Changes in water chemistry associated with beaver-impounded coastal marshes of eastern Georgian Bay
Fracz, Amanda.; Chow-Fraser, Patricia. Changes in water chemistry associated with beaver-impounded coastal marshes of eastern Georgian Bay. Can. J. Fish Aquat. Sci. (online) 2013, 70: 834-840. https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.libproxy.chapman.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=99eb69ff-1148-4ddf-9fc5-e14d12e7062e%40sessionmgr4002&vid=2&hid=4203 (accessed Sept. 31st, 2014)
In the area of the Great Lakes, eastern Georgian Bay houses thousands of miles of marshlands and wetlands. These areas are some of the most threatened habitats in the world because they form where human development is highly concentrated, near the coast. Yet, the uninhabited wetlands are sometimes taken over by beaver dams. The water chemistry of these marshes depends on their location and connection with other bodies of water. Scientists Amanda Fracz and Patricia Chow-Fraser hypothesized that open wetlands
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Sites with positive PC1 scores (on the x-axis) corresponded with the beaver-impoundments that contained suspended sediments, aglae in the water and high concentrations of phosphorus. The negative PC1 scores were the open-water sites with high concentrations of nitrate nitrogen, conductivity and pH. The coastal marshland sites ended up in the middle of the graph between the other sites.
The scientists had originally hypothesized that coastal marshlands had similar water chemistry to that of open water areas whereas beaver-impounded wetlands did not because of the lack of free-flowing water. However, after the Kruskal-Wallis test, they concluded that all water chemistry of open-water, beaver-impounded wetlands and coastal marshes differed quite
Perhaps the most devastating disregard of the Fraser Valley’s biodiversity was the draining of Sumas Lake to create farmland, resulting in the loss of habitat and the extirpation of endemic species. As it was originally intended to be, the Fraser Valley was a “perhaps unparalleled ecosystem” (Rosenau, p. 55), with bountiful wetlands and remarkable biodiversity. The European settlers 150 years ago considered it to be “wasteland” (Thom, p. 172), certainly uninhabitable and a breeding ground for mosquitoes, so the most logical thing to do would be to drain the body of water once known as Sumas Lake...
Kennedy, Victor S. and Kent Mountford. (2001). Human Influences on Aquatic Resources in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
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As global temperatures and ocean levels rise, the water levels of the Great Lakes continues to fall. As the lakes hit their all time lowest level in global history in 2012, society remains ignorant to the imposing doom that lurks ahead. Since the Great Lakes make up the largest group of fresh water lakes on Earth and are responsible for approximately 21% of the Earth’s fresh water supply, this issue is becoming one of the largest environmental and economical issues our modern world faces. The effects of this issue include destroying animal habitats and a major economic market; shipping. Water levels in the Great Lakes have been dropping for the past fourteen years, but it wasn’t until boats were scraping the bottom of Lake Huron that people began to take notice. This terrible environmental issue has been dubbed a long term cycle of over evaporation and not enough precipitation to replenish the Lakes. Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology for the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Detroit has been monitoring this issue for a decade and has made startling discoveries, such as in 2012, he discovered Lake Michigan and Lake Huron’s water levels only rose four inches after winter, whereas the Lakes have been regularly recorded as gaining a foot of water after the winter season had ended. This amount of water added is not enough to maintain a proper water level during the dry, hot summer seasons that evaporate much water from the Great Lakes. While some scientists say that this is just a cycle that will adjust itself naturally, most experts that have been studying this phenomenon, such as Kompoltwicz, would agree that the issue has gone to far
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...
...sica Leahy, and Kathleen Bell. "Interactions between Human Communities and Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest: Trends and Implications for Management." Estuaries. 26.4 (Aug., 2003): 994-1009 . Print.
First test you will see if the phosphates test. All together, the average of the test was 0.3 ppm. Which in that case is good showing that there is not much eutrophication in the creek. My group personally did a nitrates test. Our group got about 0.4 ppm. On average the tests were around 0.8 ppm. Like the phosphates that means that there isn’t much eutrophication in the creek. Another test we did was a dissolved
This paper introduces the environmental concerns of the loss of coastal wetlands. The paper will discuss the significance of wetlands and the devastation that is occurring because of human activity. Wetlands are an essential element of our environment both ecological and societal; conservation will be essential for the preservation of these precious ecosystems.
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Between 300 and 400 million people worldwide live in areas near wetlands and depend on them. Wetlands are mechanisms for treatment of wastewater are extremely efficient because they absorb chemicals and filter pollutants and sediments. Half the world's wetlands have disappeared due to urbanization and industrial development. The only way to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction will be through better management of rivers and wetlands, and the land they drain and drain as well as through increased investment in them.
Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems. Wetlands include marshes, estuaries, bogs, fens, swamps, deltas, shallow seas, and floodplains. Wetland habitats support a vast range of plant and animal life, and serve a variety of important functions, which include water regime regulation, flood control, erosion control, nursery areas for fishes, fish production, recreation, plant production, aesthetic enjoyment, and wildlife habitat. Wetlands account for about 6% of the global land area and are among the most valuable environmental resources.
Water is the most important substance in our evolution and our daily lives. Without water,
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