Water use in Hawaii

1) Write a 50 word response to the documentary that we watched in class on Wednesday. Were you shocked? How did it make you feel? Do you agree with what is being done. (5 marks)

I liked the idea of water conservation and I learned more about the importance of water from the documentary. In Canada, we take water for granted and in many ways, easily misuse it whereas in some underprivileged countries, they have to protest for clean drinking water. I was shocked that many people didn't have easy access to clean water, it made me feel very fortunate and it was also very upsetting because not everyone has the luxury that we do. I was also quite shocked when they said corporates were abusing water resources to make money and leaving the villagers with absolutely nothing. I disagree with what is being done because it is not fair that the villagers cant have access to their own water because of corporations like Coca Cola. I think  protesting against large corporations and businesses will be the first step for the villagers to get their clean water back. 

2) Look up a water issue in your country. Some of the things that you may come across include: 

Privatization of water, water scarcity (not enough), Water pollution, Water exports, salinization (salt water in drinking water). Explain what is happening and why it is an issue. If you cannot find anything you can look at Issues currently facing the state of California. (10 marks)

A water issue in Hawaii is pollution because of the low quality of water that's surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. The water surrounding the Islands are affected by effluents generated and released from the island themselves. Floating garbage is also a problem and refuse from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is affecting beaches in Hawaii like the Kamilo Beach. From 1919 to 1970, the U.S. military used the ocean as a dumping ground for munitions and the U.S. Army dumped 16,000 mustard gas bombs in deep water 5 miles south of the Pearl Harbor after World War II. This is a large problem because it can affect sea life and people who use the water. The contaminated water can cause people to become ill.The polluted water can  negatively impact everything around it. 

 

Rhine River Case Study

1) Describe the factors that make the Rhine River the "Industrial Heartland". What area would be the industrial heartland of North America?

The factors which make the Rhine River the " Industrial Heartland" is that it encompassed the major empires. It enabled trade and economic growth. It linked European countries together and it was the most efficient way to transport people, goods and ideas. It also enabled industrialization to occur more effectively because of the physical body of the water.

The industrial heartland of North America would be the rust belt, which is the region around the North-Eastern United States, the great lakes, and Midwest states. It is surrounded by water causing it to be a suitable area for trade and for the growth of the economy. It is a good link between the lakes, the states and also Canada.Industrialization is allowed to happen because of the large body of water, the water also allows for an efficient way to transport people, goods and ideas like the Rhine River.

2) Analyze the impact that human activity has had on the Rhine River basin.

Humans have had a large impact on the Rhine River basin. 

i) Much of the Rhine`s riverside marsh and floodplain which was used to hold back flood water has been replaced by farmland or buildings. 

ii) Urbanisation in the Rhine area has been a negative impact as it helps flooding to happen because the concrete and tarmac send more water to the river.

iii) Humans use the upper Rhine for generating hydroelectric power. 

iv) The rivers been involved in a straightening process due to improved navigation for shipping this means the distance has been reduced by 50 km whereas before it was 1320km, that's why the water moves downstream more quickly. 

3) Suggest solutions to the environmental problems of the Rhine River basin and explain why these solutions may be difficult to implement. 

I) Promoting water efficiency strategies to help decrease the amount of water wasted.

II) Protecting water from pollution by promoting solutions such as green infrastructure.

III) Help prepare cities, counties, and states for water related challenges.

IV) Ensure waterways have enough water to support vibrant aqautic ecosystems.

These environmental solutions may be difficult to implement because the Rhine River is so large and goes through many countries such as France, Austria, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. It's really difficult for it to be implemented in each area of those countries where the river runs through. 

Water Use in Agriculture

Irrigation- is the watering of land to make it ready for agriculture.



1) Drip Irrigation- A planned irrigation system in which water is applied directly to the Root Zone of plants by means of applicators  operated under low pressure with the applicators being placed either on or below the surface of the ground.

pros- efficient use of water, applied evenly, balanced distribution of nutrients and salts which enhances healthy growth of plants and conserves water which is environmentally friendly.

cons- costly investment, requires frequent maintenance( cleaning through filtration) and constant monitoring. 




2)Sprinkler-A planned irrigation system in which water is applied by means of perforated pipes or nozzles operated under pressure so as to form a spray pattern.

pros- works at low pressures to save energy, achieves high uniformity of application,  waters irrigated efficiently if combined with a scheduling system, and easy to apply frequent light irrigation. Fixed systems are cheaper to manage.

cons- higher capital costs especially if a portable system (more moving around, more labour costs), and need to take care of them in windy conditions so that uniformity is not distorted.




