Lake Erie Essay

: Larchwood Lake may not ever be the same again. The story about Larchwood Lake is not that uncommon. Without doing extensive research into possible things that could occur by lowering the lake level, the Larchwood Lake Homeowner’s Association destroyed the very thing they were trying to protect. Carelessness and poor planning are not the only root causes however. There are a number of reasons that led to the degradation of Larchwood Lake that happen to relate to more macro level environmental issues. Those reasons are poorly designed environmental policy created by the E.P.A., poor understanding of lake ecology by the managers of the land, and false confidence in poorly planned ideas. By looking at how these factors contributed to the degradation of the lake, hopefully we will be able to make more ecological sound decisions in the future.

When there are excessive loads of Nitrogen and Phosphorous in the water, Alage can “bloom” to harmful levels, changing water color, and eventually stripping dissolved oxygen from the water when they die, fall to the bottom, and decay. This dissolved oxygen is critical to the health of the Chesapeake Bay’s critters and

Ulster County faces two major problems with this invasive species. First, this algae covers the stream bottom with an almost impenetrable layer of matting. It chokes out plant life, and separates the fish from the invertebrates on the stream bed. This separation reduces fish populations, and cripples trout fishing tourism in our area. Upstate New York has some of the best trout fishing streams on the east side of the country. These streams showcase local conservation work, and draw heavy tourism. The algae also has the ability to gum-up piping and aqueducts. Ulster County accounts for nearly 75% of

Estuaries are known for being sensitive to several human activities, such as littering and building structures like dams and seawalls that affect their natural flow of freshwater. As estuaries can prevent nearby streets from flooding, they will consequently bring many of their contaminates as well (Baker), which can pose a serious issue for an estuary’s productivity and health. UFL geologist John M. Jager argues that “toxic substances and excess nutrients [from such human-made factors] contribute to fish diseases, algal blooms, and low dissolved oxygen,” all being a threat to the health of not only the estuary itself, but additionally that of its wildlife and even humans themselves.

In 2006, Armstrong Park park and Lake George were underwater for almost two weeks, killing all the plants and most of the trees. Lake George was so over filled by these rains that it became one giant body of water with the Creek down the road. The stocked lake was freshly filled, sending fish down the Creek. Truthfully only the lucky fish got away. Most of the

For example, in an article by the Florida Times-Union it was written that some worry that manatees that live near Florida’s longest river, the St. Johns River, will be poisoned by harmful algae blooms (HABs), which is the term used by the National Ocean Service and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to regard to colonies of algae that emit dangerous toxins into the environment. Thus, due to contamination brought about by Jacksonville’s water-related industries such as fisheries and wastewater treatment plants, an endangered species has been thrust into a critical situation that otherwise could have been

The first problem the Great Lakes are facing is pollution. When factories have waste they immediately see any lake, river, or forest as a dumping ground when in reality these places are home to a bunch of wildlife. The chemicals can cause deformities, cancer, and weaken the eggshells of birds. An even worst form of pollution is non point source pollution, which has all the same effects, but comes from multiple sources and therefore is more difficult to control.

Anderson, D. M., Burkholder, J. M., Cochlan, W. P., Glibert, P. M., Gobler, C. J., Heil, C. A., & ... Vargo, G. A. (2008). Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication: Examining linkages from selected coastal regions of the United States. Harmful Algae, 8(HABs and Eutrophication), 39-53. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2008.08.017

The effects of pollution and non-native species imbalance can be seen in various ways, whether it be the extended pollution of the Chesapeake Bay or specific areas of the river that are deemed impairment zones. An impairment zone is an area that environmental authorities claim to be at dangerous ecosystem loss or alteration. No recreational activities can be carried out in these areas and increased study and protection is required. Four miles of the Susquehanna in Pennsylvania were labeled an impairment zone this year, between Enola and Capital City (Allen, 2016). This is harmful to the economy because of a halt to recreational activity and surrounding wildlife that live off of these parts of the river. For years, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has focused its aquatic studies on small mouthed bass in the river (2014 Proposed Susquehanna River Sampling Plan, 2014). Though it is hard to pinpoint a direct cause, many issues in the fishes’ health have become prevalent; populations have decreased, lesions and mutations have become more common as well as a remarkable decrease in egg quality (Shull & Pulket, 2015). Above all else, the pollution of the river reaching the bay is a serious concern.

Now the algae has come back to haunt us. 250,000 Football Fields of Green Algae Now Cover Lake Erie. ( Nat Geo) “The lake experiences algal blooms every summer.” (Cleveland Plains) The lake has gotten taken over by a large quantity of blue green algae. The algae can be toxic to humans and cause problems with our bodies. This means that people have to use bottled water to drink, bathe, and cook with. This affects communities because they may have to move until the problem gets cleaned up. It also means that they will have to go to the store to buy clean usable water and can’t use their own. The final effect on communities is the fact that they may have to send their kids to a different area because kids have weaker immune systems, and the algae

Harmful algal blooms (HAB’s) form when regular plants that live in freshwater grow out of control and produce dangerous toxins that hurt humans, animals and marine life living in the water as well. What causes this algae to grow out of control is “overfeeding” as stated on NOAA’s official website. “Overfeeding” happens when high amounts nutrition like phosphorus and nitrogen runoff into to freshwater or oceans. These high amounts usually come from farmland near by. These overgrown plants result in the closing of beaches, lakes and rivers; this results in a decline in tourism in not just our community. HAB’s cost the US about eighty-two million dollars a year. Although this is such a prevalent problem scientists and marine researchers still do not know all causes of this growing issue. (“Why Do Harmful Algal Blooms Occur?”)

Anthropological Critique of Davidson et al. (2014) ‘Anthropogenic Nutrients and Harmful Algae in Coastal Waters’

Finally, the surrounding ecosystems’ heath is at risk. Wild rice paddies are drying, as the water can no longer irrigate the paddies (“Lake Superior: Where…”). Removing one link from a food chain can cause the entire

It now seems that almost every summer, Lake Erie is faced with some kind of algae bloom, whether it’s one that becomes toxic or not. These blooms of algae are caused primarily by seeping raw sewage and runoff that comes from agricultural fields. When all of this contamination is mixed

Many places in the world there are small organisms that feed off high-nutrient pollutants caused by human related activities. They can also thrive off environmental factors, like global warming, and they can thrive off of natural factors like droughts. Most are cyanobacteria, that can be both non-toxic and toxic, but either one can have a huge impact on the ecosystem around them. For the past few decades, harmful algal blooms or HABs have been causing major issues to not only the aquatic life that lives in the water, but also to the land animals that live near the water, including humans. These blooms are also happening all over the world. Anywhere there are humans there are some form of factors that play a role into HABs, whether there is