Stars and STEM Stories
A Study of the Effect of Fish in Agricultural Irrigation Water
Presence of fish may have an effect on water used to irrigate
crops. Students of Al-Hajer village (Oman) decided to test that theory
out. With the supervision of GLOBE Oman supervisor Asis Al-Hadi, the
students were able to apply the Water Protocol in their surrounding
ecosystem and utilize the information they observed about water
characteristics. They wanted to understand the importance of fish in
agricultural irrigation water and how the fish provide properties that
enhance soil characteristics.
The students conducted a study on the characteristics of Aflaj, which are traditional water channels used for agricultural irrigation in Oman. They focused on the presence of ammonia in the water due to the fish. The students used chemical reagents following the Water Protocol and compared the results with another Aflaj that does not contain fish. This helped them write a scientific research paper about their findings.
Images courtesy Asis Al-Hadi, GLOBE Oman.