Megan Zhou
Author: Tony Barboza
Published: October 14 2013
Summary:
National Parks are becoming fertilized by unneeded nutrients coming through the air from human activities such as agricultural operations. The increase of those nutrients, such as nitrogen, cause these natural landscapes to be at risk from ecological damage, says a new study. The study says that the changes to the lichen communities may be the sign of other ecosystem changes that will eventually alter the function and structure of the community. Although plants need nitrogen to grow, too much of it is harmful as it can disrupt the cycling of nutrients in the soil, lower the pH of water, and promote algae blooms. The air pollution regulations have been reducing the nitrogen oxides from fuel combustion steadily, but ammonia is still coming from fertilizers and livestock. A professor at Harvard University says that the ammonia production is, if anything, going up. The study projected that ammonia from agriculture could rise by up to 50% as the U.S. population grows. As of now, there is no effort to control ammonia emission, but there should be in order to protect the national parks from the effects of nitrogen deposition.
Connection:
This article relates to our studies on the nitrogen cycle's impact on ecosystems. The study shows that in national parks close to concentrated industry, the nitrogen deposition is worst. We learned that human activities impact the nitrogen cycle primarily by moving large amounts of nitrogen compounds into the water or air. The exhaust pipes from human activities can release nitrogen, and sulfur, compounds into the atmosphere where they will combine with water and precipitate as acid rain. This study says that lichen may be the signal that changes will occur that will affect the function and structure of the community as a whole, which relates to our study of ecology because we learned that lichen is one of the first species to inhabit a place from primary succession. We learned that algae blooms may cause eutrophication, which eventually makes the oxygen levels in water too low so that it cannot support other organisms. This article connects back to our study in class about the human activities' impact on other species in communities.
What laws or regulations do you think we should make in order to reduce the ammonia emissions and nutrient pollution?
ReplyDeleteRather than having regulations or laws, I think that by having businesses and other individuals focus on helping reduce the ammonia emissions and nutrient pollution is more efficient. The website http://www2.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/sources-and-solutions-fossil-fuels explains that not only the agricultural activities described in my article emits the ammonia into the air- so does fossil fuels. I think that it is not very practical to have a law for this as some ways to reduce the fossil fuel emission of these nutrient pollution includes conserving energy or minimizing driving miles. I do not think that there can be laws to force people to carpool or not allowing people to use air condition as described on this website.
DeleteThe article says that ammonia from agriculture could rise by 50% in the coming years but it also said that nitrogen oxide emissions will be lowering 75% by 2050. Overall, this seems like a decrease in harmful emissions because the decrease of one emission is going faster than the increase of another. Why would national parks only be noticing the changed occurring in the environment now if in fact the emission amount is lowering?
ReplyDeleteEven if we do reduce our nitrogen-based emissions, about how long would it take for the nitrogen level in national parks to reach a reasonable level which would not harm the wildlife?
ReplyDeleteWhat specific types of changes in the function and structure of the society will nutrient pollution have on these ecosystems, and will organisms in the ecosystem be able to adapt to these changes?
ReplyDelete