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Effects of agricultural on the environment
Essay on the dead zone in the gulf of mexico
The effects of agriculture on the environment
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Currently, the United State’s Gulf of Mexico experiences an annual, seasonal “dead zone” as a result of hypoxia. Hypoxia is a low level of dissolved oxygen (<2mg/L) in an area of water. Hypoxia is typically temporary and seasonal, but the low oxygen levels can be devastating to aquatic organisms. Hypoxia occurs in many oceanic waters worldwide, but there is a growing area of concern in our Gulf of Mexico coast. Hypoxia is largely caused by nitrogen fertilizer application for agriculture, with heavy concentrations coming from the Midwestern US. Nitrogen mobilizes as nitrate, and is transported via surface water runoff. The runoff enters tile-drain supported ditches, enters streams and joins the Mississippi river, eventually reaching the gulf. Nitrate mobilization is a problem for human health, and ag. runoff is also often attributed to the contamination of surface and well-water sources in rural areas. High levels of nitrates restrict the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. This can harm humans, and is the major cause of infant methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome”. The safe drinking level standard is 10mg/L.
Nitrogen and nitrates relate to Hypoxia via the process of eutrophication. Since Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient in most waters, the added input of nitrate causes massive growth in algae. The algae rapidly consume all available N, and once the nutrient is limited again, the alga dies en masse. As the alga decomposes, oxygen is depleted in the water. This lowers dangerously lowers the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, which harms living organisms in the area. Small organisms and organisms that are immobile or unable to escape low-oxygen areas are particularly vulnerable. Hypoxia and resulting “dead zones” are harmful to local fishing and shrimping industries and algal blooms hurt the tourism industry. Hypoxia has lead to a decrease of about 25% in the brown shrimp habitat, forcing shrimping operations further offshore. As the hypoxia issue continues to grow, negative human effects will only increase. Since nitrate runoff from ag. has been proven to be the dominant source of hypoxia, policies could be enacted to effectively deal with “point-source” pollution. This makes enacting environmental policy more easily adapted, possibly included in past policy such as the Clean Water Act.
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the most cost-effective solution would be to simply decrease the amount of nitrate entering the gulf by 1.2 million metric tons. According to calculations, this would not result in significant crop yields but would decrease the amount of hypoxia.
Hypoxia is “rapidly increasing” throughout the world (Briggs, 2009). Areas in the United States included the Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico; off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and sometimes extending to the Texas shelf (EPA, 2003). The Gulf of Mexico is also ...
According to the Worldwatch Institute the rapid industrialization has polluted many lakes and streams resulting in chemical pollution and increased algae blooms leaving the water undrinkable. These combined issues are then causing knock on effects to the aquatic life by staving them of oxygen. Many areas are also suffering with an increase in dust storms; these have been a cause of over agricultural use. These increased storms would not cause many problems but now they can ...
Excessive nutrients from agriculture, development, and industry are harming the Chesapeake Bay. These excessive nutrients harm the habitat for many of the bays species. On top of the habitat being depleated, overfishing and diseases are also hurting the bays species. Nutrient loads can be reduced with the help of lawmakers to put a cap on the emissions allowed in the environment. If this is done the dead zone will start to recede, but the time and money need to be spent in order to save the bay.
Methodology: The experimenter used two ten gallon tanks. One tank will be used for the controlled group and the other tank will be used for the experimental group. Each tank will have two pounds of sand spread among the bottom of the tank along with rocks and artificial habitats to add nitrogen to the tanks. To add optimal living conditions for the oceanic life water filtration systems, temperature regulator, circulation systems, and a light to mimic the sun’s rays were added to each tank. At all times both tanks had a temperature of 75 degrees F. This experiment was done over a three month period. The first month was to allow the nitrogen cycle to occur. This allows the fish to be exposed to the water without having stress reactions due to unhealthy living conditions due to the nitrogen. Once the first month was complete six fish was added to both tanks. Two tangs, two damsels, and two clownfish. At first both tanks had a pH level of 8.2, ideal living conditions. After one week the experimental group was exposed to a pH level of 8.6. After two weeks it was raised to 9. Two weeks later it was raised to 9.3. The final raise was done two weeks after making the pH level 9.5. The final week of the experiment the pH lev...
So far the solutions that people and scientists have come up with are to make the farmers use fewer fertilizers, time when you use your fertilizers and control waste. Using fewer fertilizers and controlling waste are the most obvious solutions, as they would directly prevent nitrogen and nitrates from being in the water. They are the hardest to achieve though because the farmers need them to grow their plants. The other thing is to time when you use your fertilizers. This is so that you don’t add too much fertilizer in the rainy seasons because then the water will run down and go into the Gulf of Mexico.
Overall, the Gulf of Mexico dead zone is an area that should be taken very seriously. This is a part of the ocean that is drastically and undeniably affected directly by human activities. The economies surrounding the Gulf are very dependent on the resources they receive from it and would be devastated if economically-important species began dying off due to lack of oxygen. Although the dead zone varies in size from year to year, the area has increase exponentially ever since the birth of intensive farming practices involving nutrient-rich fertilizers. Thankfully, many efforts have been put forth to monitor and manage the dead zone. Revised farming practices along with greater environmental education for the general population with hopefully lead to a reduced risk of hypoxic conditions causing excess economic or ecological damage.
