Choose one of the main water systems you have learned about that is also in your country (do you have a lake, river, coast, or coral reefs in your country?).
Rivers and lakes
Coastal areas
- Deep sea/Oceans
Coral reefs
Research that item in our Textbook, and look online to study the environmental issues associated with it in your nation. Then list what you consider to be the two (2) main environmental problems associated with it. Please do not forget to list the references you used.
- In what ways do these issues affect you and your family directly?
- In your own words, please describe one way you think those problems could perhaps be reduced or alleviated?
- Please outline in your own words, one other new thing you learned this week in the course. How does it apply to your life?
- The Learning Journal entry should be a minimum of 400 words and not more than 750 words. Use APA citations and references if you use ideas from the readings or other sources.
INTRODUCTION
- The overview below will help you review the material covered in this unit.
Conventional and Sustainable Agriculture
- In agriculture and horticulture, soil generally refers to the medium for plant growth, typically material within the upper meter or two. Soil plays a key role in plant growth. Beneficial aspects to plants include providing physical support, heat, water, nutrients, and oxygen. Heat, light, and oxygen are also obtained by the atmosphere, but the roots of many plants also require oxygen.
The prevailing agricultural system has delivered tremendous gains in productivity and efficiency. Food production worldwide has risen in the past 50 years.
- On the other hand, agriculture profoundly affects many ecological systems. Negative effects of current practices include ecological concerns, economic and social concerns and human health concerns.
Pesticides from every chemical class have been detected in groundwater and are commonly found in groundwater beneath agricultural areas. Despite impressive production gains, excessive use of pesticides has proven to be ecologically unsound, leading to the destruction of natural enemies, the increase of pest resistance pest resurgence and outbreaks of secondary pests.
- These consequences have often resulted in higher production costs and lost markets due to undesirable pesticide residue levels, as well as environmental and human health costs.
Alternative and sustainable practices in farming and land use include organic agriculture, integrated pest management and biological control.
Water Availability and Use
Precipitation—a major control of fresh water availability—is unevenly distributed around the globe. More precipitation falls near the equator, and landmasses there are characterized by a tropical rainforest climate. Less precipitation tends to fall near 2030 north and south latitude, where the world's largest deserts are located.
The water crisis refers to a global situation where people in many areas lack access to sufficient water or clean water or both. The current and future water crisis requires multiple approaches to extending our fresh water supply and moving towards sustainability. Some of the longstanding traditional approaches include dams and aqueducts.
Water pollution is the contamination of water by an excess amount of a substance that can cause harm to human beings and the ecosystem. The level of water pollution depends on the abundance of the pollutant, the ecological impact of the pollutant, and the use of the water. The most deadly form of water pollution, pathogenic microorganisms that cause waterborne diseases, kills almost 2 million people in underdeveloped countries every year.
Resolution of the global water pollution crisis requires multiple approaches to improve the quality of fresh water. The best strategy for addressing this problem is proper sewage treatment. Untreated sewage is not only a major cause of pathogenic diseases, but also a major source of other pollutants, including oxygen-demanding waste, plant nutrients, and toxic heavy metals.
READING ASSIGNMENT
- Doršner, K. (2020). Essentials of environmental science (2nd edition). Download the pdf.
- Read chapters 10 and 13 in the textbook and answer the 'End of Chapter Review Questions' in each chapter.
- Video Resources
- Khan Academy. (2016, August 26). The water cycle | Ecology | Khan Academy [Video]. YouTube.
- ACCIONA. (2017, March 14). Causes and effects of water pollution - Sustainability | ACCIONA [Video]. YouTube.