Research Prospectus
Eng 308J
February 1, 2010
Introduction
The first issue that came to my mind when we were presented with this assignment was Biodiversity and its importance to healthy environments. I remembered reading in Lost Mountain that 1 in 10 plant species were known to contain anti cancer compounds and that if we don’t start making some drastic changes we may see the extinction of 20% of our plant and animal species by 2030. These kinds of statements were corroborated by my research; Wikipedia reported that 30% of all plant and animal species will be extinct by 2050. At this point I knew that Biodiversity was definitely an issue worth looking into, especially since I plan on being around in 2050 (62 is not that old anymore).
As I dug deeper into the effects that pollution and exploitation were having on the biodiversity in our environments, I noticed that Fresh Water ecosystems were the most at risk. Threats to biodiversity in general include habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, human over population, and overharvesting. When considering fresh water specifically, chemical pollutants seem to be the biggest problem. Water pollution regulations have dramatically increased since the Cuyahoga River caught on fire, but there are still many chemicals that are slipping into our water supply that could be potentially quite harmful to humans. Just because the river isn’t burning doesn’t mean that chemical pollution is not a problem.
Fresh water can be broken down into two sub-categories, surface water and ground water. Surface water is basically rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, while ground water is found in the pores of soil and aquifers. On the subject of surface water, I found hat that 55 percent of our yearly household water supply comes from rivers and lakes, unfortunately 40% of our rivers and 45% of our lakes are polluted. Surface water pollution is primarily caused by runoff, which is pollutants washing off the land. Some of the most harmful pollutants included in this runoff are chemical fertilizers. According to pollutionissues.com, fertilizers account for 80 percent of the phosphates being dumped into our waterways. Ground water seems to be the most affected by leaking municipal landfills, sewage lagoons, and chemicals from industrial activity. According to pollutionissues.com the EAP reported 318 disease outbreaks associated with ground water systems between 1971 and 1996, that’s roughly 12 outbreaks a year. Ground water is also affected by leaking underground oil tanks and gas spills. Again according to pollutionissues.com, 400,000 leaking underground storage tanks were reported in 2001.
This kind of pollution kills plants and animals that are vital to the stability and overall health of fresh water ecosystems. With only 3% of the world’s water supply being fresh, the pollution taking place today is something that we should all be concerned about, especially as an increasing population puts more strain on our water supplies. Chemical pollutants destroy many organisms that are essential to our survival. If we hope to continue thriving on this planet it is essential that we take steps to recognize and correct the problems facing our ever dwindling water supply.
Bibliography
1) Biodiversity. Web.
.
2) Shah, Anup. "Biodiversity." n. pag. Web. 29 Jan 2010..
3) "Water Pollution: Fresh Water." n. pag. Web. 29 Jan 2010..
4) "Freshwater Ecosystems." n. pag. Web. 30 Jan 2010..
5) Gordon, Christopher. "Freshwater Ecosystems in West Africa: Problems and Overlooked Potentials." n. pag. Web. 1 Feb 2010..
The first issue that came to my mind when we were presented with this assignment was Biodiversity and its importance to healthy environments. I remembered reading in Lost Mountain that 1 in 10 plant species were known to contain anti cancer compounds and that if we don’t start making some drastic changes we may see the extinction of 20% of our plant and animal species by 2030. These kinds of statements were corroborated by my research; Wikipedia reported that 30% of all plant and animal species will be extinct by 2050. At this point I knew that Biodiversity was definitely an issue worth looking into, especially since I plan on being around in 2050 (62 is not that old anymore).
As I dug deeper into the effects that pollution and exploitation were having on the biodiversity in our environments, I noticed that Fresh Water ecosystems were the most at risk. Threats to biodiversity in general include habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, human over population, and overharvesting. When considering fresh water specifically, chemical pollutants seem to be the biggest problem. Water pollution regulations have dramatically increased since the Cuyahoga River caught on fire, but there are still many chemicals that are slipping into our water supply that could be potentially quite harmful to humans. Just because the river isn’t burning doesn’t mean that chemical pollution is not a problem.
Fresh water can be broken down into two sub-categories, surface water and ground water. Surface water is basically rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, while ground water is found in the pores of soil and aquifers. On the subject of surface water, I found hat that 55 percent of our yearly household water supply comes from rivers and lakes, unfortunately 40% of our rivers and 45% of our lakes are polluted. Surface water pollution is primarily caused by runoff, which is pollutants washing off the land. Some of the most harmful pollutants included in this runoff are chemical fertilizers. According to pollutionissues.com, fertilizers account for 80 percent of the phosphates being dumped into our waterways. Ground water seems to be the most affected by leaking municipal landfills, sewage lagoons, and chemicals from industrial activity. According to pollutionissues.com the EAP reported 318 disease outbreaks associated with ground water systems between 1971 and 1996, that’s roughly 12 outbreaks a year. Ground water is also affected by leaking underground oil tanks and gas spills. Again according to pollutionissues.com, 400,000 leaking underground storage tanks were reported in 2001.
This kind of pollution kills plants and animals that are vital to the stability and overall health of fresh water ecosystems. With only 3% of the world’s water supply being fresh, the pollution taking place today is something that we should all be concerned about, especially as an increasing population puts more strain on our water supplies. Chemical pollutants destroy many organisms that are essential to our survival. If we hope to continue thriving on this planet it is essential that we take steps to recognize and correct the problems facing our ever dwindling water supply.
Bibliography
1) Biodiversity. Web.
2) Shah, Anup. "Biodiversity." n. pag. Web. 29 Jan 2010.
3) "Water Pollution: Fresh Water." n. pag. Web. 29 Jan 2010.
4) "Freshwater Ecosystems." n. pag. Web. 30 Jan 2010.
5) Gordon, Christopher. "Freshwater Ecosystems in West Africa: Problems and Overlooked Potentials." n. pag. Web. 1 Feb 2010.
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