...Lake Erie Ecosystem Structure, Function, and Change Denise McSalters SCI 256 November 13. 2013 University of Phoenix Lake Erie Ecosystem Structure, Function, and Change Carved out by glaciers during the last ice age the Great Lakes contain 20% of the earth’s fresh water. The lakes provide the majority of the basin’s human population with drinking water, commerce and recreation. Lake Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes, relatively shallow, and is exposed to prevailing winds. Lake Erie ecosystem supports a diverse group of aquatic and land-dwelling organisms who use the ecosystem during important life stages. The lake support high production of both residential and migratory species and is a center for regional biodiversity. (US Department of the Interior; US Geological Survey, 2013) Because Lake Erie is exposed to prevailing winds, it is particularly susceptible to intense wave actions and wind-generated changes in the lake level. The “seiches” or changes in the lake tides interchangeably flood and drain the coastal wetlands systems. The costal wetland systems encompass southeastern Michigan, northwest Ohio and southern Ontario. The Watershed is almost completely urban or agricultural. The major urban cities are Toledo, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2013) The most obvious forcer of Lake Erie ecosystem change was due to the input of excessive amounts of phosphorus from mainly agriculture and water treatment plants. At...
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...The Florida Everglades is the name of the area that consists of subtropical wetlands on the southern tip of Florida. At one point, it extended from Lake Okeechobee 100 miles south to Florida Bay. Now, however, it is only 1/3 of its glory, since the Everglades National Park (what is left of the Everglades) only currently covers 1,509,000 acres at the southern tip of Florida. The two biggest abiotic components that are unique to the Everglades are weather and location. The weather plays a huge part because of the precipitation The weather is known to be warm, with a distinct wet and dry season. Despite having some dry periods, the area is known to have 40-70 inches of rain and that rainfall is what drains into Lake Okeechobee. Location is important because it is what determines the flow of water. Southern Florida is very flat and because the terrain is so flat, the rainwater that overflows from Lake Okeechobee during the rains is what creates a wide, shallow, slow-moving river that flows through the marshes. The ecosystems that make up the Everglades have been described as “both fragile and resilient” (Toops). Take for example, the Florida apple snail, which are an amphibious fresh water mollusk (Whitney). Apple snails must lay their eggs on sawgrass stalks around six inches above the water line because they are intolerant of being submerged for long periods of time. In that case, when the eggs hatch, this allows the young snails to enter the water quickly. If water...
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...and councils Consultation draft – June 2010 Department of Planning and Local Government 136 North Terrace, Adelaide GPO Box 1815 South Australia 5001 www.dplg.sa.gov.au FIS 23139 © Government of South Australia. Published 2010. All rights reserved. Introduction It is clear that developers, designers and the community are increasingly valuing the aesthetic and environmental potential of water features–structures such as lakes, ponds and fountains–which are becoming increasingly common in new developments and urban renewal projects. At the same time, walking and cycling paths are also being provided to take advantage of the recreational opportunities presented by natural water courses throughout our suburbs. These features add to the vibrancy of our community, but they also present an element of danger, particularly for children. At the time of drafting this document there were no Australian guidelines or other reference documents dealing with safety issues associated with these features. Such documents would be invaluable for architects, urban designers, local government planners, insurers, child advocates and others interested in designing, building and promoting artificial or altered water features in the public environment. This document is intended to meet this need. The document’s objective is to help minimise the risk of injury to children and adults, alert or not, who...
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...general increase in population and the amount of industrialization of a settlement. It includes increase in the number and extent of cities. It symbolizes the movement of people from rural to urban areas. Urbanization happens because of the increase in the extent and density of urban areas. The density of population in urban areas increases because of the migration of people from less industrialized regions to more industrialized areas. The concept “Urban Sprawl” means increase in spatial scale or increase in the peripheral area of cities. “Urban Sprawl” has its own drawbacks. The city and its infrastructure may not be adequately planned. Traffic is high with increased time needed for commuting.Essential services are not reachable within time.City administration becomes extremely difficult. An excellent example of urban sprawl within our country is that of the city of Bangalore. After the establishment of IT industry in Bangalore, the population exploded from 24,76,355 in 1980 to 42,92,223 in 2001 with influx of 18 lakh immigrants within two decades. The growing population has increased pressure on several resources including civic amenities, residential availability, cost of living, local infrastructure, transport, traffic and administration. Bangalore has lost many if its water bodies (lakes) and consequently the fragile ecosystem has been disturbed due to the everincreasing need for space, to cater to residences and business establishments. The beginning of urbanization can...
