Unlike dry deposition, winds can blow wet deposition hundreds of miles away from the source of emission, making it an issue for everyone. Natural, unpolluted rainwater is slightly acidic, with a pH of around 5.6 due to a natural occurrence of CO2, NO and SO2 substances. Therefore a pH value less than 5.0 is considered to be acid rain. In certain areas of the United States, the pH of rainwater has been measured
2. What effects might this steady increase of carbon dioxide have on the organisms living in this area? -As stated before, photosynthesis performers would not be effected, as the can take in carbon dioxide. Respiratory breathers, however, face a fatal issue with extra carbon dioxide in the air. The population of respiratory breathers will slowly decrease, considering plants will give a little bit of oxygen.
For instance Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere is synthesized by plants, which is ingested and metabolized by animals, which is converted to Carbon Dioxide during respiration and decay. Humans remove over 40% of the photosynthetic that effort plants in order to support human enterprises. When humans burn fossils fuels that increases the atmosphere Carbon Dioxide by 35%, then during the combustion stage the present of air (oxygen), Carbon Dioxide and water molecules are release into the atmosphere. Human has an impact on the Phosphorus Cycle as well as the Carbon Cycle. The Phosphorus Cycle is representative of the cycle of all biologically important mineral nutrients-those elements that have their origin in the rock and soil minerals of the Lithosphere, such as iron, calcium, and potassium.
After the algae accumulate, it dies, decomposes and depletes the oxygen in the ocean creating a dead zone. Natural elements of climate, weather and change in wind circulation also cause changes in algae growth. In the spring months increased rain, water flow and sunshine increase this algae growth. In the fall tropical storms and hurricanes break up the algae and the cycle repeats again. The largest human cause of dead zones is nutrient run off from abundant use of fertilizers, animal waste and sewage.
Phosphates may be effective in such ways but also causes pollution issues in lakes and streams. Enrichment of phosphate can lead to eutrophication of fresh and inshore marine waters, leading to algae bloom because of the excess nutrients. Bacteria consume the algae and a bacterial bloom ensues.
Global warming will only cause an increase in these issues along with additional problems that could eventually end this civilization, if we don’t work hard on improving our efforts on managing all the different types of pollution and waste that contributes to this major concern. 2. Water Issues, was an extremely important area of local environmental concern this summer. 70% of our planet’s surface is water, but most of that is salt water. Freshwater though essential to life, is one of the rarest and most endangered resources on our progressively fragile planet.
Elevated pH can in turn ‘blind' organisms that rely on perception of dissolved chemical cues for their survival by impairing their chemosensory abilities (Figure 3) (Turner & Chislock 2010). When these dense algal blooms eventually die, microbial decomposition severely depletes dissolved oxygen, creating a hypoxic or anoxic ‘dead zone' lacking sufficient oxygen to support most organisms. Dead zones are found in many freshwater lakes including the Laurentian Great Lakes (e.g., central basin of Lake Erie; Arend et al. 2011) during the summer. Furthermore, such hypoxic events are particularly common in marine coastal environments surrounding large, nutrient-rich rivers (e.g., Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico; Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay) and have been shown to affect more than 245,000 square kilometers in over 400 near-shore systems (Diaz & Rosenberg 2008).
What are the three trophic levels? There are three trophic levels in our ecosystem. The first trophic level is Producers: Organisms that capture energy from the sun or chemical reactions to convert carbon dioxide to organic matter; most producers are green plants. (Boorse,Wright,2011) The second trophic level is Consumers which are organisms that derive their energy from feeding on other organisms or their products. (Boorse, Wright, 2011) The third trophic level is Decomposers, these organisms feeding actions are a result of rotting or organic material.
My discussion today will be to answer question 1 from Chapter 6 which reads as follows: 1. What are the major ways that people have altered biogeochemical cycles? Biogeochemical cycles are defined by the Encyclopedia of Earth as pathways for the transport and transformation of matter within four categorical areas that make up planet Earth (biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and the atmosphere) According to Chapin (2011:401), “human activities have altered biogeochemical cycles at global scale in ways that change the functioning of Earth as an ecosystem. Human activities have dramatically altered element cycles since the beginning of the industrial revolution.” M Moses et al., 2010 states that life on planet earth is inextricably connected to climate through a range of interacting cycles and feedback loops. In recent years there has been a growing awareness of the extent to which human activities, such as deforestation and fossil fuel burning, have directly or indirectly changed the biogeochemical and physical processes involved in determining the earth's climate.
They take in carbon dioxide through stoma, found on their leaves and stems, while Aquatic plants, on the other hand, take in carbon dioxide by the help of stoma on aerial roots (Hopkins, 2006). Plants provide energy in form of wood and charcoal, without this fuel source there would be no many of us.