Beach closures have also been more frequent being something many families, and residents have once enjoyed. These toxic chemicals have been found in fish and wildlife, which have been deposited into the lake by manufacturing sites and other industrial companies. (Glutting, 2003)Runoff pollution, pollution that comes from a single location has also added to the lake’s devastation. Storm water, irrigation runoffs, sediments, fertilizers, and fecal matter deposits, are some of the discharges contributed by sewage treatment plants. These runoffs have contributed to the beach closures, and the unsustainable condition of biological life in the lake.
The petite delta smelt has proven as a significant species indicator as to the environmental conditions in the San Francisco Bay-Delta, an imperative ecological estuary that serves as a central aspect to the utility of California’s water system. This endangered species only measures an approximate 5 to 7 cm in length and primarily inhabits northern California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin estuary. The life cycle of the smelt does not commonly exceed one-year, reflective of their fairly low fecundity. This fish species is highly affected by environmental changes within its native habitat. Fluctuating conditions of their habitat has led to a massive population decline.
In this environmental disaster, 10 cubic meters of water and 4.5 million cubic meters of potentially toxic slurry were spilled into virtually untouched forest, lakes and rivers. If something like this happens at the Pebble Mine, then most of the fish and wildlife in Bristol Bay would be in danger of being killed. A species that would be greatly affected by this is the sockeye salmon. More than half of the world’s population of these fish lives in Bristol Bay. This means that the survival of this species would be threatened.
Firstly, the Everglades are an important ecosystem which reduces flooding and replenish aquifers but human actions are having a huge impact on the landscape. The rapid urban and agricultural development in the area has decreased the size of the wetlands dramatically which affects the organisms found there. This is especially important as it is home to several endangered species. Not only that, but invasive species that threaten existing wildlife by preying on or competing with them. According to Everglades.org, they’ve “contributed to nearly 70 percent of extinctions in the United States” and are the “primary cause of species endangerment.” The water itself is a major cause of decline to the area, firstly because of poor water management leading to water levels being too low or too high at the wrong times has caused a decline in many species.
The first couple of years were not easy for the settlers. The question is Why did so many colonist die? To start off with, one of the problems they faced was environmental problems. Many of Jamestown’s colonist died because of brackish water which was some salty water due to the mixture of fresh and salt water, because of the tides that would happen twice daily. Also, they would dump their human waste into the water and make it even more contaminated so when the people of Jamestown would drink or use the water it would make them ill and even to the point that they died.
Asian Carp Invasion David Long University of New England The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently began fighting an invasive fish called the Asian Carp. These fish are causing problems around the world destroying fishing industries and eco systems. There are four species of the fish, of the two the bighead and the silver carp are the closest to invading the great lakes. The bighead carp can grow up to one hundred pounds and the silver carp are known for jumping out of the water when frightened and scaring boaters. These fish pose a significant threat to the great lakes due to their large size and feeding habits.
These emissions can become acid rain and if it can damage a tree, it can and does damage coral. According to the Coral Reef Alliance; the world’s oceans have had “approximately 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide” dumped by human activity within their waters. [ (Coral Reef Alliance, 2012) ]. The site also goes on to state that the destruction of Mangroves,(which have been harvested for lumber) and the loss filtering saltwater swamps due to farming have caused quite a bit of stress on coral reefs. Then there are the odd ways we humans go about “enjoying the ocean”.
The reason I don’t think that the consumption from predators is why the population is declining so rapidly is the fact that these predators have been hunting these fish for hundreds of years. It wasn’t until humans came into the picture that the population started to shrink. The predators now have to compete with us for their food. The magnitude of over-fishing is often overlooked and the rapid growth in demand for fish and fish products is leading to fish prices
Human Intervention on Salmon Populations 1 The Effects of Human Intervention on Wild Pacific Salmon Populations Human Intervention on Salmon Populations Abstract Wild Pacific salmon have been studied extensively over the past thirty years, and much has been done to increase or at least maintain populations of varying species. Of these various sustainability tactics, many have proven to be responsible for declining populations. It becomes apparent that policy makers, lawmakers, and industry leaders have either not taken these results from scientific studies seriously or have other priorities. If human intervention on wild Pacific salmon populations does not change soon, this resource may be lost forever. 2 Human Intervention
This would be terrible for the people and creatures that rely on this mighty river to live. Dams, diversions and evaporation losses from reservoirs also contribute to the lessening of water available from the river, causing ecological consequences to wildlife living in and along the river. The Colorado River used to carry up to 85 to 100 million tons of silt or sediment to the Gulf of California where it deposited into the sea. The sediment helped things along the river path grow and flourish. Over the years, the silt has been collecting in Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir, and it is predicted that over the next few hundred years this lake will fill up with silt.