This time we'll look at water. Yaay~
As I'm sure all of you know, water is essential for life on earth.
But there is very little fresh water available for us to use. Most of it is in the ocean, where it is undrinkable. And a lot of it is frozen at the poles, where it's kinda hard to get to.
Ground water, rivers and lakes are our main sources of water. And precipitation helps to feed most of these sources.
Right now, we've got two huge problems: using too much water, and polluting what is left.
For example:
We use so much water that massive lakes are disappearing, and some rivers no longer reach the sea. So much water is withdrawn from the Colorado River that it rarely gets to the sea anymore. Yeah, the Colorado. The one that goes through the Grand Canyon.
In the case of lakes, they often become saltier as they shrink, which makes them less helpful.
A lot of this has to do with terrible water rights, which leads to huge waste of water by agriculture, businesses, and people.
I'm not even going to try to explain water rights. There are too many weird ones.
Not only do we use far more water than we need, but we dump a ton of gunk into it. Factories dump sludge into rivers.
Rains wash all of the oil and other gunk off of roads and into rivers. All that stuff in the gutters - all that garbage you throw into the streets - that will probably reach oceans and rivers.
Agriculture uses all sorts of chemicals, to kill pests and to fertilize the crops. A lot of this runs off of the land and gets in the water - either rivers, or the ground water.
When fertilizers build up in the water, they can trigger something called "algal blooms." Algae takes advantage of the fertilizer and goes crazy in the water. Then all of that algae dies, and when it does, the decomposition sucks al of the oxygen out of the water. And this kills everything else around it.
The Gulf of Mexico has gotten massive dead zones because of all the agricultural runoff that flows down the rivers.
The pollutants that don't end up in rivers and lakes can filter down through the soil, and enter the underground aquifers. And ground water takes a really really long time to clean itself. Generations.
Some aquifers also take a long time to replenish, depending on where they're located.
When aquifers are depleted near the ocean, salt water can get in and contaminate what was once fresh water.
Or if you're further inland and take too much water, the land can actually sink, because the water that is withdrawn leaves room for the earth to collapse in on itself. Which means that the aquifer is shrinking probably permanently.
And all of you know not to litter, right?
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of garbage that's not thrown away properly gets washed out into rivers, lakes and oceans.
There's something called the North Pacific Gyre - an area of water in the middle of the ocean where currents have gathered together massive amouts of our garbage. This area is probably about the size of Texas. Or larger, depending on how densely packed certain areas are.
Animals - birds, seals, turtles - will see garbage floating around and think it's food. Birds will eat so much plastic that they starve to death because they have no real food in their stomach.
Turtles will eat a plastic bag - thinking it's a jellyfish. This can make then choke. And those plastic rings that hold your six-pack softdrinks together can tangle up animals.
There has been a lot of problems with droughts and floods too - opposites, but both devestating. Climate change makes these events worse, and more common. Where I live is in the middle of a drought right now. We've gotten very little rain for a couple years, and the mountains have gotten little snow. Snow is hugely important, because it stores all the winter water for us. This snow melts in the summer - right when we start to need it most. Less snow = less water available in the summer = more destructive droughts.
Destructive fishing methods, like trawling, can ruin ocean ecosystems.
Climate change can ruin coral reefs, which cant stand the changes in temperature.
Our methods of fishing have caused some fish populations to collapse because too many fish are being taken. And plenty of fishing boats kill a lot of animals that they're not even trying to catch.
What can you do:
Invest in water-saving appliances: Dishwashers, toilets, and washing machines.
You can get attachments for your shower and sink so that it puts out less water.
Be very aware of how much water you're using when washing your hands, showering, ex. For example, I have a pitcher that I stick under the tap when Mom heats the water to wash her face.
Plant native plants in your yard. Native means that the plants are adapted to your climate. They shouldn't' need to be watered much, if at all. Lawns are huge wastes of water, and most people never even use them.
So, how can we use this in an environmental plot?
You can have a town that's right next to a big factory. The factory gunks up the water, so the people that live there are sick and can't get enough food (Avatar: The Painted Lady).
Or a sea god who hates human because of what they do to his beautiful oceans Ponyo).
In a book called Flush, a group of kids busts a casino boat for dumping sewage into the ocean and making the beaches too dangerous to swim at.
Here's stories that use plots about water:
Ponyo
The Lorax
Serendipity, by Cosgrove
Flush, by Hiaasen
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Painted Lady ( Toph: "Let's clean up the River!" )
Flipper
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