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Asian Carp Deterrent Experiment at the Keokuk Lock and Dam 19

The video introduces the geologist heading up a carp deterrent experiment at the Lock and Dam in Keokuk, Iowa. The deterrent uses sound waves to avert Asian carp from migrating up the river. The Asian carp is considered an invasive species and is believed to have accidentally entered the Mississippi River in the 1980s. Since the carp is a filter feeder it eats the plankton in the waterways which reduces the water quality. It is also devastating to native species because of the competition it creates for space and food. The Asian carp deterrent is an important experiment because it would stop the carp from migrating further north and eventually infiltrating the Great Lakes.

Location
Lock and Dam 19, Keokuk, Iowa

Driving Question

Probing Questions

Classroom Suggestions

Resources

Iowa Core Alignment

MS-LS2-4:

Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations

Credit Info

Submitted by Courtney Giesel.

Facility, research and staff support provided by the USGS, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.

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