Sustainable science – wonderful water with Kelly Osterberg

Let’s go with the flow with five fun and fascinating fast facts about water, an interview with Kelly Osterberg, an educator who knows a lot about water catchments, and a watery activity for you to try yourself at home.

 

Presented by Jenny Lynch and Matilda. Written and produced by Jenny Lynch. Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.

 

Support the podcast to keep it ad-free! https://buymeacoffee.com/creativescience

Join the email list: https://www.creativescience.com.au/contact/

Creative Science: https://www.creativescience.com.au

Facebook: @creativescienceaustralia

Instagram: @creative_science_australia

 

Episode content:

00:20 Introduction and fast facts

04:45 Interview with Kelly Osterberg

11:08 Water from leaves activity

 

WaterNSW https://www.waternsw.com.au

WaterNSW Education https://www.waternsw.com.au/education

WaterNSW on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@WaterNSWvideos

 

Water from leaves activity

You will need: a large clear plastic bag, some string, and a healthy tree with lots of leaves that is in a sunny place.  

1. Choose a leafy branch hanging down low and bending towards the ground.
2. Place the plastic bag over the branch so there are lots of leaves inside the bag.
3. Gather the edges of the bag and hold the edges firmly around the branch. Tie some string around the bag to hold it in place on the branch. Try to position the bag so water will collect in the bottom of the bag without leaking out.
4. Leave the bag in place for several hours or overnight. After a few hours, you should start to see water collecting in the bottom of the bag.

What’s happening?

The water vapour made by the leaves condenses on the inside of the plastic bag to form liquid water which then flows down and collects at the bottom of the bag. This method for collecting the ‘transpiration’ water from plants is a bush survival skill people can use if they are stranded in the bush with no fresh water to drink, however, you should not drink the water you collected in this activity because it might not be very clean. Maybe you can pour the water back around the bottom of the tree so the roots can soak it up for more transpiration.