Chesapeake bay eutrophication. Eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay 2022-10-28
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Eutrophication is a process by which a body of water becomes excessively rich in nutrients, leading to an overabundance of plant and algae growth. This can have serious negative impacts on the ecosystem, including reduced oxygen levels, changes in the food chain, and the death of fish and other aquatic life. One body of water that has experienced eutrophication is the Chesapeake Bay, located on the East Coast of the United States.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, and is home to a diverse array of plant and animal life. However, in recent decades, the bay has faced significant challenges due to eutrophication. One of the main causes of this eutrophication is the runoff of nutrients from agricultural and urban areas. These nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can come from a variety of sources, including fertilizers, animal manure, and sewage.
When these nutrients enter the bay, they stimulate the growth of algae and other aquatic plants. While some of these plants are important for the ecosystem, an excess of them can lead to a phenomenon known as a "algae bloom." These blooms can be visually unappealing, and can also reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches other aquatic plants, leading to their death. In addition, when the algae die, they sink to the bottom of the bay and decompose, using up oxygen in the process. This can lead to low oxygen levels, known as hypoxia, which can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life.
Eutrophication can also have significant impacts on the food chain in the Chesapeake Bay. For example, when there is an excess of algae, it can lead to a reduction in the population of zooplankton, which are small organisms that form the base of the food chain. This can have cascading effects on larger animals, such as fish, crabs, and birds, that rely on zooplankton as a food source.
The negative impacts of eutrophication on the Chesapeake Bay have not gone unnoticed. In the 1980s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began implementing measures to reduce nutrient pollution in the bay. These efforts have included regulating the amount of nutrients that can be released into the water, promoting the use of best management practices in agriculture, and upgrading sewage treatment plants. While these efforts have led to some improvement, the bay is still facing significant challenges due to eutrophication.
In conclusion, eutrophication is a serious problem facing the Chesapeake Bay. It is caused by the excess input of nutrients into the water, and can lead to a variety of negative impacts on the ecosystem, including reduced oxygen levels, changes in the food chain, and the death of aquatic life. While efforts are being made to address this issue, it remains a significant challenge for the bay and its ecosystem.
The 2002 Chesapeake Bay Eutrophication Model
Unfortunately the dams that are built in the rivers block migrating fish from coming to the Chesapeake Bay to mate or eat, and the dumping animal waste in the rivers are increasing the growth of algae clouding the surface of the water cutting off the sunlight this then kills the plants sitting at the bottom. The fact is that jellyfish are increasing is a symptom of something happening in the ecosystem. Environmental Protection Agency, excessive levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water leads to algal blooms. When the issue was first documented in the early 1970's, the effort to correct the pollution issue was weak, at best. However, when it is accelerated by human activity and water pollution called cultural eutrophication, it can lead to the premature aging and death of a body of water.
Phytoplankton biomass dynamics with diffuse terrestrial nutrients pollution discharge into bay
Under setting 5 m filter strip scenario, the Enteromorpha biomass removal efficiency could reach 35. He will conduct this work with help from grants from theOak Ridge Associated Universities. In addition to the agricultural pollution, land-based pollution such as power plants, vehicles, urban runoff, and human sewage treatment plants contribute to the rapid eutrophication process in the Bay, as does the use of fertilizer in suburban areas CBF, "Water Pollution in The Chesapeake Bay". Over time, the analysis will reveal the real culprit in the Chesapeake Bay's nutrient overenrichment. Causes and Solutions to the Water Pollution Problems of Chesapeake Bay's Waterways Chesapeake Bay, the largest inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, has been plagued with pollution for hundreds of years. As spring approaches, longer periods of daylight mean more sunlight for the phytoplankton and algae to grow.
While this type of condition happens naturally in some cases, humans in the Bay areas have historically increased the rate of this The increase in certain types of pollution cause algal blooms, or large growth of algae whose growth interferes with the health and In the Chesapeake Bay area, these large algal blooms have created one of the largest "dead zones" ever recorded CBF, "CBF Takes Legal Action to Compel EPA to Enforce the Clean Water Act". The fastest growing source of nitrogen pollution to the Bay is What Needs To Be Done? In addition, Maryland's very large chicken production plants produce vast amounts of waste, contributing to the Bay's pollution levels. Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. The results are excessive production of autotrophs, especially algae and cyanobacteria. However, they are sensitive to changes in the ecological environment and are fragile ecosystems Lian et al.
