The Salton Sea is an unique location as it is one of the few environments in the world that has wildlife but also lots of impact. Hydrogen Sulfide is one of the primary chemicals that exists in this location. The Aral Sea in between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has great similarity with the Salton Sea, as it shows a possible future for the location. Hydrogen sulfide has a naturally occurring rotten egg smell which is very a clear and obvious scent to humans. Hydrogen sulfide itself exists endogenously and exogenously, from enzymes within mammals and through industrial processes and factories (Chou 2003). Biological processes such as photosynthesis added to anaerobic environment of the Salton Sea, creating a warm, oxygen depleted body of water
(Salton Sea Symposium, 1998) However , the condition of the Sea has drastically changed and so has the amount of healthy living organisms in the Sea. By the 1980�s the water level rose greatly and gave way to abandoned businesses, deteriorating structures and empty beaches. The above was due to the fact that evaporation is the only outlet to the Salton Sea , in fact 1.35 million acre feet of water is lost each year , thus increasing its salinity even more. The salinity of the Salton Sea has increased to 45,000 parts per thousand or 45 PPT; the Pacific Ocean is currently 35 PPT.
Many historical fiction novels recall well-known tragedies, but there is one novel in particular that tells the story of a covered catastrophe. Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys focuses on telling the unknown story of “the greatest maritime disaster in history,” the sinking of a German ship, the Wilhelm Gustoff, during World War II. Throughout telling the story, Sepetys portrays the theme of perseverance, as the characters face many challenges, but never give up. Despite the growing popularity of this novel, Sepetys did not gain her reputation from Salt to the Sea. Rather, she became the author she is today from her previously published novels, Between Shades of Grey and Out of the Easy. Septeys was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, but she is part Lithuanian. Growing up in the United States allowed Septeys the ability to attend Hillsdale College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in international finance. Like many others, I learned of Septeys’ work through her other novels. I have read both Between Shades of Grey and Out of the Easy, and thoroughly enjoyed them. Because I enjoyed her other works in a great deal, Salt to the Sea immediately made my “to-read” list. For this project, I knew I wanted to read a novel I would enjoy, and Salt to the Sea was sure to not disappoint.
Every year, hundreds and thousands of civilians used to vacation in a place that is now left in the dust. This specific place, not so common anymore is the Salton sea, located directly on the San Andres fault. The Salton sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake inside California's Imperial Valley and Coachella Valley. However, surrounding this site is extreme poverty and alarming rates of respiratory problems, while on the outside of this valley, face deep controversies with government spending and scientific concerns. Many of these situations have severe, possibly deadly consequences, which is why many have devoted themselves to working on various aspects of the injustice. Furthermore, this region has brought upon many profound disputes
World War Two resulted in a chaotic destruction that overwhelmed Europe. These feelings of dismay are concisely summarized in Ruta Sepetys’ Salt of the Sea.. An impactful quote states, “war had bled color from everything, leaving nothing but a storm of gray.” The war in 1945 had drained any and all feelings of hope and spirit out of European people. In it’s wake, the war left a cloud of devastation and despair. Florian and Joana have to overcome this war, their fate, and guilt in order to return to their past selves and survive their journey in a German and Russian warzone.
From being a resort area filled with numerous yachts, the Salton Sea has become an abandoned destination since the late 20th century. The Salton Sea was created by accident; with an exponential increase in precipitation, water diverted from the Colorado River to Imperial Valley creating the Salton Sea. Through its early years, the Salton Sea was a tourist attraction. It was an inland sea, allowing the public to ride boats and fish. Soon after, the Imperial Valley needed a drainage lake, and the federal government permitted the Salton Sea to be utilized for this specific purpose. Salton Sea became a lake where residues from fertilizers as well as pesticides such as DDT fertilizers and hazardous chemicals were dumped into without any regulation.