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...Names: Lab #6, Floods and Runoff Part I –Flood frequency ESS 315 A flood is any relatively high flow of water over land that is not normally under water. Floods occur at streams and rivers but can also be caused by high rainfall or snowmelt as well as high tides along seashores, high groundwater levels, dam failures, and high water levels in lakes. Floods happen naturally in rivers as a response to hydrologic, meteorologic and topographic factors. Dams, levees, channelizing rivers, development of agricultural, urban, and suburban areas, and deforestation also effect floods. In this section of the lab you will become familiar with the nature of river floods, the problems that are created by flooding, and potential solutions. Discharge is defined as the rate of stream flow at a given instant in terms of volume per unit time at a given location. Discharge can be calculated from the equation: Q = A *V where Q= discharge (in cubic feet per second, cfs, or m3/s) A = cross-sectional area of the wetted channel (width of the channel at a given location multiplied by the depth of the water at that location) V= velocity of the flow (in ft/s or m/s) Flood frequency (the average occurrence of flooding of a given magnitude, over a period of years) is based on the maximum discharge for the year at a given point. Recurrence intervals or return periods are generally used to characterize flood frequency. A recurrence interval is the average time interval (in years) between the occurrence...
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...Dunes National Lakeshore is a vast area that is a unit of the National Park System and is also designated as a U.S. National Lakeshore. This park is located in Northwest Indiana, USA, on the southern shores of Lake Michigan. The park is comprised of over 15,000 acres of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, prairies, rivers, and forests. This park is a great example of a vast and unique environment resulting from the retreat of the last great continental glacier some 14,000 years ago. (1) This park is also located within an urban setting and is closely located to the highly populated industrialized cities of Gary, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois. Early, overharvesting of forests and farming impacted the area’s ecology and resources. Residential and industrial developments over time coupled with climate change have altered natural processes for the environment. Today the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has a challenge associated with balancing impacts of human actions within fragile natural environments. Restoration plans by resource managers for the area have been focused on mitigating the damage done in the past. The key in restoring the area is planning for the future, limiting new developments, and considering future climate will help aid in the restoration. (1) Background Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established by Congress as a national lakeshore in 1966. (2) Prior to industrial and residential development along Lake Michigan, the shoreline was comprised...
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...mproving Sanitation in Coastal Communities with Special Reference to Puerto Princesa, Palawan Province, Philippines Table of Contents Acknowledgments (see below) Abstract (see below) Resumé (see below) Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Thesis Rationale 1.2 Goals and Objectives of the Thesis 1.3 Research Methodology 1.4 Scope and Limitations of the Study 1.5 Organization of the Thesis Chapter 2 General Scenario of Sanitation Problems in Coastal and Waterfront Communities--A Literature Review 2.1 Reasons for Settling on Coastal, Waterfront and Low-lying Areas 2.2 Sanitation Problems 2.3 Health and Environmental Conditions Chapter 3 Low-Cost Sanitation Systems used in Coastal and Waterfront Communities--A Literature Review 3.1 Available Low-Cost Sanitation Technologies 3.2 Sanitation Systems Used in Coastal and Waterfront Communities Chapter 4 The Case Study 4.1 Community Background 4.2 * Chapter 5 Results of Field Survey-- Analysis of Existing Sanitation in the Coastal Communities of Puerto Princesa 5.1 Basis of Analysis 5.2 Existing Environmental Sanitation 5.3 Health Condition and Observed Hygienic Practices related to Sanitation and Water Supply Chapter 6 Essential Factors for the Provision of Sanitation Systems in Coastal Communities 6.1 Considerations in the Provision of Sanitation Systems 6.2 Sanitation Systems Options Chapter 7 Conclusions and Recommendations 7.1 Summary of Existing sanitation Problems 7.2 Key Considerations in the Provision of...
