Just a few miles away, our Great Lakes are being ravaged by plastic particles being released throughout. Issues around the world regarding water have always been prevalent. Dehydration kills about 2.2 million children every year. We can not stand idle by as a possible solution degrades daily right next to us. Lake Erie is known as the most polluted of the Great Lakes however, Lake Michigan is close behind. Due to the boom in industry in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas during the Industrial Revolution, and the disregard of the environmental impact, Michigan has already absorbed a large amount of pollutants. Only one percent of the water in the Great Lakes leave the
Introduction: The purpose of this research is to determine whether there has been a change in the overall water quality of the Lake Tarpon Basin, and if so, whether the quality has improved or worsened. The variables that will determine whether the quality has changed are: nutrients (phosphates and nitrates) and dissolved oxygen (DO). The expected changes are lower dissolved oxygen levels (from the already low levels), higher nitrogen levels (from the already high nitrogen levels), and the state qualifications still are not met for nutrients and dissolved oxygen (Levy, Flock, Burnes, Myers, Weed, River 2010). This topic relates to environmental management because the changes in water quality would be due to pollution, which relates to the question “How does human activity lead to the pollution of water stores?” The hypothesis that will be tested is that Lake Tarpon’s water quality will have worsened since the last measurements by Levy, Flock, Burnes, Myers, Weed, and Rivera in 2010.
Eutrophication is a concern in the Chesapeake Bay. Eutrophication is caused by excessive amounts of nutrients. Excessive nutrients in the bay have negative effects on the bay's ecosystem. The extra nutrients make the environment unbalanced. The extra nutrients cause a chain reaction that eventually kills most of the organisms in that area. This is what is known as a dead zone.
That is not to say we should give up. I believe the point Nixon is making is that our ecosystem is in a constant state of flux. If research is conducted based on attempting return to nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations to levels that were exhibited in the past, the research will only fail. The research into the causes and methods of correction must still occur, but realistic goal points should be set. Taking that into consideration, the best way to combat something like eutrophication is to first understand its causation. It is important to conduct research into the causes of eutrophication, is it higher concentrations of nitrogen that cause it, phosphorous, or a combination of both. In the following experiment I will look at the potential causes (nitrogen and phosphorous) of eutrophication in fresh water samples from two different sources. Does the degree of concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus added to fresh water samples from the Encanto Park Lake and Rio Salado River directly affect the rate of algal growth?
Phosphorus, “...the primary algae-feeding nutrient in Lake Erie, and contributed to the largest algae bloom in history last year” (McCarty, para. 3), is a key factor in how
In this paper I will examine multiple perspectives in an attempt to understand the recent eutrophication of the Chesapeake Bay. Our textbook, Cambell Biology defines eutrophication as a process in which nutrients, usually phosphorus and nitrogen, are unusually present in a body of water, leading to algae blooms and accelerated growth. Anoxia is a condition in which areas of water are severely depleted of dissolved oxygen.
Data analysis of long term trends and seasonal trends in Phosphorus at the Bosherston Lakes, South West, Wales.
The Great Lakes have been under threat for the last two centuries, but the situation is the far worse today. It use to be believed that dumping sewage or chemicals into rivers and lakes was a great way to dilute and disperse it. As it turns out, it's not a good idea since those are the very rivers and lakes that we get our drinking water from. In recent decades, a lot has been done to stop that practice, but the sources and amount of pollution keeps skyrocketing each year. This pollution in the lakes must be stop at once or else bad consequences will be appond us because of it
Spanning lengths over 300,000 meters, this it is a watershed that extends over six states, the District of Columbia, and meets the needs of over 15 million individuals. With its high rate of productivity, its economic and social importance to the surrounding areas, and its close proximity to the U.S. capital, the Chesapeake has the recipient of significant attention for quite some time(Boesch, Donald). One of the issues that threatens this important estuary is eutrophication. For the majority of the 20th century, research, guidelines, and management activity were focused on other issues like wetland loss, over harvesting of fisheries, infectious wastes, etc (Davidson et al, 1997). It took until the final quarter of the century for widespread realization to hit that eutrophication had deteriorated the Bay, with extreme consequences for the Bay’s resources(Malone et al., 1993). After awareness of the impact of eutrophication on water bodies began to increase, when it came to making policies and managing the Chesapeake Bay, eutrophication reduction took precedence over any other issues. As the Bay remains a very important body of water, the significance of understanding one of the major processes responsible for its degradation remains as well. This paper aims to understand the contributing factors of eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay, with a special focus on the effects of air and
Lee, Jane. “Driven by Climate Change, Algae Blooms Behind Ohio Water Scare Are New Normal.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 24 Aug. 2016, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140804-harmful-algal-bloom-lake-erie-climate-change-science/.
Have you ever thought when you litter you could be polluting a whole lake! In 1972 Congress passed a law tightening regulations about factories and pollution. Forty-five years later we still are having problems with pollution. Lake Erie was so polluted that “Lake Erie Is Dead” started to appear in headlines of newspapers in 1960. Lake Erie’s name was replaced by “Dead Lake” due to the condition of the lake. In 1972 Lake Erie’s mess inspired the Congress to pass the Clean Water Act. Now in 2017 conditions of Lake Erie has not improved.
People have an impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem. The people can destroy or make the ecosystems in the Great Lakes. Pollution, invasive species, and habitat loss are apart of the Great Lakes ecosystem. If a tree is cut down by a human it can destroy the ecosystem. If someone cuts down a tree then a bird might lose it’s home and then that would affect the ecosystem. The human that cut down that tree would have caused an impact on the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Hello I am Rokhaya, I am a 20 year old, qualified Marine Biologists by the University of California, Los Angeles: Marine Biology Major. I live in Kitch-iti-kipi Michigan. Over 19 years I have studied the Great Lakes(I started studying in 1949) I have noticed a major difference from the 1950s to 2017.
The rise in phosphorus causes algae to bloom, and the toxins from the algae bloom result in unsafe water conditions for humans and animals. Phosphorus pollution appears everywhere in the state from individual wastewater facilities in urban areas to farmland water runoffs in Lower and Central Minnesota. It is a danger because it causes algae to thrive and algae bloom can be toxic to humans and animals. Phosphorus pollution affects people and pets such as fishermen, swimmers, and boaters. It also affects urban and suburban communities such as Mounds View that are built around lakes and freshwater bodies. Therefore phosphorus pollution is a danger to the population of Mounds View Minnesota, but can be reduced by use of alternative fertilizers and use of phosphorus free
While Lake Erie is largely considered an environmental success story, continued planning for the lake’s health is clearly necessary. Additionally, even though the Great Lakes are a significant source of freshwater, less than 1% of that water is naturally renewed each year by rain, snow, or groundwater (Annin, 2009). The issues of sustainability that face Lake Erie are ones that face the Great Lakes as a whole, and are frequently addressed through highly intergovernmental planning.