Business

Freshwater Resource Challenge | Description | Overdrawing Surface Water | Removing too much freshwater from a river or lake. When surface waters are overdrawn, wetlands dry up.  | Aquifer Depletion | Aquifer depletion is the removal of ground water faster than it can be recharged. Aquifer depletion lowers the water table. Prolonged aquifer depletion drains an aquifer dry, eliminating it as a water resource. | Saltwater Intrusion | Saltwater intrusion is the movement of seawater into a fresh water aquifer. Saltwater intrusion can also cause well water in certain areas to become too salty for human consumption or other freshwater uses. | Ocean Water Resource Challenge | Description | Coastal Development | “Development of resorts, cities, industries, and agriculture along coasts alters or destroys many coastal ecosystems” (Berg and Hager, 2006). | Marine Pollution | Both coastal and marine ecosystems receive pollution from land, and rivers emptying into the ocean, and from atmospheric contaminants that enter the ocean via precipitation. | Shipping, Ocean Dumping and Plastic Debris | Ships are constantly dumping oily ballast and other wastes overboard in the neritic and oceanic provinces. U.S. coastal cities have dumped their sewage sludge into the ocean. Trash containing plastics are released into the ocean from coastal communities, sometimes accidentally, from cargo ships. These plastic products don't biodegrade; they photo degrade, meaning that they break down into smaller pieces but exist for an indefinite period. | A major challenge to our freshwater resource is pollution and humans have definitely contributed greatly to the problem. According to Chapter 10 of Visualizing Environmental Science (Berg and Hager, 2006); water pollution is a global problem that varies in magnitude and type of pollutant from one region to another. In many locations, particularly in developing countries, the main water pollution issue is providing individuals with disease-free drinking water. Water pollutants are divided into eight categories these are; sewage, disease causing agents, sediment pollution, inorganic plant and algal nutrients, organic compounds, inorganic chemical, radioactive substances, and thermal pollution (Berg and Hager, 2006). Water pollutants come from both natural sources and those of human activities. And though natural sources of pollution cause great concerns, human-generated pollution is generally more widespread and poses an even greater threat (Berg and Hager, 2006). Humans have long used air, land and water resources to dispose of waste leaving these disposal practices inadequately treated, thereby causing pollution. This affects; precipitation, surface waters and groundwater, as well as degrading ecosystems” (greenfact.org, 2012). Non point sources pollution occurs when contaminants from diverse and widely spread sources are transported by runoff into rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater and coastal areas which includes agricultural areas using pesticides and nutrients. Another emerging issue is the impact of environmental contaminants finding their way into our water source. “Pharmaceuticals including painkillers, tranquilizers, anti-depressants, antibiotics, birth control pills, estrogen replacement therapies, chemotherapy agents, anti-seizure medications, etc., are finding their way into the environment via human and animal excreta from disposal into the sewage system and from landfill leachate that may impact groundwater supplies. Agricultural practices are a major source and 40 percent of antibiotics manufactured are fed to livestock as growth enhancers. Manure, containing traces of pharmaceuticals, is often spread on land as fertilizer from which it can leach into local streams and rivers” (greenfact.org, 2006). References Berg, Linda R., Hager, Mary Catherine, (2006, November 17). Visualizing Environmental Science. Wiley and Sons Inc. Retrieved from: Axia College. GreenFacts (2012). Scientific Facts on Water Resources. Retrieved from: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/water-resources/l-3/4-effect-human-actions.htm