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Bay Ecosystem
fishies
Moorefield H.S.-Gillies
4/1/2008
Whether you like it or not people are a huge
influence on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
THere are over 16 million people living near the
Chesapeake Bay and you would be surprised
to learn how many of them pollute the bay. One of the
most serious pollution problems for
the bay is the excessive nitrogen in the water. Nitrogen
pollution is one of the most serious
problems because it causes algae to bloom and algae
consumes the oxygen in the water,
which causes animals to die because the oxygen levels
become extremely low. The excessive
nitrogen pollution is from us humans, such as sewage
treatment, animal operations (large-
scale), agriculture, and air pollution (ex. vehicle
exhaust). The pollution also comes from
factories, farms, cities, and suburbs as the pollution
flows into the streams, or waterways,
which flow right into the Chesapeake Bay. These habits
of us as individuals have clearly
damaged the water quality so restrictedly that the bay
is on the EPA's "dirty water" list.
Yet, the polluted runoff has over-fertilized the
waterways. Also, with the excess nitrogen
in the water, the over-growth of algae blocks the light
needed by other plants in the water.
Then, whenever the algae dies it just consumes more of
the oxygen which affects the bays
ecosystem even more. However, there are solutions,
we can upgrade sewage treatment
plants, decrease the use of fertilizer, and drive less
to decrease the amount of vehicle
exhaust. Natural filters, such as wetlands, forests, and
underwater grasses should be
restored. The bay has lost approximately 90 percent of
grasses, and close to 50 percent of
the forest buffers. Therefore, people need to help to
restore the Chesapeake Bay
ecosystem.#2 How the Bay's Problems Affect You Much
of the living things in the
Chesapeake Bay are too small to see with the naked eye.
Microscpic plants and animals,
known as plankton, are the most important species in the
Bay. Without them, no other
animals would be able to survive. All living animals in
an ecosystem need energy in the form
of food. Plants and animals continuously circulate
energy in a complex network called a
food web.
Many invertabrates feed on phytoplankton, including
early stages of mollusks, crabs, and
even some fish species. Small animals provide food for
larger animals. Animals such as adult
striped bass, ospreys, and humans. All animals in the
bay area ultimately depend on the
abundant supply of phytoplankton. Excessive nutrients
alter living populations in the bay, by
stimulating algae growth. This growth of algea can
cloud the water, causing rooted
aquatic plants to die. Decomposing algae use up much of
the waters oxygen supply. Which
stresses fish and other animals in the bay. Toxic
substances collect in the sediments on
the bay's floor and slowly enter the food web. Excessive
nutrients and toxins, such as
sewage and chemicals affect the growth of plants and
animals in and around the bay.Due
to pollution of waterways, many species are becoming
endangered. My friends such as the
oysters, crabs, and striped bass, just to name a few,
are low in numbers. Population,
impervious surfaces, and land use are all impacting our
number. Fisheries would greatly help
by reproducing different types of species to help raise
our numbers and keep us from
completely dying out. The determination of a certain
number of fish allowed to be caught,
called conservation, willhelp keep people from taking
too many of us from the water at a
time. Allocation, the determining of who gets to catch
the resources, keeps fish from being
caught and used for the wrong reasons. Simple solutions
such as these can be used to help
out a bay's ecosystem. Other solutions you can do at
home that will greatly help involve
using as much fertilizer (or not using any), and takin
part in a waste management program.
All of these things take but only a few minutes are easy
to do and can make a big impact on
water exosystems. All help will be greatly appreciated
by all your finned and gilled friends!
Remember, know matter how little you may seem to be
helping, a little will go a long way,
get involved! There are many ways that the Chesapake
Bay's ecosystem could change from
possible solutins. You could use restrict point source
pollutants and require storm water
management in new developments to slow down rain water
and help keep it from washing
materials in to bay. This helps to keep the water clear
and less polluted. There are laws that
help keep the water clean by recycling and conserving
water. People also help by not
littering in the bay which keeps it clean. Enhanced
environmental indicators and approach will
improve assessment of the ecosystem condition of
watersheds. Understanding the multiple
factors affecting the of and changes in fish and bir
species. Understanding the ecosystem
condition change will improve targeting of benefit.
Forecasting the potential impacts of
human population growth and climate variablity will
allow manager to make improbed
strategies for ecosystem conservation, restoration, and
sustainability. That is some sloution
and the ways the bay would be affected.
Resources 1) www.cbf.org
2)
www.water.usgs.gov
3) www.baylink.org
4)
www.chesapeakebay.net
http://ww.dnr.state.md.us/baylinks/ecosystem.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2006/3046
Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond
Thoughtful
Questions
From:
The Forester Boys - Other - KHS(K)
Statement
4/16/2008
You have very good point of views.
Response
fishies - CB_Ecosystem - MHS
4/17/2008
Well, [managing] fertilizer and pesticides are a good
way of [reducing] runoff
pollution...And Thanks!
From:
The Chesapeake Strip Mall - Other - MRGS
Ask
4/23/2008
We liked your ideas, but we were just wondering what
exactly you had in mind when you
mentioned waste management programs? Do you have any
specific waste treatments in
mind, like bio-remediation? Other than that, it was a
very informative POV paper.
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