Chesapeake Bay Eutrophication_Scientific Understanding, Ecosystem Restoration, and Challenges for Ag
As the colonies were organized the differences were becoming more and more obvious and affected the way the communities prospered. The isotopic signatures will provide information on where the phosphorus came from during different time periods. This includes the James, York, Potomac, Susquehanna, and the Rappahannock rivers. Aside from the loss of buffers, the farms, factories and cities also produce over 300 million pounds of pollution nitrogen that reaches Chesapeake Bay each year CBF, "Water Pollution in The Chesapeake Bay". Over the last 50 years we have been trying to use more of the renewable resources like water by building dams in the rivers leading to the Chesapeake Bay. Since so many fisheries, including oyster farms, depend on a healthy amount of oxygen in the water, finding out the drivers of hypoxia is not only beneficial for the ecosystem but also for the local economy. After the cores settled, the temperature was kept constant at 28°C and no air was allowed to escape until readings indicated there was no air left in the core, which effectively simulated hypoxic conditions.
Two Causes Of Eutrophication In The Chesapeake Bay
Isotopic analysis may be key DebJaisi, an assistant professor of plant and soil sciences at the University of Delaware, intends to take a closer look at the phosphorus problem in Chesapeake Bay. The bay has semidiurnal tides, and average seawater exchange occurs only through the southern entrance of the bay. Because with the magority of the colonists being from England, they had similar ideas and mostly all spoke the same language. Rui Wang: Writing — original draft preparation. Introduction Bays and estuaries are important hubs and transitional belts between land and sea and occupy an important position in global ecological stability in the development history of humans Phillips and McGee, 2016. Many rivers and streams, including the James, York, Rappahannock, Potomac, Patuxent, and Susquehanna rivers, join the bay Encarta, "Chesapeake Bay".
It would be key for the bays health if scientists found a non-chemical way to preserve the crops. The goal, however, is to reduce the nitrogen pollution enough to raise the health index, currently at 27, to 40 by 2010, and to 70 by 2050 Chesapeake Bay Foundation, "2002 State of the Bay Report," 2. Home to more than 2700 species of plant and animal As of 2002, the CBF's Report listed the Bay at 27, one point lower than in 1999 and 2000 CBF, "2002 State of the Bay Report," 1. When the cores were aerated with oxygen , phosphorus was being used up by microbes living in the sediments. Contaminants may run off from farms, industrial factories and households.
What is contributing to eutrophication in Chesapeake Bay?Chemservice News
This includes people that have businesses that rely on how many aquatic organism they capture to either sell or serve as a meal in their restaurant. In recent years, flame retardants, personal care and cosmetic productsand pharmaceutical waste have all contributed to contamination of Chesapeake Bay, as well. When Captain John Smith first described the Bay, the area had been mostly untouched by humankind, and consisted of buffers consisting of forests, open spaces and wetlands Chesapeake Bay Foundation, "2002 State of the Bay Report," 1. They were also surprised to find that a significant amount of phosphorus was also released from the sediments in hypoxic conditions. The true problem began with the first developers of the Bay area. The highest NO 3—N concentration 321.
According to CBF's detailed analysis published in 2002, Sewage Treatment Plants: The Chesapeake Bay Watershed's Second Largest Source of Nitrogen Pollution, only ten of more than three hundred sewage treatment plants in the bay areas have the Finally, there are some natural causes for the increase eutrophication in Chesapeake Bay. Sibseqiemt researh, modeling, and monitoring have shown that: i the estuarine ecosystem had been substantiaooy altered by increased loadings of N and P of approximately 7- and 19-fold, respectively; ii hyposia substantially increased since the 1950s; iii eutrophication was the major cause of reduction in submerged vegetation; and iv reducing nutrient sources by 40% would improve water quality, but less than originally thought. The annual nutrients loading showed fluctuating characteristics and affected by land use type, precipitation, and temperature. The major cause of this pollution is agricultural runoff, which constitutes roughly 40% of the nitrogen pollution in the Bay, and approximately 50% of the phosphorous. This is especially important because the phosphorus within the ecosystem could continue to drive eutrophication even if there is less nutrient-rich agricultural runoff entering the ecosystem. The rainwater dumps out nitrogen and phosphorus from the fertilizers into the water.
Distinguishing human sources of nutrient pollution from natural sources will also be important. Moore co-hosts a podcast , heads A WOC Space , and mentors minority women in STEM. These toxins affect the animal's liver and nervous system, and can result in death. Overall, the Bay has lost 98 percent of its oysters, about 80 percent of grasses, and nearly 50 percent of forest buffers. In a 2018 paper , Drs.
They believe that other nutrients need to be taken into account, along with other anthropogenic effects such as overfishing and pollution. The local climate is a typical marine temperate monsoon climate with an average annual rainfall of 600—800 mm, and the annual mean temperature is 13 °C with maximum and minimum monthly temperatures of 28. It is a mineral nutrient. In recent years, Chesapeake bay has come under increasing threats from overfishing, threatened seagrass , and eutrophication. The main relationship between these problems are in my opinion is ignorance to our environment and animals. The average water depth of Characteristics of diffuse terrestrial nutrient loading around the bay The nutrients concentrations in the bay estuary showed seasonal variation trends for the different estuaries Fig.
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