3)Surface Irrigation-Irrigation where the soil surface is used as a conduit, as in furrow and border irrigation as opposed to sprinkler irrigation or sub irrigation. 

pros- minimal capital investment or energy costs, less affected by climate and water factors, and easy to see the effectiveness of the system.

cons-tends to be less effective than other systems, lots of labour required, difficult to engineer, drainage can be a problem in some circumstances, and can be a higher disease pressure (especially flood).



My Opinion:

In my opinion, I think farmers should use the sprinkler system because it is the best option from the three choices. It is able to work at low pressures and save energy. In a scheduled system, it can achieve high uniformity of application. It is also the most efficient way to water land quickly and evenly. The main downside is that it can be costly however the quality and efficiency of the sprinkler overrule the cons. 

Case Study: Land Subsistence in the American Southwest

a) Describe the causes of land subsistence in the American Southwest and explain why its getting worse over the years?

Overdrafting of aquifers is a major cause of subsidence in Southwestern United States, and as ground-water pumping increases, land subsidence also will increase. In many aquifers, ground water is pumped from pore spaces between grains of sand and gravel. It's getting worse and worse each year because a large amount of groundwater has been excessively withdrawn from aquifers. For instance the lowered water pressure causes slow drainage from clay and silt beds, it also results in a loss of support for the clay and silt beds, and it can also lower the lands surface.

b) Describe the potential impacts of land subsistence. 

Land subsidence causes many problems including: 

(1) changes in elevation and slope of streams, canals, and drains

(2) damage to bridges, roads, rail roads, storm drains, sanitary sewers, and canals
(3) damage to private and public buildings

(4) failure of well casings from forces generated by compaction of fine-grained materials in aquifer systems. In some coastal areas, subsidence has resulted in tides moving into low-lying areas that were previously above high-tide levels. 

c) Outline ways to prevent further land subsistence.  

In some areas where ground-water pumping has caused subsidence, the subsidence has been stopped by switching from ground-water to surface-water supplies. If surface water is not available, then other means must be taken to reduce subsidence. Possible measures include reducing water use and determining locations for pumping and artificial recharge that will minimize subsidence. Optimization models coupled with ground-water flow models can be used to develop such strategies.

Mass Wasting China-Case Study: HONOLULU STAR BULLETIN

HONOLULU STAR BULLETIN



Breaking News, Honolulu! - A massive landslide strikes Zhouqu County, China



The devasting landslide in Zhouqu, China happend on August 8th. More than 1700  people had been declared dead and 490 people were missing. Villages,buildings, and homes were destroyed. This was recorded as the worst landslide in Zhouqu and possibly the worst in China.

The landslide occurred because of a variety of reasons for instance China`s topography is extremely mountainous. Forests have been logged for trees as an industry, stripping the mountainsides and exposing underlying soils and sediments. The weather has been experiencing torrential rains from the monsoon season. The region also experiences large and devasting earthquakes from time to time.  Landslides occur because of the heavy rainfall and from the earthquakes occurring on steep slopes where the slipping soil causes landslides. The anthropogenic causes of landslides are dams, clear cutting, undercutting, etc.

This landslide was very devastating because it was quite large and it killed or injured many people and animals. It destroyed homes, villages and buildings.

This landslide could've been prevented from stabilizing the ground and by building retaining walls that won't compromise the shear plane of the land.

Communities could've prevented some of the landslide damage by avoiding to build houses on a slope or living close to them. A few tips which would allow people to be prepared for this is by listening to the radio or news, being alert for rocky slopes, being ready to relocate to safer locations, being alert on heavy and continuous rainy days.

Immediately after the landslide,  families should not return to homes because there could be a lot of destruction. After everything has fully recovered and is repaired, then they are allowed to go. Many prevention programs are created to prevent a future disaster. Also, many recovery efforts  and assistance is available from other cities and service workers, for the recovery of a massive landslide such as this one in Zhouqu, China.

Deforestation in Hawaii

1) You are going to research deforestation in your country. Give me some information on it. 

Deforestation is the permanent removal of forest cover from an area.

Deforestation in Hawaii, can cause a lot of damage to the state. Hawaii's native forests are among the Earth's biological treasures, sheltering more than 10,000 unique species. The forests supply Hawaii with fresh water, they protect Hawaii's world class beaches from destructive run off and sediment, and they are an important link to survival of Hawaiian cultural practices. Deforestation can cause animals to be displaced from their homes and many can face extinction because of their destroyed habitat. The lack of oxygen from the removal of the trees could also be a great disadvantage. The number of disadvantages override and definitely weigh more heavily than the number of advantages of deforestation, specifically in Hawaii. Deforestation causes lots of damage to be done.

2) You will explain the Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts that deforestation has had on your country.

A) Social impacts :

-Deforestation can cause jobs or employment in the community. Many workers are needed to cut down trees and forests with machinery.

