Canada´s Mixedwood Plains and Pollution

727 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Positive and negative impacts of invasive species

Canada is a very large country, with areas of land in various climate regions, and land regions, thus having many ecozones that differentiate from another. The most populated ecozone in Canada is the Mixedwood Plains; the ecozone we are located in, named after the mixedwood forests that are native to the area. The Mixedwood Plains is one of the smallest of the Canadian ecozones, spanning only 175 963 kilometres squared. The Mixedwood Plains is bordered by three of the great lakes on the southern side of the ecozone, and comes up along the St Lawrence river to southern Quebec, and fills the tip of Ontario. It has rolling plains and small rock formations and escarpments. The Mixedwood Plains contains over half of the Canadian population as it contains some of Canada’s largest cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Windsor. The Mixedwood Plains has a relatively temperate climate with summers ranging an average temperature of 18o c – 22oc and winters ranging from -3oc - -110c.[2] Native mammals to the ecozone are black, brown and grizzly bears, grey wolves, coyotes and foxes, raccoons, squirrels, and other small mammals. Avian species include brown sparrow, hawks, crows, cardinals and bluejays. Fish are bass, trout, carp and pike. The Mixedwood Plains is made up of about 40% water, and contains over 20% of the worlds freshwater. One of the major problems in the world today is freshwater shortage. Because we have ample supply, we don’t notice, but much of the world is short on water. There are more water resources, but one of the largest is being quickly polluted and populated by invasive species .

Pollution is something we create. It is man made. We pollute our air, and very importantly, our water. The great lakes is one o...

... middle of paper ...

...reversible. Mankind should not need an incentive to take action on problems that are very serious such as the great lakes.

Works Cited
[1] “Mixedwood Plains.” Canadian Ecozones. Toronto: n.p., n.d. N. pag. TDSB Online Library School Sites. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
[2] “Mixedwood Plains.” Ecozones of Canada: Mixedwood Plains Ecozone. Environment of Canada, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
[3] Alliance for the Great Lakes. Alliance for the Great Lakes, 2002-2003. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .
[4] B., Laura, Ms. “Minnesota Pollution Control Agency publishes green chemistry case studies.”
Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable. GLRPPR, 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. .

Show More
Related

  • Mixedwood Plains Ecozone Essay

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ecozone's forests are composed of 12.8% mixedwood, 2.1% deciduous, and 0.2% coniferous trees. The forest cover spans from 3 to 16%, and 40% of Ontario's rare plants are exclusive to the Carolinian forests. The Wood Poppy, Small-whorled Pogonia, Prickly Pear Cactus, and Cucumber Tree are species listed as Endangered. Wild Raspberry, Black-eyed Susans, Clover, Goldenrod, and Trilliums are widespread in forest ecosystems. Thickets and abandoned fields are h...

    Read More

  • The Hudson Plains on Canada

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    Vegetation in the Hudson Plains mostly follows latitude patterns, because of the flat nature of the land. The Hudson Plains are a merge of boreal forest and tundra. Trees are few and far between, denser in the southern, wetter area of the ecozone. In this wetter area, the variety of plants includes: tussocks of sedge, cottongrass, sphagnum moss, dwarf birch, willow shrubs, white spruce, black spruce, larch, balsam, poplar, tamarack, and Jack Pine. In the drier area, vegetation is shrubby and low-lying. It includes Lapland rosebay, crowberry, blueberry, cloudberry, reindeer moss, caribou lichen, and herbs such as arctic aven, purple saxifrage, prickly saxifrage, and lousewort.

    Read More

  • Proposed Territory of the South Okanagan- Similkameen National Park Reserve

    1535 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Southern Okanagan-Similkameen is located in the Interior Dry Plateau. One of 12 natural regions in Canada no...

    Read More

  • Montana Essay

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    The plants growing among Montana’s peaks and valleys range from tall evergreen trees to grasses. The mountainous areas are covered with forests. However, at each level, from the mountaintops to the valleys, there are different, distinct collections of plant life. The mountainsides are largely covered with towering spruce, pine, cedar, and Douglas fir trees (Av2

    Read More

  • Why Diverting Water From the Great Lakes Region is a Bad Idea

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Water is the foundational basis of life on Earth. Ecosystems, society and humans are completely dependent on it, and as the world population continues to grow, there will be more mouths to feed, and those people will need water to continue their daily lives. However, shortages and poor management leads to the destruction of natural habitats and human suffering. Desertification of land in China is ever-increasing, turning green, lush land into desert. However, this is due mainly in part, because of human activity, and global warming (Wang, Yang, Dong, & Zhang, 2009). The United States could experience a crisis similarly to China’s, but for now they have averted such a catastrophe, because of heavy regulation of water. Though there are water shortages in many parts of the world, it is unwise to export water from the Great Lakes to those regions. Two major reasons why diverting the Great Lakes is a terrible idea, one: it allows for waters wars to start on the basis of who is allowed to access it and for commodification purposes. Two, diverting water on such large scales could have cataclysmic effects on the local residents as well as the environment.

