The Effects of Runoff to Marine Life

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Recommended: Ocean acidification and its impact on our environment

Runoff is defined as excess water that soil does not absorb after a storm. Runoff collects various particles on its way downhill, such as pesticides and nutrients, from the surrounding area, and moves them into the nearby bodies of water. Some nutrients carried by runoff include: nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate; all of which are found in golf course turf fertilizer (experiment). When these excess chemicals enter the water, they create an imbalance in the ecosystem. This imbalance can be harmful to inhabitants both in, and around the body of water. Those affected in the water may be subjected to a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels, making it harder for the animals to breath. The levels of acidity in the water may increase, causing mutations or other physical harm to the animals. Many land inhabited animals consume their water and sometimes even food from nearby bodies of water; such as lakes, streams, rivers, and oceans. The intake of excess amounts of chemicals would most likely cause the animals to grow very sick, or possibly even die. If the chemicals themselves do not hurt the land bound animals, the lack of aquatic animals to feed on will decrease, causing them to go hungry, or forcing them to move to new habitats. (Thesis)
Some North Carolina golf courses participated in a surface water quality study unveiling the movement of fertilizers and pesticides (Ryals, Genter, & Leidy, 1998). Water samples were collected every two weeks. Ryals, Genter, and Leidy (1998), accounted for four pesticides (atrazine, chlorothalonil [Daconil®], chlorpyrifos [Dursban®], and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and 2 nutrients (nitrogen and phosphate). Minimal impact to the courses’ surface water was shown by the data retrieved from the stud...

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...c plants and algae (Perlman, 2013). The recommended phosphate (PO4) level for a fresh body of water is 0.1-1 mg/L (Bartenhagen, 2013). Ammonium (NH4) levels vary with temperature and pH levels of the freshwater (Bartenhagen, 2013) (DeBrosse,2013). With the healthy pH level of 7 or 8, the corresponding ammonium level should be around 0.1-1 mg/L. Ammonium only exists in the atmosphere before altering to nitrate for about five to ten days by nitrification. Since healthy pH levels are between 7-8, extremes would make the freshwater too acidic or too basic making the water inhospitable for life (DeBrosse, 2013). The recommended dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in cold freshwater is between 6-8 mg/L. Temperature of the freshwater will vary depending on external air temperature. If all these characteristics are met, the body of water will have reached their eutrophic state.

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