Chesapeake Bay Pollution

To those residing on the eastern coast near Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, the problem of the Chesapeake Bay is obvious. The bay lacks water clarity, has difficulties sustaining aquatic life, and faces population threatening issues like dead zones and algae blooms. There are a myriad of ways in which the bay is polluted, however the most direct link to the bay’s poor water clarity is the overflowing amounts of nutrient and sediment pollution. Bay clarity is crucial, not only for a pretty appearance, but also for the health of the bay grasses and fish living in the bay.

The effect of agricultural runoff in the Chesapeake Bay watershed It is almost impossible to turn on the news without hearing about the turmoil of pollution, and how it is negatively affecting life worldwide. But have you stopped to think about how pollution is directly affecting your daily lives? Water is the heartbeat of all life, and without it nothing could thrive. Odds are, if you live within the northern mid-atlantic you get some or all of your water from the Chesapeake Bay, or one of its watersheds. Years of agricultural runoff from large industrial farms has lead to contamination of the Bay, endangering not only the lives of the wildlife, but also our own.

The oysters are an integral element in any saltwater ecosystem, including the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The oysters are a significant component of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem due to their ability to filter particles from water, which results in a cleaner water quality (Jacobson, 2013). The bay is currently experiencing a long-lasting drought, and the Department of Natural Resources is concerned that such crisis will leave a repercussion for the Chesapeake Bay water quality. The salinity level of the bay has been greatly affected by drought, which is influencing the oyster population of the bay. Historically, the salinity level of the bay has been 10 to 13 parts per thousand (ppt). Salinity is the measure of all the salts dissolved in water

The Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Project aims to help locate a healthy habitat for oysters. The Chesapeake Bay has been affected by the long-lasting drought in Maryland, which influenced the water quality. The drought increased the salinity of the water which has a negative impact on the oysters. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “the native oyster is an extremely resilient species, able to tolerate wide variations in salinity and temperature—but it has not been immune to the pressures of disease, overharvesting, and pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. As a result, native oyster populations in Chesapeake Bay are at less than 1% of historic levels” (A,& Blue Water Media). Oysters can live in water with a salinity

Pollutants from factories, cars, boats, and litter are all the things humans use to pollute the bay. The bay contains a high amount of phosphorus and nitrogen. Phosphorus and nitrogen are needed for organisms and plants to be able to survive. However, an excess amount of phosphorus and nitrogen degrade the quality of Chesapeake bays water. Phosphorus and nitrogen feed algae blooms that block sunlight to the underwater bay grass and leaving a low supply of oxygen in the water.

Pollution may be a threat, but it can be solved in our

This article presents the impact of climate change in the Chesapeake Bay. Scientists predict climate change will increase the water temperatures, CO2 levels, and stream-channels which will affect the Chesapeake 's physical, chemical, and biological processes. Greater CO2 levels will increase the water temperatures and the precipitation amount and precipitation intensity. Excess precipitation will create stream-channels to the bay, and increase the fluxes of NPS sediment, phosphorus pollution, and nitrogen. Stream-channels deliver sediments and nutrients to the bay, driven to non-point sources. Nutrient-loading will increase the dissolved oxygen, which high levels will harm aquatic life and affect the water quality. Fish and other species will

In most cases, large die-offs of dolphins and manatees were not found to be caused by a recognizable red tide bloom. However, when tested for toxins all of them tested positive for large amounts of breve toxins. This positive testing could have been from consuming fish that were infected such as baitfish. “Although this event did not coincide with an identifiable K. brevis bloom, breve toxins were found in all of the dolphins tested. Baitfish, Menhaden (Brevoortia sp.), containing high concentrations of breve toxins were the most common prey identifiable in dolphin stomach contents, revealing the source of the breve toxins” (Effects of Florida’s).

Wastewater contributes about the third most nitrogen and phosphorus that pollutes the Chesapeake Bay. Wastewater comes from sewage treatment plants, which are point sources. Several factories and power plants also release pollutants into the water. They also release chemicals into the air, where they can fall down onto the bay and affect the organisms.

During school, we 've always been taught a little about pollution, how to recycle and even practiced a few things that will help improve this issue. This has been an ongoing issue for years and it can make some feel like what 's the use of trying to make a change now. Don 't get me wrong, things have been done, but more could be done as well. I myself could make a few changes too. If we really researched the damage that these things are doing to our precious earth we would want to do more.

To begin, the history of the Florida Everglades would amaze you. Imagine having no fresh water to drink or do anything with. “The construction and population increase in the Everglades upset is fragile ecosystem, and cut off the flow of fresh water to the Everglades.” As stated on page 113 and paragraph 4.

The Puget Sound, home to wildlife and some of the business of this region, is dirty. Specifically, it is dirty with the toxins in people’s lives. The Puget Sound may be recovering, but it is still polluted. With people polluting the Puget Sound, people, businesses, and marine life may be harmed. The Puget Sound is polluted, largely because of people’s actions.

Water pollution is a serious issue as not only is water the most precious natural resource, but all sources of water support life that is very necessary for the survival of the planet. Water pollution destroys life and ecology and such damage is irreparable. Those who are still not serious about water pollution must also remember that the pollutants present in water not only destroy the life in the rivers and oceans, but also affect our food chain. Many people have the wrong notion that since they are not disposing the pollutants in the water they are not to blame. These people forget that 70% of the earth is covered by water, and any activity on the land can wash to the seas and oceans.

About 71 percent of our planet Earth is covered by water, and the majority comes from the oceans (about 96.5 percent of all Earth’s water). It remains as the most expansive, diverse, and mysterious places on planet Earth. But it is being threatened by the pollution by people and nature itself. By polluting the habitat of marine organism will indirectly affect the ecosystem of the marine life. Marine life is dying and as the result the oceanic ecosystem is threatened.

“ Natural gas industry has been identified as a major source of water pollution “ ( source 1 ). This quote from source 1 explains how out of all the ways of polluting the oceans, oil is always one of the worst. “ 8 million metric tons of plastic trash enters the sea from land every year “ ( source 4 ). This quote from source number 4 explains how every year tons and tons of plastic from land, gets into the oceans and continues to pollute. Garbage is polluting the oceans so much that the water is getting so bad, people are getting ill from drinking