Every apple has a voice: using stable isotopes to teach about food sourcing and the water cycle

Abstract

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Agricultural crops such as fruits take up irrigation and meteoric water and incorporate it into their tissue (<q>fruit water</q>) during growth, and the geographic origin of a fruit may be traced by comparing the H and O stable isotope composition (<i>δ</i>²H and <i>δ</i>¹⁸O values) of fruit water to the global geospatial distribution of H and O stable isotopes in precipitation. This connection between common fruits and the global water cycle provides an access point to connect with a variety of demographic groups to educate about isotope hydrology and the water cycle. Within the context of a 1-day outreach activity designed for a wide spectrum of participants (high school students, undergraduate students, high school science teachers) we developed introductory lecture materials, in-class participatory demonstrations of fruit water isotopic measurement in real time, and a computer lab exercise to couple actual fruit water isotope data with open-source online geospatial analysis software. We assessed learning outcomes with pre- and post-tests tied to learning objectives, as well as participant feedback surveys. Results indicate that this outreach activity provided effective lessons on the basics of stable isotope hydrology and the water cycle. However, the computer lab exercise needs to be more specifically tailored to the abilities of each participant group. This pilot study provides a foundation for further development of outreach materials that can effectively engage a range of participant groups in learning about the water cycle and the ways in which humans modify the water cycle through agricultural activity.</p>