Maryland's Ecology and Environment
explanatory Essay
1051 words
Maryland is the 42nd largest state, making it one of the smaller states in America. It is
located in the South Atlantic region on the United States eastern seaboard. Prince George's is
one of twenty four counties in Maryland. It is also the geographic center of the state. Maryland
has a varied climate. The state is home to a variety of different ecosystems. This is also true of
Maryland’s environment, which has the Atlantic Ocean on the coast, mountains, and forest land.
My paper will focus on Prince George’s county and the state of Maryland. The size of the state
and how connected parts of Prince George’s county is to its neighboring counties and cities
makes it sensible to take a wider view of Maryland’s ecology and environment.
There are many fresh water ecosystems in Maryland. Many of these are found in Prince
George’s County. There are several streams and rivers in the county that feed into the
Chesapeake Bay. Many of these water ways developed after glaciers began to melt flooding
existing rivers and craving out new waterways. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries grew and
formed as the ice age ended. These rivers and streams are home to several species of fish. These
species include small and large mouth bass, catfish, bluegill sunfish, yellow and white perch,
carp, pumpkinseed sunfish, pickerel, and eel. Perch and sunfish are considered threatened or
endangered species. This is true of many creatures that live in fresh water dwellings. Forty –
one percent of Maryland’s fresh water fish are now listed as rare, threatened, or endangered. The
state of Maryland and Prince George’s county are trying to save and restore these fresh water
dwellings. The county along with the ...
... middle of paper ...
...ill,
Deborah J. Chaloud, Elizabeth R. Smith, &Anne C. Neale. (1997). An Ecological
Assessment of the United States Mid-Atlantic Region. United States Environmental
Protection Agency, Washington D.C.
Maryland Department Natural Resources Responding to Climate Change. (2011). My Green
Guide Maryland. Retrieved from http://www.mygreenguidemaryland.com/Land-
Conservation-and-Preservation-in-Maryland/maryland-department-natural-resources-
responding-to-climate-change.html
Maryland’s Environment: A 20,000 Year History of Change. Retrieved from
http://www.jefpat.org/archeobotany/PDF/PaleobotEssay.pdf
Stranko, Scott , Kilian, Jay, Becker, Andy, Klauda ,Ronald & Dan Boward (2009). The
Blackbanded Sunfish, Protecting Maryland’s freshwater Ecosystems. Retrieved from
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/naturalresource/winter2009/sunfish.pdf
In this essay, the author
- Explains that since 1927, the commission has acquired over 13,300 acres of stream valley and river parks.
- Explains that pigs, cattle, horses, and fowl were fenced out of house yards and ranged free.
- Explains that 80 percent of the land was cleared of trees, resulting in a summary.
- Explains that coastal woods and beaches support a variety of plant and animal life.
- Opines that oceans and the chesapeake bay have been damaged by pollution.
- Explains how the district of columbia and the federal government have worked to improve and save our coastal areas.
- Explains the geography and geology of the chesapeake bay region.
- Explains that crab, oyster, and fish populations in our waterways are declining due to overfishing.
- Opines that we must realize we and our environment are interdependent. if we continue to abuse and destroy, the environment will be destroyed.
- Explains that maryland is the 42nd largest state, making it one of the smaller states in america. it is located in the south atlantic region on the united states eastern seaboard.
- Explains that their paper will focus on prince george's county and the state of maryland.
- Explains that maryland has many fresh water ecosystems, including prince george's county, and several streams and rivers that feed into the county.
- Explains that the chesapeake bay and its tributaries grew and formed as the ice age ended, and are home to several species of fish.
- Opines that maryland and prince george's counties are trying to save and restore these fresh water fish.
- Explains that european settlers cut down native forests at a high rate and the timber was sold in europe. environmental activists have been fighting for decades to preserve these endangered habitats for the animals.
- Predicts sea level will rise at least twice as fast as it did during the 20th century, resulting in a 1-foot rise by 2050 and between 2-3 feet by 2100.
- Believes maryland will fare better than parts of the world that lack the money and resources that are in this area when it comes to climate change.
Related
- analytical
- explanatory
- comparative
- narrative
- Although the Chesapeake region faced many obstacles such as the "starving time," fatal diseases, and dire population shortages, it ultimately evolved and grew because of population increases, economic fluctuation, and changes in household composition.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the population of the chesapeake region grew with the arrival and settling of british migrants.
- Analyzes how the growing economy of the chesapeake region contributed to the economy.
- Explains that household composition was responsible for the success and evolution of the chesapeake society. the average completed family size was 9.4 in 1650, but it decreased to 6.9 in 1750 to 1800.
- Analyzes how the chesapeake region evolved and grew because of population increases, economic fluctuation, and changes in household composition.
