Aquatic Health Research Paper

Lampert, W., & Sommer, U. (2010). Limnoecology: [the ecology of lakes and streams]. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford University

The health of the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay was found based on Biological (macroinvertebrates and wildlife) and Chemicals characteristics (pH, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, etc.) as well as physical observations (amount of forested buffers, wetlands, etc.) Overall it was concluded that the health of the water was good to excellent. What was found was that many of the macroinvertebrates found in the water were sensitive or facultative, meaning the water quality was good enough for them to live in. Also, the level of ph, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, and turbidity showed that the water quality was good. Finally, while we were canoeing down the Susquehanna River, observations were made on the land

Through our research we aimed to determine if there were any differences in water quality of both the north and south forks of Strawberry Creek. As time progresses and the environment changes it is important to keep track of how certain species are being impacted by these features, and how they cope with change. We hypothesized that due to the lack of pollution, the south fork will promote a greater diversity of macroinvertebrates. This was due to the fact that there was less runoff and trash that could be introduced to the water in the south fork, than there was in the north fork. We gathered data by analyzing the different organisms living in both forks. We collected a total of fifty vials composed of five organisms from each fork, and inspected them under microscopic view. After gathering data and identifying the different kinds of organisms living in the different forks we assessed whether the organisms from the samples could live in high or low resolution water. We also took a t-test to assess the probability of these differences being due to relevant factors or by chance. Our major findings suggest that organisms in the south fork showed a higher demand to living in cleaner water indicating that our hypothesis was correct.

Not only is pollution the cause of the death of many organisms essential to ecological balance, but human drinking water has also been affected.

Overall, the more macroinvertebrates in the water, the healthier the stream. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is. It is measured on a scale from 0-14. 0 is the most acidic, 14 is the most basic, and 7 is neutral. It is the measure of the relative amount of free hydrogen and hydroxide ions in the water. Acidic water has more hydrogen ions, and basic water has more hydroxide ions. When water’s pH is around neutral (7), that is a suitable and healthy living environment for fish, and indicates a healthy stream. If the water is too acidic or too basic, it can be harmful to the aquatic life. Dissolved oxygen is a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the water. As the amount of dissolved oxygen drops below normal levels in water bodies, the water quality is harmed and creatures begin to die off as a result of eutrophication. The higher the level of dissolved oxygen, the healthier the stream. When there is a lot of dissolved oxygen present it makes for a safe environment for fish to live and reproduce. Having all this healthy fish can provide us with food, so overall the more dissolved oxygen, the better. Nitrates are a compound found in fertilizers that is used to help plants grow. It is what is given off as a result of the use of nitrogen in water. The organisms in the soil eat the nitrates and it helps the metabolism and the health of organisms. Plants, such as Algae use nitrates as a source

The Ontario Benthos Biomonitoring Network was created to assess the quality of aquatic environments and ecosystems using benthos organisms as biomarkers (Ontario Ministry of the Environment, 2007). Exclusively used in Ontario, this biomonitoring program assesses ecological function and condition of streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands across the province (The Dorset Environmental Science Centre, 2017). The OBBN protocol is ideal for assessing water quality because of the use of aquatic macroinvertebrates (Borisko, et al. 2007). Since macroinvertebrates are easy and inexpensive to collect, determining water quality can be conducted continuously over the course of the year, across many locations (Borisko, et al. 2007; Ontario Ministry of the

The first piece of evidence supporting this statement is a water quality index of 48. The 7 pollution sensitive organisms in the creek are worth three points each on the water quality index, plus the 10 moderately tolerant organisms each 2 points and the 7 tolerant organisms each 1 point add up to get the 48 water quality index. The water quality level is considered excellent if it is 23 or above. The water quality in the U-High creek is more than twice that. There were many different types of organisms found in the creek including 7 pollution intolerant micro invertebrates. The total number of organisms including the 88 pollution intolerant Caddis fly larvae point to a low pollution level in the creek. The 10 moderately tolerant micro invertebrates also point to low polluted creek. There were also a high number of midges and aquatic worms. The water in the creek was also very clear and did not have a smell. There were many small fish and plants growing in and around it concluding a low pollution level in the