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...March 2, 2013 – The Everglades Flood Control and Restoration: A Century of Disaster OUTLINE ABSTRACT ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Before drainage of the Everglades began over a century ago, the wetlands of southern Florida were an interconnected hydrological assortment of lavish freshwater lakes and streams, cypress swamps, secluded estuarine lagoons, freshwater sloughs, tree islands, wet prairies, and mangrove swamps spanning 3.6 million hectares. After a century of intrusion, the daunting task of understanding, fixing, maintaining, and regaining a sustainable, natural Everglades-type ecosystem in South Florida is monumental. The area south of Lake Okeechobee now has a human population of over four million people, with greedy agricultural and urban demands for more water and more space. Therefore, several uphill battles have ensued. The conceptual plans for restoring this ecosystem, currently on record, are all extremely expensive to implement. A more thorough definition of the environmental and societal objectives and measures of success are required. How the ecosystem will respond to the return of a more natural hydrological pattern is uncertain, but needs to be addressed as the expected and desired outcome through measures of performance. The critical level of deterioration of the Everglades has created a crisis-management atmosphere instead of a full spectrum response and future prevention methodology. The political and social aspects of the Everglades...
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...Submit your answers in a separate Word document. List the question number and the letter of the best answer for each of the 50 questions. 1. The rapid population increase since the Industrial Revolution occurred for all of the following reasons except: A) invention of vaccines B) advances in agriculture C) increased food production D) lower infant mortality E) declining birth rates 2. When did the most dramatic increase in the history of the human population occur? A) in the early history of the human population B) in the last part of the twentieth century C) during the industrial revolution D) during the middle ages E) human population has increased on a steady rate 3. An observation that is agreed upon by the majority of scientists is called a A) hypothesis B) controlled experiment C) technology D) theory E) fact 4. Considering inputs to a pool and outputs from it, the pool will be in steady state when: A) inputs exceed outputs B) outputs cease C) inputs equal outputs D) outputs exceed inputs E) inputs cease 5. Which of the following parameters is/are necessary to describe exponential population growth? A) carrying capacity B) population size C) juvenile death rate D) time lag E) all of these Page 16. The “demographic transition” leads to: A) an increase in population growth rate B) an decline in population growth rate C) an increase in the birth rate D) a decline in the death rate E) all of these; it is a four-stage pattern of population...
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...economic and social externalities. I want to work on this topic because this problem is related to our daily life, and we are the victim of this problem especially in the rainy season. Drains and cannels are stuck for several days and due to the drainage congestion Dhaka metropolitan area has experienced water logging for last couple of years. Even a little rain causes a serious problem for certain areas, so that parts of Dhaka are inundated for several days. It makes difficult to move for the passer by. Solution which comes out will help us from this topic. To find out inherent causes of water logging in Dhaka City, a field survey as a questionnaire survey, informal interviews from the people living in different parts of Dhaka City. PRESENT SITUATION The capital city of Bangladesh has become one of the populous Mega City in the world, in recent year’s sewerage and water logging has become as a common problem of the city like water pollution, traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, solid waste disposal, black smoke etc. Unplanned capital development activities and growth of habitation due to rapid population growth are causing encroachment on retention areas and natural drainage paths with little or no care of natural drainage system. Excessive rainfall, inadequate drainage sections, conventional drainage system with low capacity and gravity, natural siltation, absence of inlets and outlets, indefinite drainage outlets, lack of proper maintenance...
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...changing the lives’ of the people who live there. The first of several covers a good half of the country. The Canadian Shield covers most of Nunavut, Quebec, Ontario, Labrador, Manitoba, as well as a large part of Saskatchewan and smaller parts of Alberta and the North West Territories. The Canadian Shield is a relatively flat landscape with rounded hills of metamorphic rock. This region is rich in minerals and is often used as a mining area for many of the provinces. It is a bad area in Canada for farming because the soil is too thin. It is mainly covered in Boreal Forest in the south and Tundra in the north. The Western Cordillera rests along the western edge of Canada, covering most of Yukon Territory and British Columbia as well as western Alberta. Consists of high, sharp-peaked mountains separated by plateaus and valleys, running North to South. Created by the North American and Pacific plates. The Western Cordillera is lightly populated and travel is difficult due to the high altitude and mountain roads. Yet, it is an area rich in minerals, timber, and sources of hydro electricity. The Appalachian Mountains cover some of southern Quebec. And most of the Atlantic Provinces. It is the oldest highland...