817 wordsRead More - Ocean Decidification: The Health Of The Chesapeake Bayexplanatory essayThe Chesapeake Bay lies in three states-- Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Although this estuary lies in 3 different states, the tributaries that contribute water to the bay lie in many different states, extending from New York to West Virginia and Virginia. Therefore, the health of the bay is a national problem, as its health strongly depends on our actions that we perform throughout the nation
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the health of the chesapeake bay is a national problem, as its health depends on our actions throughout the nation.
- Explains that the chesapeake bay is a lively and diverse estuary that holds blue crabs, oysters and scallops. any impact that we have on the oceans affects the life and health of the bay.
- Explains that ocean acidification affects the chesapeake bay and the businesses that depend on it.
- Explains that acidification in many bodies of water absorbs carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, but the oceans absorb parts of that, increasing the acidity.
- Explains that acidification poses many harms to the ecosystem of the chesapeake bay.
- Explains that the chesapeake bay has a large land-to-water ratio of 14:1. their actions on the land will largely affect the bay.
- Explains that the acidification of the bay affects organisms that have a skeleton or shell. crabs, oysters and clams all have shells made of calcium carbonate.
- Explains that if ocean acidification increases at a constant rate, and the ph level of the water continues to decrease rapidly, the oceans and chesapeake will soon become corrosive to these unprotected shells.
- Opines that if the acidity continues to increase, the survival of these species of waterbirds will be hindered.
- Opines that there must be more widespread knowledge about ocean acidification, especially in the chesapeake bay and its watershed, in order for this major problem to be halted.
- Opines that there must be more outreach and legislation in the near future to analyze the science available about ocean acidification to educate the public about this large problem.
1153 wordsRead More - The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It holds 18 hundred trillion gallons of water. The Bay is about 200 miles long, and is home to more than 17 million people. The importance of the Chesapeake Bay is incredible; two of the United States’ five major North Atlantic ports – Baltimore and Hampton Roads – are on the Bay. (Chesapeake Bay Program, n/d). The Chesapeake Bay provides shelter and food to all living things in the surrounding area. Both, people and animals, use the Bays resources every day and have done so for centuries.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the chesapeake bay is the largest estuary in the united states. it holds 18 trillion gallons of water and is home to 17 million people.
- Explains that the chesapeake bay's oyster population has declined due to over harvesting, agricultural runoff, and disease.
- Explains that the chesapeake bay was once abundant with oysters dating back to about 5,000 years ago. the reefs were actually hazards to ships sailing through the bay.
- Explains that people began to use and eat oysters around 4,500 years ago, shell deposits called middens were created as people harvested the oysters.
- Explains that europeans and natives only harvested oysters around the shore in shallow water. in colonial times there were not enough people to make an impact on oyster stock, so the oyster population continued to grow.
- Explains that new england fishermen developed a device to pick up hundreds of oysters and rip out their reef. virginia banned this equipment in 1811, and maryland
- Explains the inventions that led to the fall of oysters. dredges were legalized in 1865.
- Explains that maryland's harvest jumped to 5,000,000 bushels of oysters and virginians took 2,000,000. oyster shells were being consumed for grit, agricultural lime, and building fill.
- Explains how captains resorted to plying men with liquor, drugging them, and then "shanghaiing" them to the oyster boats. state laws were passed from 1890-1906 to improve work conditions.
- Explains that oyster harvesting was reduced to less than 1 percent of what it used to be. dr. brooks and other scientists called for oyster sanctuaries, limits on catches, and a shift to oyster farming were ignored.
- Explains that dermo disease is caused by a single celled protozoan parasite. it is spread from oyster to oyster through the water.
- Explains that the dermo disease affects the chesapeake bay oysters by temperature and salinity. temperatures above 25 degrees celsius cause the parasite to spread rapidly and kill the oyster.
- Explains that dermo is not the only disease infecting oysters. there is another disease called msx, which has had a very large impact on the bay's oyster population.
- Explains that chesapeake bay oysters are developing resistance to the pair of diseases—msx and dermo—that have helped push populations of these iconic shellfish to one percent of historical levels.
- Opines that agriculture is essential for human life, but the chesapeake bay does not. the runoff of nutrients, sediments, and other chemicals pollute the bay.
- Analyzes how the agley is sucking oxygen out of the water, creating dead zones. the sediment in the bay is weighting the oysters down to the sea floor, making them more susceptible to diseases.
- Explains that oysters in the chesapeake bay are depleted and the cities that rose with the industry are taking a heavy toll.
- Explains the chesapeake bay foundation's work on saving a national treasure and striking back against the oyster thieves.
1882 wordsRead More - The Climate Killer: Climate Change: The Global Killeranalytical essayNew England Aquarium. "Endangered Species and Habitats." The Basics: A Brief Introduction to Climate Change. New England Aquarium, 2014. Web. 14 July 2014.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that rising sea levels are just one symptom of climate change and can be held responsible for the decline in coral reefs and the increase of super storms.
