User:Abbyfah/Cultural eutrophication

Changes to Existing Article
"Cultural eutrophication is the process that speeds up natural eutrophication because of human activity. Green revolution and industrial revolution are two primary causes of cultural eutrophication in the last century that accelerated the run-off of nutrients such as phosphates and nitrate into our lakes and rivers.Extra nutrients are also supplied by treatment plants, golf courses, and agricultural practices through the use of fertilizers. Human activities, including the ones previously listed, can be responsible for an increase in nutrients, therefore, cultural eutrophication is more pronounced in non-polar ecosystems which have higher levels of human activity. Polar regions have less human activity and subsequently less cultural eutrophication. Eutrophication restricts water use for fisheries, recreation, industry and drinking because of increased growth of undesirable algae and aquatic weeds and the oxygen shortages caused by their death and decomposition." Cultural Eutrophication is when a flux of excess nutrients from human activity are added into a local run-off which in turns speeds up the natural eutrophication. This is caused by human activity, this problem became apparent once the green revolution and industrial revolution began in the last century (Vaclav, 2000). Phosphates and nitrates are the two main nutrients that cause cultural eutrophication as they enrich the water allowing for aquatic plants such as algae. Algae is prone to blooming into large quantities very rapidly, algae removes oxygen from the water thus, generating anoxic conditions. This anoxic environment kills off any organisms in the water body and make it hard for terrestrial animals to gain access to the water for drinking. Increased competition for the added nutrients can cause potential disruption to entire ecosystems and food webs, as well as a loss of habitat, and biodiversity of species (Rabalais, 2002).

There are many ways in which nutrients are added through human activity, including but not limited to: waste treatment plants, golf courses, fertilizing lawns, burning of fossil fuels and agricultural practices. Cultural Eutrophication can occur in fresh water and salt water bodies, usually shallow waters are the most susceptible. In shallow lakes, sediments are frequently disturbed by wind-wave and resuspended, which result in huge nutrients release to overlying water (Qin et al. 2006). As well the shallow areas are normally where the run-off reaches first and has less water to dilute the excess nutrients. This begins to cause many problems for the nearby wild life as well as human activity. Eutrophication restricts water use for fisheries, recreation, industry and drinking because of increased growth of undesirable algae and aquatic weeds and the oxygen shortages caused by their death and decomposition (Khan et al. 2014).

RAW SEWAGE

Before:

"The disposal of raw sewage into ocean waters is banned in many countries including the United States, but many developed countries such as Canada continue to pump untreated sewage waste into ocean waters. This is a widespread and highly publicized issue ranging from west coast Victoria, British Columbia, to east coast Nova Scotia."

After: Raw sewage is a large contributor to Cultural Eutrophication since sewage matter is very rich in nutrients. Releasing raw sewage into a large water body is referred to as sewage dumping, which is a large problem in today's society even in developed countries. The disposal of raw sewage into ocean waters is banned in many countries including the United States, but many developed countries such as Canada continue to pump untreated sewage waste into ocean waters (water encyclopedia, 2020). There are multiple different ways to fix Cultural Eutrophication with raw sewage being a point source. Waste collection, incineration, and waste treatment have become common practices in industrialized parts of the world (Seo et al., 2004). A wastewater treatment plant is where the water will be filtered to regular water before discharging into a large water body. In some areas incineration is used where the solid waste is exposed to high temperatures turning it into ash.penis Convectional sludge incineration systems mostly charge dewatered sludge directly into the incinerator (Okufuji, n.d.). Generating an anaerobic environment is also another method where microorganisms degrade the waste without the use of oxygen. An anaerobic system can be used for pretreatment prior to discharging to a municipal wastewater treatment plant (EVOQUA, 2019). The incineration method and the anaerobic methods are the most environmentally friendly compared to others (Seo et al., 2004). Anaerobic treatment use substantially less energy, require less chemicals, and incur lower sludge handling costs compared to aerobic treatments; as well the biogas produced is a source of renewable energy to generate electricity (EVOQUA, 2019). Similarly, incinerating a ton of waste produces electric energy equivalent to 52.1 kWh/ton of combustible waste in the combines heat and power generation; this amount displaces electricity that would be provided by an electric utility power plant that uses fossil fuels in Korea (Seo et al., 2004).

AGRICULTURE

Before: "In order to match an increase in food demand, agricultural production relies heavily on the use of fertilizers to increase overall crop productivity. These fertilizers contain high amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, which results in excess amounts of nutrients entering the soil. The nutrients that are not absorbed by the plant leach out of the soil and enter freshwater systems, such as rivers. These nutrients can eventually end up in aquatic ecosystems and are a contributor to increased eutrophication."

After:

Since the agricultural boom in 1910s and again in the 1940s to match the increase in food demand, agricultural production relies heavily on the use of fertilizers (Huang, 2017). Fertilizer is a natural or chemically modified substance that helps soil become more fertile. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the "Big 3" primary nutrients in commercial fertilizers, each of these fundamental nutrients play a key role in plant nutrition (The Fertilizer Institute, 2020). When nitrogen and phosphorous are not fully utilized by the growing plants, they can be lost from the farm fields and negatively impact air and downstream water quality (EPA, 2019). When farmers spread their fertilizer whether it is organic or synthetically made most of it will turn into runoff that collects downstream generating Cultural Eutrophication.

There are many ways to help fix Cultural Eutrophication caused by argiculture. Safe farming practices is the number one way to fix the problem this includes:


 * 1) Nutrient Management Techniques - Anyone using fertilizers should apply fertilizer in the correct amount, at the right time of year, with the right method and placement. (EPA, 2019)
 * 2) Year - Round Ground Cover -  a cover crop will prevent periods of bare ground thus eliminating erosion and runoff of nutrients even after the growing season has occurred. (EPA, 2019)
 * 3) Planting Field Buffers - By planting trees, shrubs and grasses along the edges of fields to help catch the runoff and absorb some nutrients before the water makes it to a nearby water body. (EPA, 2019)
 * 4) Conversation Tillage - By reducing frequency and intensity of tilling the land will enhance the chance of nutrients absorbing into the ground. (EPA, 2019)

CHANGES:


 * cut out references not included in new version
 * split into two paragraphs
 * took out the second and third paragraph but kept the 7th quote
 * rewrote raw sewage section - kept one reference
 * rewrote agriculture - kept first reference

Peer Review Changes
suggested improvements:


 * images - done
 * possible benefits from cultural eutrophication - there really is no benefits to add since cultural eutrophication makes the water unusable to any animals or humans.
 * spell/grammatical errors - done