On Thursday the 28 June, we went down to the Otago University with Dr Phillips to visit the Mellor Laboratories.

Along with Hayley Everett and Emily Joyce, we were looking to extend our knowledge about testing water samples for our CREST project. At the labs we learnt how to analyse collected Tomahawk Lagoon water samples for phosphate and nitrate.

We are participating in a Bronze Crest Award which is why we were down at the Mellor Labs. To receive the Science award you must complete a project. For our project we will be kayaking across the lower Tomahawk Lagoon and collecting five water samples which we will then take to the university to analyse for phosphate and nitrate. This will help scientists studying Tomahawk and others who are a part of the Tomahawk team. This project came about because the Tomahawk Lagoon research team have had Jenna Knarston, Hayley Warren and Mridula Mannan collecting data with them over the last two years. We are analysing samples from across the lagoon because we and the Tomahawk team would like to a test to see whether the levels of phosphate, nitrate will stay the same or if the levels of these chemicals vary across the river.