- Explains that weather is defined as the day-to-day atmospheric conditions, while climate is the cumulative sum of the weather over time. the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon.
- Explains that the 21st century climate crisis has been caused by ninety companies, which produced nearly two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions since the dawn of the industrial age. since 1963, the rate at which carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released has increased every decade.
- Explains that the 1.53 degree rise in temperature is a severe ecological, social, and economic disaster. coral reefs are another casualty.
- Explains how mark lynas, author of 6 degrees: our future on a hotter planet, has outlined what the earth's future could look like in one degree increments based on scientific reports.
- Explains that a two-degree escalation will increase ocean acidity due to the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Predicts that the average global surface temperatures will increase by an additional 2 to 8.6 degrees by 2100.
- Analyzes how neil tyson degrasse, of cosmos, describes venus as having lost its oceans and sustaining temperatures high enough to melt lead.
- Explains that the effects of carbon release from fossil fuels will continue to fuel the severity of climate change. solar roadways claims to produce an energy surplus triple the current energy need of the us.
- Analyzes how asphault covers 31,251 square miles of the contiguous 48 states, which is equivalent to an area nearly the size of ohio.
- Explains that if no action is taken to reduce fossil fuel emissions, earth and the life it supports, will continue towards an extinction level cataclysm. solar roadways presents a practical solution to this problem.
- Analyzes brusaw, scott, and julie's "solar roadways : a real solution."
- Analyzes cooney, daniel, "one-quarter of world's coral reefs destroyed." abc news.
- Explains that cosmos: a spacetime odyssey. dir. carl sagan. perf. neil degrasse tyson.
- States goldenberg, suzanne, "just 90 companies caused two-thirds of man-made global warming emissions." the guardian.
- Explains lynas, mark, six degrees: our future on a hotter planet, washington, d.c.
- Explains lyons, christina l., "climate change." cq researcher, 27 june 2014.
- Explains that nesbit, jeff, "haiyan, sandy and climate change." at the edge, usnews.com, 18 nov. 2013.
- Explains new england aquarium's "endangered species and habitats." the basics: a brief introduction to climate change.
- Analyzes how tiny island disappears under rising ocean levels.
- Explains how the global temperature risen in the last 100 years. university corporation for atmospheric research.
1950 wordsRead More - Panther Conservationanalytical essaySullivan, J.D., Jr. Florida’s endangered species, threatened species and species of special concern. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2004, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the florida panther has been on the endangered species list since 1967 with only 130 individuals surviving within a small area in southern florida.
- Explains that the loss of habitat for the florida panther has caused problems with dispersal and inbreeding within smaller populations.
- Explains that they saw the massive development of the five surrounding counties in the area first-hand and seeing any wildlife such as panthers in a fastly developing suburb was rare. panthers have been particularly susceptible to the creation of patchy habitats due to their large dispersal ranges.
- Explains that they wanted to learn more about how environmental change modeling could be applied to help the florida panthers in south florida.
- Analyzes the dispersal patterns of florida panthers in an effort to conserve areas for future populations.
- Compares the results of the florida panthers' dispersal with those of other large cat species, stating that despite environmental pressures, animals adapt to environmental challenges.
- Explains that the florida panther's dispersal patterns are purposeful to ameliorate inbreeding and to care for young kittens and establish a home territory.
- Argues that the study of dispersal patterns of the florida panther gives amazing insight into the lives of these animals and helps scientists pinpoint their ideal habitats and home territories.
- Explains randy kautz's article titled "how much is enough? landscape-scale conservation for the florida panther" that developed a model using dispersal patterns to define specific landscape types inhabited over time.
- Explains how gis analysis and software were used to verify the radio-collared locations of florida panthers. the compositional analysis produced 16 land cover types and euclidean distance analysis.
- Explains that the dispersal zone was located east of labelle, fl, and the secondary zone consisted mostly of freshwater marsh. the results show that panthers are diverse in their habitat choices from day to night.
- Concludes that the conservation implications of this article could make a dramatic difference in maintaining populations of the fl panther in the future.
- Reviews a data-based conservation planning tool created with arc gis software to calculate the impact of development on panther habitation areas.
- Cites facmire, charles f., timothy s. gross, and louis j. guillette, jr. reproductive impairment in the florida panther: nature or nature?
- Explains that florida panther (felis concolor coryi) : rare and endangered biota of florida found in humphrey, s.r.
- Cites maehr, david s., thatcher, van manen, and clark. a data-based conservation planning tool for florida panthers.
2015 wordsRead More - Chesapeake Bay Preventionexplanatory essayChesapeake Bay Program [homepage on the internet]. Annapolis, (MD) Restoring Water Quality. [cited 2011 Feb 19]. Available from: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/restoringwater.htm
In this essay, the author
- Explains that prevention is necessary to control many problems in the chesapeake bay. it can range from something as big as a government issue or as small as one person helping out.
