Chesapeake Bay Essay

The Chesapeake Bay is a large watershed and home to an ecosystem as well as residents that live by the estuary. However, because climate change is at times out of mind and out of sight those residents may or may not know about the pollution caused by farms that are run by industry such as, Perdue. Well, you may wonder by now

Did you ever wonder how things you do everyday effect the Chesapeake Bay watershed and Its tributaries? Well, It turns out to be not so good. One of the main causes for the Bay’s bad health are nutrients which are caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water. Plants and animals need nutrients to survive but when too many nutrients are in the water they fuel the growth of algae blooms and create conditions that are harmful for aquatic creatures.

Estuaries are known for being sensitive to several human activities, such as littering and building structures like dams and seawalls that affect their natural flow of freshwater. As estuaries can prevent nearby streets from flooding, they will consequently bring many of their contaminates as well (Baker), which can pose a serious issue for an estuary’s productivity and health. UFL geologist John M. Jager argues that “toxic substances and excess nutrients [from such human-made factors] contribute to fish diseases, algal blooms, and low dissolved oxygen,” all being a threat to the health of not only the estuary itself, but additionally that of its wildlife and even humans themselves.

Algae blooms have been an issue in the Chesapeake Bay, especially in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Algae is a natural and critical part of the ecosystem, however in large doses it is harmful to the plants and organisms within the ecosystem. Algae blooms can block out sunlight and kill other plants in the water. Algae depends on various factors such as water, nutrients and carbon dioxide to grow. Eutrophication of the Inner Harbor has lead to algae blooms that have caused large fish kills in the past. When there is an over abundance of certain chemical nutrients eutrophication can occur. Runoff from land and farms is the main cause of excess nutrients into the water. The most common nutrients that are related to algae outbreaks are nitrate nitrogen and phosphate. In addition, a lack of dissolved oxygen can also be an indicator for the process of eutrophication and risk of an algae outbreak. A particular type of algae commonly found in Maryland is known as Prorocentrum minimum. Prorocentrum tends to cause “mahogany tides” causing water to be brown and have an odor. There has been a campaign launched by the Healthy Harbor

The preliminary report outlined a partnership plan modeled after the Chesapeake Bay Program. Although major differences exist between the Colorado River cleanup project and the Chesapeake Bay reclaim project, the fundamental principles of a successful program are similar. The final report delivered to Governor Napolitano is a detailed look into the major pollutants contained in the river system. The Alliance detail seven pollutants devoting a chapter to each one, including an action plan for dealing with the pollutant individually. The six pollutants covered are nutrients, metals, endocrine disrupting compounds, perchlorate, bacteria and pathogens, salinity/total dissolved solids, and sediments and suspended solids.

Speech Preparation Outline Template Speech Title: Ocean Pollution and its effects on Florida Wildlife I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: What is the one thing we all have in common in this room- We all live in Florida. And Florida is known for its beaches and wildlife. It is currently estimated that there is 100 million tons of plastic is in our oceans, and the impacts on local marine wildlife include fatalities from ingestion, starvation, suffocation, infection, drowning, and entanglement.

I live less than a mile from the San Francisco Bay and Estuary (SFBay). I wrote about this bay’s environmental issues in the Unit #1 Learning Journal assignment and have decided to use this opportunity to elaborate on two specific environmental issues challenging the SFBay.

Hurricane Katrina had a huge impact on the United States Wildlife and Fisheries in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas because of debris, oil, chemicals and other hazardous waste that was released into the water during the storm. The effects of Hurricane Katrina show us how major flooding can destroy ecosystems. The U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico leads the nation in landings of shrimp, oysters, and blue crab. The habitat that supports these fisheries and coastal economies also supports community resiliency and protects infrastructure for example, ports, energy production, fisheries which are extremely important to the nation. This habitat and its ability to support fisheries and protect vital infrastructure is threatened by

In the past, industry was a huge source of pollution in the Bay, along with sewage treatment plants. After regulations were put in place to correct these pollution point sources, local governments were required to establish and implement plans for improving the pollution from non-point sources and their impact on the TMDL. After years of committing to specific deadlines for a 40 percent reduction in nutrient pollution and missing those deadlines without consequences, the EPA took another approach, a mandatory pollution diet for the Bay that would include penalties for not progressing sufficiently. The “three recurring problems in the nonpoint source pollution regulatory framework deal with the voluntary participation, scientific and

Coastal marine ecosystems are a very important part of the coastal economy as well as the natural ecology. Not only do coastal systems provide socioeconomic benefits such as tourism and aesthetics, but also several ecosystem services. The ecosystem services provided by coast environments include coastal erosion, storm protection, recreational or commercial fishing, carbon sequestration and filtration (Wingard and Lorenz, 2014). Unfortunately, these services have been impacted by pressures such as altered flow of freshwater runoff, sea level rise (which in turn also increases the frequency and intensity of storms) and man-made channels (Wingard and Lorenz, 2014). Another major factor that has impacted and deteriorated many coastal areas is urbanization

The Chesapeake’s Oyster population could clean the entire water volume of the estuary within three or four days. A process that would take about a year without the Oysters.

In its simplest form, an estuary is a body of water formed where freshwater from a river flows into the ocean. This creates a mixture of salt and freshwater that a variety of organisms rely on for survival (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). In my paper I will only be looking at the United States’ estuaries under the protection of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This will include 221 estuaries located throughout the United States.

The world’s oceans are very negatively impacted by human activities. Fish are less abundant because of overfishing and destructive fishing practices. The dumping of human waste (trash, untreated sewage, oil, chemicals, etc.) pollutes shorelines and ocean waters. Coastal developments on and around coastlines disturb, alter, and destroy marine habitats. Human reliance on oil and non-renewable energy sources (ex. burning of fossil fuels) contributes largely to global climate change, with huge implications for the oceans and marine species (sea level rise, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, etc.). Fortunately, however, negative impacts have given rise to restoration, conservation, and preservation efforts, (restoring fish populations, protecting

Chemical Contaminants is another big cause of algae decreasing, the main cause of this are dumping non-water substances into the bay. Examples being: Mercury, PCBs, PAHs, pesticides. Almost three-quarters of Chesapeake Bay Is covered in Chemical Contaminants.

I chose this topic because I grew and in a shoreline town in CT, like many other PC students, and naturally I spend a lot of time around the water. A large part of my free time is taken up by fishing with my dad and over the past few years we have noticed both the quantity and size of striped bass has gone down. It isn’t a secret to us that obviously the water is not in the best conditions and polluting factors are only on the