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...changing the lives’ of the people who live there. The first of several covers a good half of the country. The Canadian Shield covers most of Nunavut, Quebec, Ontario, Labrador, Manitoba, as well as a large part of Saskatchewan and smaller parts of Alberta and the North West Territories. The Canadian Shield is a relatively flat landscape with rounded hills of metamorphic rock. This region is rich in minerals and is often used as a mining area for many of the provinces. It is a bad area in Canada for farming because the soil is too thin. It is mainly covered in Boreal Forest in the south and Tundra in the north. The Western Cordillera rests along the western edge of Canada, covering most of Yukon Territory and British Columbia as well as western Alberta. Consists of high, sharp-peaked mountains separated by plateaus and valleys, running North to South. Created by the North American and Pacific plates. The Western Cordillera is lightly populated and travel is difficult due to the high altitude and mountain roads. Yet, it is an area rich in minerals, timber, and sources of hydro electricity. The Appalachian Mountains cover some of southern Quebec. And most of the Atlantic Provinces. It is the oldest highland...
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...Content Water they say is life, and indeed they were right. With about 70% of the earth’s cover being water; it undeniably becomes one of our greatest resources. Water resources are used in various ways including direct consumption, agricultural irrigation, fisheries, hydropower, industrial production, recreation, navigation, environmental protection, the disposal and treatment of sewage, and industrial effluents. Water has sources and supplies, economic, social, and political characteristics which make it a unique and challenging natural resource to manage. Water resources refer to the supply of groundwater and surface water in a given area. Water resources may also reference the current or potential value of the resource to the community and the environment. The maximum rate that water is potentially available for human use and management is often considered the best measure of the total water resources of a given region. With two thirds of the earth's surface covered by water and the human body consisting of 75 percent of it, it is evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth. Water circulates through the land just as it does through the human body, transporting, dissolving, replenishing nutrients and organic matter, while carrying away waste material. Further in the body, it regulates the activities of fluids, tissues, cells, lymph, blood and glandular secretions. An average adult body contains 42 litres of water and with just...
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...hij Teacher Resource Bank Environmental Studies Unit 1 ENVS1 The Living Environment Teachers Notes Copyright © 2008 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 3644723) and a registered charity (registered charity number 1073334). Registered address: AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX. Dr Michael Cresswell, Director General. Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Environmental Studies / Teachers’ Notes Unit 1 / Version 1.0 Unit 1 ENVS1 The Living Environment Introduction These Teachers’ Notes are intended to expand upon Unit 1: The Living Environment by providing greater detail of the topics to be covered and how these should be developed. Examples included in the specification must be covered. Where specific examples are not given, suitable examples should be chosen to illustrate the principles and issues that are included in the specification. This guide includes suitable examples that may be used (in italics) but others may be used if preferred eg if the candidates or teachers have particular experience or knowledge. It is anticipated that the use of carefully selected examples may reduce total teaching effort by enabling a number of issues to be covered in a single situation. This will also help candidates to appreciate the holistic, inter-connected nature of the subject and prepare them for the study of broader issues such as sustainability...
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...DEFINITION FROM WIKI (understand and write it yourself) In ecology, resilience is the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a perturbation or disturbanceby resisting damage and recovering quickly. Such perturbations and disturbances can include stochastic events such as fires, flooding, windstorms, insect population explosions, and human activities such as deforestation and the introduction of exotic plant or animal species. Disturbances of sufficient magnitudeor duration can profoundly affect an ecosystem and may force an ecosystem to reach a threshold beyond which a different regime of processes and structures predominates.Human activities that adversely affect ecosystem resilience such as reduction of biodiversity, exploitation of natural resources,pollution, land-use, and anthropogenic climate change are increasingly causing regime shifts in ecosystems, often to less desirable and degraded conditions. Interdisciplinary discourse on resilience now includes consideration of the interactions of humans and ecosystems via socio-ecological systems, and the need for shift from the maximum sustainable yield paradigm to environmental management which aims to build ecological resilience through "resilience analysis, adaptive resource management, and adaptive governance". The concept of resilience in ecological systems was first introduced by the Canadian ecologist C.S. Holling in order to describe the persistence of natural systems in the face of changes in ecosystem variables...
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