-Without trees, humans and animals will not be able to breath in oxygen. This will be a disadvantage to them since oxygen is vital to take in, and carbon dioxide is vital to take out.

B) Environmental Impacts:

-Climate change can be an impact of deforestation because by destroying the trees, there will be an excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide will alter the climate of the region for instance cool climates may get hotter and hot climates may get cooler.

-Deforestation may also cause soil erosion destruction because without the trees, the soil will be exposed to the sun's heat. The soil's moisture would dry up, nutrients evaporate, and bacteria that helps to break down products are affected. Eventually, rain washes down soil surfaces and erosion takes place.

C) Economic Impacts

-Deforestation can increase revenue because of furniture or paper products created from the trees. It is a booming industry.

-Can be a very costly project to cut down all the trees.

3) Look at the information in the Environment and Resources folder that talks about Deforestation in Canada. Based on the information provided do you think that deforestation is a greater threat in your country or Canada? Explain your reasoning using specific examples. 

In my opinion I think there is a greater deforestation threat in Hawaii than Canada because Hawaii has many native forests which are among the Earth`s biological treasures which are more sought out when logging. Also, the environmental impact of soil erosion from deforestation is more likely to happen in Hawaii because of the heat causing the soils moisture to dry up unlike Canada where this does not happen as much. Deforestation in Hawaii is a larger threat since it is on an island and therefore special logging supplies tend are needed, which tend to be more expensive which is an economic disadvantage. Canada has 0.02% of  forested area and deforestation in Canada is among the world`s lowest since Canada is a world leader in sustainable forest management. Canadian forests are healthy, productive and thriving compared to Hawaii`s. The state of Hawaii does not have a supreme plan for sustaining forests and that is one major reason why deforestation is a large threat there. Prevention is key and Canada has been setting a good example for other countries and states. Today, Canada`s 348 million hectares of forest lands represent about 9% of the world`s forest cover, but accounts for only 0.3 % of global deforestation. Overall, Canada is less of a threat due to it leading a sustainable forest management project.

Aquaculture

1. 
   

1. Define Aquaculture. Aquaculture is also known as aquafarming, it is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic plants. It is the rearing of aquatic animals or cultivation of aquatic plants for food.

2. Look at the Social (on people), environmental, and economic pros and cons of aquaculture. For each of the three you should list 3 pros and 3 cons.
a)Social
Pros:
-Creates jobs/employment in the community
-Feeds a growing population
-Meets increasing consumer demand for seafood

Cons:
-Conflicts with other users of water bodies such as lobsterman, fisherman, or migrating fish
-Can threaten livelihood of fisherman
-Consumers who are eating the fish from fish farms can have an impact on their health because of chemicals ( pesticides & drugs to prevent sickness and disease) in the fish.

b)Environmental
Pros:
-Places more emphasis on protecting coastal waters from pollution, especially in the case of mollusk or seaweed culture
-Fish farms can be made anywhere on the environment such as on coastal areas, inland lakes, and rivers. The farms can be in the form of artificial ponds, enclosures within a natural setting and large tanks.
-Fastest growing method of food production in the environment

Cons:
-Can compromise the aesthetic beauty of coastlines
-Can pollute water systems with excess nutrients ( fish feed & wastes), chemicals and antibiotics
-Contributes to the growing issue of water contamination

c)Economic
Pros:
-Can encourage local investment
-Can increase revenue on city, state, and national level
-Can reduce seafood trade deficit

Cons:
-Can be an unpredictable enterprise for small local communities due to its susceptibility to severe weather, predators, disease and global competition, which can cause an economic loss to the community 
-Can cause a decrease in supply and demand depending on the limited amount of healthy fish or varying consumer demand
-Aquaculture can require a lot of funding

3. Write a short paragraph (7-10 sentences) explaining your point of view on aquaculture. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Why. Use examples from your pros and cons in #2.

In my perspective, I think aquaculture has a negative impact on most things. It can cause many problems socially, economically and environmentally. Socially, it can conflict with other users of water bodies such as lobsterman, fisherman and even migrating fish. It can cause people to become sick because of the pesticides and drugs put into the fish to prevent pests, sickness and disease. Economically, a decline in supply and demand would not be beneficial to the industry. Also aquaculture could cause an unpredictable enterprise for small local communities due to reasons like severe weather, predators, disease and global competition. Environmentally, it can pollute water systems with excess nutrients and potentially contribute to the growing issue of water contamination. Most importantly aquaculture can harm and can likely compromise the aesthetic beauty of coastlines. Personally, I do not like the idea of people getting sick,  economic losses, and jeopardizing the beautiful environment we have because of aquaculture. I disagree with aquaculture since in my opinion, the cons weigh more heavily than the pros. 

Video link on aquaculture : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvGumiwtDU