During the big Michigan Week jump, Ohio State University's Mirror Lake and a baby pool have a lot in common.
The jump, which will take place Thursday night, is one of many student traditions. But Ohio State also is a research university, so it was inevitable that someone would apply a little science to this ritual.
Last year, students in the College of Earth Sciences tested the water in Mirror Lake before, during and after thousands plunged in to psych themselves up for The Game.
"Interesting results from last year's study include a lake-wide temperature increase of approximately 3 degrees Fahrenheit during the course of the night and an ammonia spike around 1in the morning," said Steve Goldsmith, a postdoctoral research associate.
The temperature increase could be chalked up to warm-blooded people standing in a cold lake, Goldsmith said. But, yes, that ammonia spike means exactly what you think it means.
Urine.
"It went from a background of 5.2 parts per million to a peak of about 42 parts per million," Goldsmith said. "So it was an eightfold increase."
Claire Mondro, a senior majoring in geology and English, helped with the research last year and plans to jump in with her friends Thursday night.
"It's nothing dangerous," she said. "It's just kind of icky."
Then she'll dry off and take water samples around 2 a.m.
The project has grown this year. Goldsmith said the sampling will continue every half-hour into the wee hours of Friday morning, and biology students will test for bacteria and other microbes.
It's a fun project, said Anne Carey, an associate professor of earth sciences who is overseeing the research. But the students take it seriously.
"We treat this as rigorously as any other research study we've done on natural water bodies," she said.
Goldsmith said he doesn't want to stop anyone from jumping in, though he does advise taking a shower afterward.
"Have fun, but don't open your mouth."