How Our Use of Water Affects the Ecosystem
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Plain and simple, water is our livelihood. And these days, there is not much that we can do without it. From the 62,600 gallons we use to manufacture one ton of steel to the one gallon of water use to process a quarter pound of hamburger, water is essential to everything we do (3). This constant need for water propagates conflict arising from the growing demand and the depleting supply (2). In order to meet these demands, we drain every drop from the resources around us, seemingly without thought as to the long term affects on the ecosystem or future generations. The consequences of our exploitation of water resources have been dire, leading to desertification, eutrophication and the rise of sea levels.
Desertification is land degradation common to dry, sub-humid and arid areas (4). One major cause of this event is humans diverting rivers for purpose of irrigation (4). Rivers normally flush out salts that they contain into the oceans, but when this natural flow is upheld, the salts concentrate in the soil. What results is lowered biological activity because the high salt environment cannot sustain agriculture or diverse life forms.
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Eutrophication can plainly be defined as the increase of organic matter in an ecosystem (5). Cultural eutrophication, more specifically, relates to the human component. Through everyday activities, such as washing dishes or taking a shower, we run nitrates and phosphates (found in dishwashing detergent and shampoos) into rivers and lakes dispensed through our sewage system (5). These types of inorganic nutrients promote the growth of algae in a body of water, particularly on the surface of the water. As the algae die and decompose, they use up the oxygen and deprive the other organisms in that environment of oxygen, causing them to die as well (5).
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Global warming and its subsequent impact on rising sea levels is a hot topic. While there are many factors that play a role, one that has not been at the forefront is terrestrial water storage, but one group of scientists investigated further. At the helm of the research was a hydrologist at the University of Tokyo, Taikan Oki. His team researched and calculated that beginning in the second half of the twentieth century, water levels have been increasing by 1.8 millimeters per year. 1.1 millimeters was attributed to the heating of oceans (which would cause the melting of glaciers and ice caps). The other 0.7 millimeters, as his team discovered, was largely due to humans storing water on land (1). Humans withdrew ground water, then used the water for home or industrial purposes, and finally the runoff would drain straight into the rivers and later the oceans. This practice accounts for 42% of the current sea level rise phenomena. (1)
Concept Questions:
1. Do you think there should be measures and restrictions on use of water resources? If so, how and by whom would they be regualted?
2. What would you consider to be the greatest threat to our ecosystem due to our methods of extracting/consuming water?
2. What would you consider to be the greatest threat to our ecosystem due to our methods of extracting/consuming water?
Sources
(1) Mascarelli, Amanda, and Nature Magazine. "Human Use of Water Found to Contribute to Sea-Level Rise." Scientificamerican.com. N.p., 21 May 2012. Web. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=human-use-of-water-found-to- contribute-to-sea-level-rise>.
(2) "Water Resources Impacts & Adaptation." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 14 June 2012. Web. <http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/water.html>.
(3) "What Is Water Used For?" American Water. N.p., 2012. Web. <http://www.amwater.com/Learning-Center/Water-101/what-is-water-used-for.html>.
(4) "Definition and General Approach to the Problem." FAO.org. FAO, n.d. Web. <http://www.fao.org/docrep/v0265e/V0265E01.htm>.
(5) "Eutrophication." Definition Page. USGS, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. <http://toxics.usgs.gov/definitions/eutrophication.html>.
(6) "Water Encyclopedia." Algal Blooms in Fresh Water. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/A-Bi/Algal-Blooms-in-Fresh-Water.html>.
(7) "RTCC Q&A: Desertification." RTCC.org. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.rtcc.org/rtcc-qa-desertification/>.
(8) Kwatra, Vivek. "Graphcut Textures: Image and Video Synthesis Using Graph Cuts."Graphcut Textures. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.cc.gatech.edu/cpl/projects/graphcuttextures/>.
(9) "Tomorrow & Beyond." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. <http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/tomorrow_beyond.html>
(10) "Indianink." Indianink. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.indianink.org/environment.shtml>.
(11) "Water In Our Lives: How We Use It." Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/products-services/mapping-product/geoscape/waterscape/bowen-island/6222>.
(12) "Projections of Climate Change." UCSUSA.org. N.p., 9 June 2003. Web. <http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/projections-of-climate-change.html>.
(2) "Water Resources Impacts & Adaptation." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 14 June 2012. Web. <http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/water.html>.
(3) "What Is Water Used For?" American Water. N.p., 2012. Web. <http://www.amwater.com/Learning-Center/Water-101/what-is-water-used-for.html>.
(4) "Definition and General Approach to the Problem." FAO.org. FAO, n.d. Web. <http://www.fao.org/docrep/v0265e/V0265E01.htm>.
(5) "Eutrophication." Definition Page. USGS, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. <http://toxics.usgs.gov/definitions/eutrophication.html>.
(6) "Water Encyclopedia." Algal Blooms in Fresh Water. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/A-Bi/Algal-Blooms-in-Fresh-Water.html>.
(7) "RTCC Q&A: Desertification." RTCC.org. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.rtcc.org/rtcc-qa-desertification/>.
(8) Kwatra, Vivek. "Graphcut Textures: Image and Video Synthesis Using Graph Cuts."Graphcut Textures. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.cc.gatech.edu/cpl/projects/graphcuttextures/>.
(9) "Tomorrow & Beyond." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. <http://www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/tomorrow_beyond.html>
(10) "Indianink." Indianink. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.indianink.org/environment.shtml>.
(11) "Water In Our Lives: How We Use It." Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/products-services/mapping-product/geoscape/waterscape/bowen-island/6222>.
(12) "Projections of Climate Change." UCSUSA.org. N.p., 9 June 2003. Web. <http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/projections-of-climate-change.html>.