I infer that the water quality was affected more by other factors. The two sites with about the same amount of human activity were McKinney Falls State Park and Bulls Creek. On the other hand, Wild Basin swimming is not allowed. Our results showed that the order from greatest to least amount of nitrate and phosphorous concentration was Bulls Creek, McKinney Falls, and Wild Basin at the lowest. Hence, because Bulls Creek was had the high amounts of human activity and nitrate and phosphorous levels, this relates

Bioindicators of stream health include blackfly larvae, caddisflies, and algae. The presence of blackfly larvae indicates sewage pollution. Caddisflies indicate higher  O2 concentrations. The presences of algae can indicate different things. If algae is absent, there may not be enough nutrients to support its growth. Thick algae indicates eutrophication.  Previous studies by the Colorado Department of Health Water Quality Control Commission in 1981 show comparable amounts of dissolved  O2 as well as pH, nitrite, and nitrate levels in both Cherry and Bear creek. The  NH 3 levels were much higher in Cherry Creek at .10 mg/L compared to Bear creek where the  NH 3 levels were at .06 mg/L (Colorado 1981). In today’s society, it is important to find a balance between preserving the natural ecosystem and accommodating the wants, needs, and desires of the humans who affect it. (Meyer 1997). Pollution is inevitable but should be considered and kept as low as reasonably achievable.

The fragility of river biome ecosystems are increasing more and more with each passing year. Development of man-made, hydraulic obstructions and pollution are two of the biggest factors putting the Missouri River at risk. Less than 70% of the planet’s longest 177 rivers are without man-made structures, such as dams. The number will only continue to increase as global populations grow and untapped rivers are targeted. Structures built on rivers negatively affect plants, animals, and especially humans, as the majority of water used by people comes from rivers. The effects of interfering with the natural flow of rivers can already be seen in the straining of the Colorado, Indus, and Yellow rivers, as they have begun to dry before reaching the sea. It is only time before the Mississippi River, which is a continuation of the Missouri River, is affected as such. The aforementioned demonstrates the expanding environmental harms rivers are facing. Backing this up, scientists have shown that disrupting a river’s natural flow patterns incredibly affects its wellbeing. For

Just under ten years ago, the Kalamazoo River was struck with a detrimental oil spill. Not only did the oil spill pose a great economic burden, but it also caused various effects on the ecosystem and the public health of Kalamazoo. During the spill, many local citizens reported symptoms of sickness caused by exposure to toxic chemicals that are found within oil 1. Other than the ways that individuals were affected by the initial spill, one can presume that the ecological stress caused by this event may pose a long-term impact on the health of the community. Because all bodies of water in an area are connected by a watershed, if one piece within these complex system is damaged, then the other parts will most likely undergo stress as well. The ecological impact on the watershed can transfer to issues that can affect an area’s public health, as shown by the illness caused by the oil spill

Arriving in rivers, lakes, reservoirs and the sea, pollutants make significant changes in the steady state and disrupt the equilibrium state of aquatic ecosystems. As a result of the transformation process of polluting substances waters flowing under the influence of natural factors, water sources in complete or partial restoration of their original properties. This can form secondary pollutants decomposition products that have a negative impact on water quality (Cunha, et.al, 2015).

Due to the ecological, and social dependence, monitoring stream health is critical in identifying negative influences that may cause irreversible damage to the stream system, and surrounding ecosystems. Macroinvertebrate assemblage composition is commonly used as a bioindicator of the health of stream systems, ecological, and biological characteristics that reflect short and long term changes in water quality, and easy collection. (Xu et al. 2013; Uherek and Gouveia, 2014) Macroinvertebrate assemblages are used as bio-indicator by finding the relative richness, diversity index, and pollutant sensitivity average of these populations.

Benthic macroinvertebrates have been used to assess the health of aquatic environments. Quality analysis involves looking at benthic species composition and organization within the stream (Resh and Unzicke 1975). Different macroinvertebrates have differing sensitivities to pollutant, with some being more susceptible to environmental toxins than others (Metcalfe 1989). Such methods group macroinvertebrates in regards to their tolerance to pollution.

Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water; and, in almost all cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the natural biological communities.