- Explains that the chesapeake bay program is focusing on erosion prevention and improving the quality of wastewater treatment.
- Explains that there are many non-native invasive species that have invaded the chesapeake bay.
- Opines that people should be more careful about dealing with fish in the chesapeake bay.
- Explains that a strategy for protecting and restoring the chesapeake bay watershed was prompted by an executive order from president obama.
- Explains that the chesapeake bay program is using satellites to measure water quality in the watershed.
- Explains that there are many things that you can do to help prevent problems in the chesapeake bay.
- Explains the federal agencies release plan for improving health of chesapeake bay.
- Explains that ramakrishna, bharath, chang, chein, trou, bruce, henqemihle, jerry. 2007. chesapeake bay water quality monitoring using satellite imagery.
- Cites the chesapeake bay program, annapolis, md, restoring water quality, and the monkton fly shop owner.
- Explains the alliance for the chesapeake bay and baltimore's more examples of what you can do to prevent nonpoint source pollution.
935 wordsRead More - Endangered Species Act of 1973explanatory essayThe Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, managed by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Commerce Department’s National. Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), was created to provide protection for species at risk of extinction and the habitat in which they thrive. Work on developing an endangered species bill began in 1972 following President Nixon’s remarks in his “Environmental Message” (93 S. Rpt. 307). Nixon deemed the species conservation efforts of the United States insufficient and during the 93rd Congress, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was introduced and passed on December 28th, 1973.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that decisions for listing or delisting will be made on the best available sources at the time.
- Explains that listing decision will be made in conjunction with input from other federal agencies, organization, and states the species is normally found in.
- Explains that the proposal to list a species would be published to the federal register and the governors of the state(s) in which the species is found would notified. a 90-day review process would commence, allowing input for various sources.
- Explains that the secretary was given power to review the list “from time to time.”
- Explains that the endangered species act (esa) in the 112th congress: conflicting values and difficult choices.
- Explains the endangered species act of 1973, which provides guidelines for the process of proposing and approving a species for listing or delisting.
- States that the lacey act was introduced in 1900 to help slow the decline of the passenger pigeon, and the committee on rare and endangered wildlife species was formed in the 1960s.
- Explains that the s. 1983 bill was introduced to committee in june 1973 and was sent to the senate floor in early july. following passage by both houses, it was referred to conference.
- Explains that the esa has stayed close to its original intent, though there have been notable amendments in 1978, 1982, 1988, and 2004.
- Cites skaggs, s., and u.s. fish and wildlife service. legislative history of the endangered species act.
- States the text of the endangered and threatened species conservation act of 1973 (to accompany h.r. 37).
1665 wordsRead More - Chesapeake River Differencescomparative essayOur group chose to compare two different bodies of water close to each other that is well known to the DMV area. The two bodies of water are the Great falls, and the C&O canal. Both have many tourists who walk near the water streams, however one body of water has slightly less movement, and more algae growing in it(the C&O canal). The Great Falls is inside the second largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, its natural resources are also an important part of the larger bay ecosystem. Much of the C&O canal “preserves floodplain forest and wetlands that contribute to the conservation of the Chesapeake Bay”(Nature). The wetlands can act as a "sponge," slowing down the flow of water during floods. We chose to test these two locations of water
In this essay, the author
- Compares two different bodies of water close to each other, the great falls and the c&o canal. both have many tourists who walk near the water streams, but one has less movement and more algae growing in it.
241 wordsRead More - Explanation: The Chesapeake Baynarrative essayExplanation: Develop a brochure to help the public understand all about the Chesapeake Bay (history, economic importance, environmental importance, pollution, solutions)
In this essay, the author
- Explains the importance of the chesapeake bay on virginia's economy and environmental status.
- Describes their self-knowledge about the bay and what they can do to help protect it.
- Asks to plan an event to make people more aware about the chesapeake bay. do you think it is more logical to focus on kid’s or adult activities?
177 wordsRead More - Differences Between New England And Chesapeake Settlersanalytical essayThere were two major factors that greatly influenced the differences in these regions. These factors were the geographical features and the religious differences that there region contained which had a vast influence on the way in which the people lived. It is important to understand that in as much as both the New England and Chesapeake settlers had a common goal of looking for exceptional territories which could provide them with more economic, religious and social freedom, there were also various differences that actually existed between them. It was due to these ideals held by the groups that lead them to create such contrasting societies. Therefore, it cannot be denied as an important cause of the contrast. As shown, this purpose was carried
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the geographical features and religious differences in the regions influenced the people's lives. the chesapeake and new england settlers had a common goal of seeking economic, religious, and social freedom.
215 wordsRead More