The A-Z of Water
Acid Rain Acid rain negatively affects the water and other resources. A major problem with acid rain is that sunlight makes it worse so the condition keeps getting worse and worse. This causes low pH in bodies of water. The Clean Air Act tries to decrease acid rain. Acid rain causes death in fish which is a humongous decrease in biodiversity. Biodiversity Biodiversity is extremely similar to the food chain. If one thing dies, it throws the kilter off for every other animal. A big problem with biodiversity is it affects every ecosystem. The bigger the biodiversity is, the better, animals can withstand more when they have a greater biodiversity. Pollution can really decrease biodiversity and can mess an entire ecosystem up. Overfishing is a main cause of biodiversity so fishermen should be more careful and not overfish. This would help water prosper and keep many species alive. Contaminants in Fresh-Water There are millions of microscopic organisms in fresh water but if there's bacteria in water it can be harmful not only to fish but also to humans. Arsenic is a major contaminant in fresh water. It comes from volcanic ash that mixes with water and can hurt the human population if they get exposed to this pollutant. Some of these contaminants can even lead to cancer, such as radon. People should be more careful of the water they drink, especially in impoverished towns because there may be many contaminants in it. Developing County's Issues The greatest problem for underdeveloped countries can range from sanitation problems in their water, to floods. A major problem why countries cannot get enough clean water when they are underdeveloped is that water prices cannot be too low because if not enough if is spent on water, it won't be made or clean. Countries, such as Africa, that are underdeveloped or trying to become developed have problems with this because they cannot afford the price of good, clean water. A way to fix this is if other countries that are more stable could donate money, then these impoverished countries could afford clean water that doesn’t poison their people. Economic Development Water can help a community economically for recreational purposes such as pools or beaches. One thing a community must focus on when dealing with water helping an economy is clean water. As long as the water is clean and aesthetically pleasing, water for recreational purposes can really help an economy boom. Fish Issues If water flow changes the habitat of fish and the habitat of other animals will change negatively. Flow tends to change for industrial and other purposes for humans. When water flow changes the characteristics of the body of water changes, it can change chemically, and this can lead to death in fish and other in water. This can be changed if humans decided to be more respectful of animals so that a habitat is not messed with. Another problem fish face in the water is overfishing. It kills too many fish and is something that can completely be changed. If people fished more carefully and didn’t overfish just to get a lot of fish, biodiversity wouldn’t be such an issue and more fish would live. Global Warming The main problem with global warming and water is rising water levels. Glaciers melt which leads to more water in the ocean and the water levels rise. Lately global warming has become much more of an issue and water levels are rising more and more. Also a problem with global warming is there's a lot of flooding which adds even more water to the sea levels. Climate change is more unpredictable now and this can lead to cyclones in the water. Scientists are trying to find more and more ways to fix global warming but it is becoming more difficult. Health Problems from the Ocean One huge problem for humans is seafood; it can be tainted and very harmful to a person's life. Another problem with human health and the ocean is algae because some of it can be toxic which leads to poisoning. Another hazardous problem from the ocean is attacks, not only with sharks because those tend to be rare but with sting rays and dolphins and other aggressive animals. A way for humans to make sure they don’t get attacked is to swim more cautiously and also to stay with a professional to ensure their safety. Drowning is also a problem for people in the ocean especially when the waves are rough. Once again people should be more cautious and stay with people who know what they’re doing to keep them safe. Ice Glaciers Ice glaciers are melting due to the climate change from global warming. This melting can lead to problems such as rising sea levels and flooding. Because ice glaciers and global warming go hand and hand, there aren't too many ways to stop it from continuing except to be environmentally sound. Just Alike: Gulfs and Bays Gulfs are just like large bays; they are both bodies of water and they are both affected by oxygen levels that are dropping. Fish then cannot survive in this condition and that leads to a decrease in biodiversity. Many objects from pollution come into bays and gulfs and also negatively affects life in the water and can lead to a decline in biodiversity. These problems also affect economies because they lose fish in the fish industry. A way to help these problems from developing would be to make sure pollution stays out and to monitor the water so that there isn't a huge decrease in oxygen. Keeping the Environment Sound The Water Pollution Control Act was passed through Congress in 1956 to keep water pollution down as part of the environmental movement. This was the beginning of worry for water pollution; people started to want to save the environment and ecosystems. Oil spills are some of the largest problems with water pollution and it makes it difficult for the environment to be in good shape when there is a massive oil spill. Lakes Lakes can change in size due to sedimentation. This is when things such as land around the lake or stream flow changes. This can be a huge problem because it can lead to rising sea levels if the lake shrinks. Microbes Affect Humans