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Documentary Film "Flow- For the Love of Water"

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whether we want to believe it or not water pollution is one of the world’s l...

    Read More

  • History of Okanagan

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    Southern Okanagan has near desert-like conditions which produce a more arid but unique vegetation, unlike any other in Canada. Here, the deep valley becomes grassland - too dry for tree growth without irrigation. Sagebrush shrubs, cheatgrass, poison ivy and sumac are scattered with beautifully coloured prickly pear cactus, Okanagan sunflower and bitter root.

    Read More

  • tundra

    555 Words  | 2 Pages

    The tundra artic plains completely covering most of the earth’s lands north of the coniferous forest belt. The tundra’s ecosystem is very sensitive. It doesn’t have a good ability to restore itself. Controlled by sedge, heath, willow, moss, and lichen. Plains that are pretty much alike, called alpine tundra, occur above the timberline in the high mountains of the world. Even the Antarctic area has a couple of its own arctic regions itself.

    Read More

  • Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights

    1842 Words  | 4 Pages

    Government of Ontario. (2010). About the Registry. Retrieved February 9, 2010, from Environmental Registry: http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca

    Read More

  • Conservation Ethics In The Great Lakes

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Lakes are a chain of linked freshwater bodies on the northeastern border of the United States and Canada. They include Lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior: hence the mnemonic HOMES. Currently, and for decades past, humans have exploited the Great Lakes for a myriad of activities including fishing, transportation and as a water source. In recent years, however, research has brought to the fore a pressing issue of conservation ethics. The issue is that of the increasing levels of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the Great Lakes. A 2002 study by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) showed that residential, industrial and agricultural wastewaters in contiguous United States had low levels of a variety of synthetic chemicals such as human and veterinary drugs, synthetic hormones, insecticides and fire retardants (qtd. in Alliance for the Great Lakes). Research has linked PPCPs to adverse effects on wildlife and aquatic species. Accumulation of PPCPs, therefore, is a threat to the Great Lakes ecological balance and it must be curbed before the damage is at an irreversible stage.

    Read More

  • Understanding E.coli Contamination in Lake Michigan: A Meteorological Perspective

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Lakes are the largest surface freshwater system on Earth, with a basin that is home to around 30 million people (USEPA, 2015). Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that lies entirely within the United States, with a maximum length of 307 miles and maximum width of 118 miles. The Lake Michigan shoreline, composed mainly of sand and pebble beaches, stretches 1,640 miles along the coasts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as some islands (NOAA, 2015a). The Illinois portion of the Lake Michigan watershed (Figure 1) is only 100 square miles (0.22% of the lake’s total area) and the state’s coastline borders the lake for a short 63 miles (IEPA, 2014). However, despite this relatively small area of Lake Michigan, half of the state’s population lives within the watershed. Recreational water activities are popular throughout the Great Lakes and along Illinois’ Lake Michigan coastline. Lake Michigan is Illinois’ biggest recreational resource, as well as the state’s largest supply of drinking water and a major economic boon (IEPA, 2014). With so many people engaging in water activities, and both affecting and being affected by the lake in turn, it is important to frequently monitor the lake for potential health hazards.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Ocean Pollution on the Environment

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    Pollution comes in many forms. In the ocean we dump a variety of substances, including human wastes, chemicals from fertilizers, oil, and trash such as plastic which all contribute to the growing issue of our ocean pollution. In addition to, our usable waters are finite. More than 97.5 percent of the water on this planet is undrinkable salt water; the remaining 2.5 percent has two-thirds of the usable fresh water locked up in glaciers, snow, and permafrost. Of the one-third of freshwater that is available for human use, 20 percent is used for industrial use. (“Water Pollution”) “In effect, water pollution reduces the volume of water available for use by human and other populations.” (Robin Clarke, Jannet King) Knowing that there are approximately 7.2 billion people and growing on this planet with only 0.83 percent of available for our use wouldn’t you want to do everything possible to help put an end to water pollution? (worldometers)

    Read More

  • Causes, Effects and Solution of Water Polution

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Water Pollution is a current issue that has serious consequences; it progresses everyday in our lakes, oceans, rivers and other bodies of water.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Pollution Essay

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pollutants are the key elements of pollution, which are generally waste materials of dissimilar forms. Pollution disturbs our ecosystem and the balance of the environment. With innovation and development in our lives pollution has reached its peaks giving rise to global warming and human illness. When raw materials, water, energy and other resources are utilized more efficiently, when fewer harmful substances are substituted for hazardous ones, and when lethal substances are eliminated from the production process. Water pollution is also a major problem in the world because almost 60% of it is fish.

    Read More

  • Environmental Problems Essay

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pollution is a massive problem that the earth faces. Pollution is the action or process of making land, water, air, etc…, dirty and not safe or suitable to use. Pollution of air, water, and soil are the most complex issues. Various types of gases and toxins that are released by industries

    Read More

More about Canada´s Mixedwood Plains and Pollution

Open Document