in dirt melted in 16 minutes flat while the ice-block covered in dirt decided to stick around till well over 20 minutes. I was quite surprised that this was the case and decided to do the experiment again with the positions reversed and this time the ice-block covered in dirt melted much faster than the ice-block without. Due to this I decided it was an unfair test and thought up a fairer test. I also found that as the ice melts a lot of dirt escapes into the water despite the ice-block melting slowly and this may be a problem in the Arctic environment.
Discussion of Results:
I believe the results in the experiment was due to the fact that in the freezer water expands and may not end up in the same shape. I know for a fact that one ice-block had trapped a lot of air while the other had not. A way to solve this problem would be to use a smaller scale and make this easier to control perhaps using an ice tray. Also even using the same brand of light bulbs and lamps it is unlikely that it will be possible to get temperature exact. This may be the reason that both melted faster if in the container closest to the wall. Also though the large plastic containers were exactly the same one was more worn and, as most plastics are if weak, was slightly off shape. To solve this would be too use a glass container or place them both in the same container. Overall I think this experiment had other variables which altered the result.
Conclusion
The experiment was unreliable and my hypothesis was changed from incorrect to correct when I simply switched the positions of the ice-blocks. Due to this I am unsure whether ice with dirt melts faster than simply ice alone. Because of the problems in this experiment I repeated the experiment (see below).
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Science Experiment (2)
Materials
1. Ice block tray
2. Large Container
3. Lamp or other portable light
4. Freezer
5. Water
6. Measuring Cylinder
7. Teaspoon of Dirt
2. Large Container
3. Lamp or other portable light
4. Freezer
5. Water
6. Measuring Cylinder
7. Teaspoon of Dirt
Method
1. Measure out an equal amount of water using the measuring cyclinder into two moulds in the ice block tray.
2. Place in freezer and wait to freeze
3. While the water is freezing pour water into the large container and place the lamp at the edge of the container in the centre.
4. Take ice-blocks out of the freezer once frozen and pop them out of the tray.
5. Layer one of the two with dirt.
6. Place them in the center of the container.
7. Take a picture every minute as the ice-blocks melt away
2. Place in freezer and wait to freeze
3. While the water is freezing pour water into the large container and place the lamp at the edge of the container in the centre.
4. Take ice-blocks out of the freezer once frozen and pop them out of the tray.
5. Layer one of the two with dirt.
6. Place them in the center of the container.
7. Take a picture every minute as the ice-blocks melt away
Results
In the experiment above my hypothesis proved correct every time with the iceblock without dirt melting much faster. The ice-block covered in dirt was gone in 4 minutes yet the ice-block without dirt stuck around for over 5 minutes. I also tested the experiment three times so I decided that it was a fair test.
Discussion of Results
I believe that though the experiment worked perfectly it would have perhaps been better to have the iceblocks slightly larger, but not too large, as the small ice-blocks melted in a few minutes and made it very hard to get a decent picture with only a minute to spare. Perhaps a smaller container holding the water would have been better as with less surface area of water the slower the ice-block melts.
Conclusion
In the second experiment I tested it three times to confirm my results were correct. My hypothesis was correct and ice melts faster if it is covered by dirt. From these results I am confident to conclude that ice and snow will melt faster when mining activities excavate the ground revealing patches of dirt. Dirt and water does absorb more heat than ice and if we mine in the Arctic it will help speed up the process of the melting Arctic.