Potential solutions to try to combat against the effects of agricultural runoff include the created government funded programs in which farmers can gain better insight on efficient management approaches in order to avoid further NPS pollution, such as nitrogen pollution. The US Department of Agriculture has also established while working with state governments, cost-share programs, technical assistance, and incentives to prevent NPS pollution through aiding in efficient management practices. As a result of HABs and their toxins, local fisheries have had to temporarily manage the seasons in which they are able to harvest and catch certain species of seafood all in order to prevent illness through consumption. This in return adds more pressures on local economies, but at the same time protects consumers and makes many people aware of the
After being consumed by small fish and shellfish, these toxins move up the food chain and hurt larger animals this follow-up is called biomagnification, and it is something that we have to be concerned about it because we end up eating a lot of those organisms that have been eating small species during their whole life and their levels of toxicity are higher. Another effect that algae bloom has on the environment is that it blocks the sunlight needed by another organism to photosynthesis and create dead zone were fishes do not have oxygen and die. Over 166 dead zones have been documented nationwide, among them there is the Chesapeake Bay which is the second largest dead zone in the United States after The Gulf of Mexico which measured to be 5,840 square miles in 2013
Ocean Pollution is a serious issue in today's global politics. The delicate balance of Earth's ecosystem is put in jeopardy when the ocean is not clean. Problem evolving from ocean pollution directly harm marine life and indirectly affect human health and the Earth's many valuable resources. Ocean Pollution is a Broad term that encpompasses any and all foregin matter that directly or indirectly makes its way into the ocean. This includes everything from the extreme: oil spills, Toxic Waste dumping and industrial dumping-- to the small scael: human activities and basic carelessness. Because the oceans and all other water bodies are invariably, somehow connected, and because they account for 3/4 of the Earth's surface, they are an ideal method of transportation for pollution, allowing the rapid spread of seemingly far away toxins into a river near you! It is increasingly important that we educate ourselves as to what, exactly, ocean pollution is, so that we can identify the causes at their source and take action in small and large ways, and hopefully, prevent this terrible form of pollution from getting any worse than it is today.
Also, the tourism industry loses about one billion dollars a year from polluted waters, in fishing and boating. (epa.gov, 2016) Nutrient pollution can be harmful to fish and often kills them, losing millions of dollars in commercial fishing. Moreover, people can play a role in nutrient pollution by the way they use their land. For Indiana, to lessen our contribution to the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, we need to watch the way we use our land and resources (nature.org, 2016).
Water pollution has had devastating effects on the environment, which include irreversible effects on the oceans ecosystem. People often underestimate the importance of the ocean. They don’t realize how much damage pollution has caused to the ocean and the thousands of creatures that inhabit it. Earth is a huge place, but resources are actually very limited and will not last forever unless there is a balance. We must protect the resources we have in order for them to last into the next generation.
The article indicates that the influences of oceans pollution that made by humans and caused by a phenomenon called “dead zones”. First of all, there is a great amount of plastic in the ocean which causes massive consequences for animals of the entire marine food web. On the other hand, “Dead zone” also affect Earth’s oceans. “Dead zones” can formed by many causes, such as natural causes, climate change, along human activities and industrial waste. These is a national problem and humans need to have some regulatory mechanisms. Therefore, it can helps the “dead zones” reduced. The author mentions that the US Environmental
When referring to Arizona’s water Kris Mayes, chairwoman of the state’s utility regulatory panel once said, “How do you say just how valuable water is in an arid state like Arizona?” she said. “It’s like the credit-card commercial-it’s priceless” (McKinnon). She was right, because in a dry state like Arizona, water is pretty important. To say water is ‘pretty important’ for the world is an understatement. We use water to function. And when we think of water we think of saving it. Keep the faucets from dripping or turn off the water while brushing your teeth. There are numerous tips for water conservation, but people don’t often think of the damage that is already done. Damages like ‘dead zones’. Dead zones in the ocean have been around for years and have been steadily growing.
It means some elements enter the water which can be as a plant nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorous. It caused the algae in the water get a faster reproduction, with the increasing number of algae, these algae will secrete thin blue-green or red-yellow films, and it’s seriously influenced the growth of fish. Although there are many algae, but there are not enough nutritive salt for algae living. When the nutritive run out, the algae would die. But after the mass of algae dead, much oxygen in the water be used to resolve their corpse, the corpse will formed a green film, and made the water had a sting smell. It is a big issue for my country; undoubtedly, it will take long time in the future to solve this issue. Except eutrophication, Water temperature, ocean currents, water PH, light intensity, etc. all can outbreak of algae bloom such as biological effect, even when the individual is the causative factor. The both of fresh water and sea water is possible to have this issue, they showed different color when hypoxia happened. The sea is red in ocean while green in the water, because the color of algae in thes...
Oroian, Viman Oana I. "Damaging Effects of Overall Water Pollution." BioFlux (2010): 113-15. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.