The first major problem is the Salton Sea is a salt lake with salinity levels 25% higher than our oceans according to a study conducted by the California Department of fish and Game (Cohen). The salinity levels are gradually rising due to the fact the sea has no outlet and water is only lost through evaporation, leaving dissolved salts behind. In addition, sitting at an elevation of 220
The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. The well-being of the ocean is constantly being threatened and needs to stop. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems suffer and become endangered along with the lives of people and marine life. The importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world 's coasts must be recognized because they are truly irreplaceable. If humans are not educated , and become careless about what is thrown on the ground or sprayed on lawns, disastrous effects follow when it comes to the condition of the ocean’s ecosystems, which can endanger life itself, leading to a problem only we can correct. There is historical evidence of ocean pollution, although the problem still shadows us today.
Impact can be felt on many fronts. For the migratory birds that rely on the lake and the fish from the lake, if the said lake worsens, the ecological impact will be dramatic and devastating. Economically, the farms that relied on the water from the area either went out of business or still continued to get their water from the Colorado River. The resorts and businesses that were bustling before abandoned the area too, losing their businesses and a way of have a wage. There was also the heavy health impact on the people who live around the Salton Sea area, with the particulate dust having leftover residue of pesticides and hydrogen sulfide being tossed into the air and wept out to farther reaches of the region (Than, 2014) (Gottberg and Cichocki
“Although ocean water tastes like water with table salt (sodium chloride) dissolved in it, it is a lot more complex than that” (Friese 33). Pure sea water contains a vast amount of dissolved chemicals. It contains everything from sodium chloride to trace amounts of silver and gold. Although the inhabitants of a marine reef aquarium are not going to be effected if the water does not contain gold, they will not live long if all that is added is table salt (Friese 33). Marine salt mixes contain a similar collection of elements that are found in natural seawater.
Although Salt to the Sea is a story about things that have been lost and people enduring extreme hardships, it is also a story about hope, family and love. In the book Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, almost all of the main characters go through extremely tragic and terrible events. However, these characters also experience family moments and happy times. Despite the fact that in times of war there is hardship, violence and death, love and family shines through the tragedy. It is the two youngest members of the group, Klaus and Emilia, who eventually find a family to love.
Although the ocean covers approximately two thirds of the Earth’s surface, it is surprisingly susceptible to human influences. The effects of rubbish dumping have tainted our oceans and they have taken their toll on the vast marine environments and the populations in which they contain. Rubbish dumping involves depositing all the waste materials from factories and industries, tankers and ships and sewerage waste materials into the oceans and seas. In the report “Causes and Effects of Ocean Dumping”, the author Sharda states that “The wastes that are dumped into the oceans tend to have toxic substances which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This
The world we live in is so vast and exciting. Seventy percent of our world is liquid water we call the ocean. In the ocean there are many creatures that each are unique in their own way. However, it is possible that in our lifetime, many marine organisms will become endangered or possibly extinct. The loss of these mejestic marine creatures will be caused mainly because of human advancements in which fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Biodiversity is greatly affected by this increase in acidity. As the ocean acidifies, multiple social and economic issues arise. As humans, we rely on the ocean for almost everything. Much of our food, clothing, cleaning products and cosmetics come from the ocean. With the loss of
Oceans cover approximately 75% of Earth 's surface and are vital to this planet and the people who inhabit it. Oceans provide food, natural resources, and recreation for nearly everyone in this world. Unfortunately Oceans have been receiving mass amount of pollutants including oil spills, toxic waste dumping, and industrial dumping. These pollutants will have negative impacts on the wildlife in the ocean, as we are seeing already with the Coral Reefs, and soon enough it will begin to affect our lives as well.
Aims to explore the implications of rapid changes in our ocean chemistry, to analyze groups involved, and propose potential solutions
Ocean pollution is one of the most urgent issues in our world today. The ocean is crucial to our ecosystem and it is being severely damaged at an alarmingly increasing rate. In this paper I will educate about the role the ocean plays in our beautiful Earth, why it is being so widely ignored and dismissed, the causes of pollution, and its effects on animals and humans alike.