Microbes can be very dangerous to humans but thankfully there are many different ways to keep humans safe. If the water is tested periodically for hazardous microbes then it can be disinfected to get rid of the harmful microbes. National Environmental Policy Act The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) tries to ensure that there aren't any negative affects coming out of projects. If someone wants to build a dam they must pass it through the NEPA so that they can make sure animal habitats won't change from the excavation. They have to make sure there aren't long or short term affects from the projects. If there are too many negative affects like on the economy or community then the NEPA can reject a problem. Oil Spills Oil stays on the surface when it is first spilled but the waves move it around and spread it out. When it gets close to the shore it becomes an extremely harmful problem. This can harm animals not only during the spill, but overtime which can mess up the food chain and biodiversity of an area. If oil spills too close to the land the economy decreases because it is a problem for recreational water practices. The recent oil spill at the Gulf of Mexico is trying to be cleaned up but the oil continues to spread and it becomes a major problem for everyone at the Gulf of Mexico. Because oil spills move around it is a difficult thing to fix. When there is a massive spill such as the Gulf of Mexico one, the Coast Guard can get involved and it can also lead to opposing views politically. If a country can stick together and scientists can figure out a way to get the oil out, everything could be resolved more easily. Pollution Water pollution can come from everywhere, even from one's house. Washing machines, toilets and other household waste from water can end up in lakes and streams and eventually can go into the ocean. Trash is the main cause of water pollution because things aren't properly disposed of (such as water bottles) and it ends up in the ocean. This trash then affects the wildlife in the ocean because it kills and strangles the animals. Fish and other animals in the water aren't the only ones affected because when the trash washes up on the shore, it kills land animals such as birds. Quality of Water Water quality depends on a lot of different factors in the water. Obviously if there's a lot of pollution in water, the quality is extremely poor and anyone can tell just simply by looking at it. A major problem with water quality is that people don’t always know something is in the water, such as hazardous microbes or other contaminants. The government tries to make sure water is clean and the quality of it is adequate for drinking or safe for fish and other animals. Reuse In the agricultural business, one can reuse waste water to fertilize plants. This can be harmful to health because of bacteria. The United States has restrictions on water reuse but nothing set in stone. Some people are trying to clean waste water to reuse for public use. This is tough on countries economically because irrigation water is more reliable so countries have a difficult time cleaning and reusing wastewater because irrigation is a more stable field. Waste water reuse can be a good thing because it opens up a new field but it does lead to less water-source finding which is a problem for others. It's also a good thing because it's better for the economy to reuse instead of using up more. Safe Drinking Water Act The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was formed in 1974 and its purpose is to keep water clean and contaminant free. The SDWA all started from a survey given to see what water qualities were in different countries. The SDWA now makes sure microbes are filtered out of water; their job is to make water cleaner. Under the SDWA, communities must release annual data on their quality of water so that everyone knows what they are drinking. Tsunamis Tsunamis are caused by earthquake-like movements on the ocean floor. The closer tsunamis get to the coastline the more destruction. One of the worst parts of tsunamis is the economy. There can be destruction all throughout an area and then the economy falters due to all the damages. Uses of Water There are many different ways to use water whether it's for drinking or for recreational purposes. Problems arise with water and affect every different type of water activity so the more that scientists and the government checks up on water, the cleaner and better it is. Volcanoes When volcanoes erupt in the cold it can lead to many problems. The worst is that when the magma hits the ice, it melts and leads to flooding which makes sea levels higher. There isn't much anyone can do once a volcano explodes. Weather Hurricanes are big storms that affect people worldwide and come from the ocean. They tend to occur in the Fall and Summer because the weather is hot then. Weather is influenced by the ocean all over the world. Climate control changes the temperature in water which then can change weather everywhere. Xanthometer A xanthometer is used to show the color of water. You Can Influence Water People have always affected fresh-water ecosystems. When people move wood from dams or mess with streams it has negative repercussions on the habitats of fish and animals nearby. Also humans are polluting air and water which completely changes wildlife and fish. People should be more considerate of the things they do to water and to the air so that the ecosystem and biodiversity doesn’t change. Zoetic, Endangered Animals are Protected Under the Endangered Species Act Zoetic (living) animals that are endangered covered under the Endangered Species Act. (ESA) Since 1973, they help preserve endangered species. There are different recovery systems for every endangered species to ensure they are saved and taken care of. The government has to check with scientists to make sure recovery of an endangered species doesn’t threaten a different species or habitat. Animals from mollusks to sea lions to sea grass can all be protected under the ESA.