The Study of Rivers
Although the water in rivers account for only 0.0001% of the total water in the world, they are, nevertheless, of immense importance. Rivers have a geological, biological, historical and cultural significance that cannot be underrated.
Rivers play a vital role in the hydrological system of evaporation and precipitation. They drain rain water from the land. Nearly 75% of the world's surface water is drained to the sea by rivers. Rivers provide habitat, nourishment and transport for many organisms. Rivers like the Colorado River carve up the landscape and play a major role in creating the topography of an area.
For humans rivers have provided natural paths to explore, and a means of transport. Moreover, the sediment carried from rivers supply humans with vital materials. Ever since the water mill, rivers have been supplying energy. Hydroelectric power is increasing in importance as concerns over fossil fuel shortages and carbon emissions have increased.
Culturally rivers have had a major impact. The earliest human settlements were along rivers because they provided a close fresh water supply, as well as a source of food and building materials (sand and gravel). Man's ability to divert river resources to irrigate land for agriculture was a landmark in creating human civilizations, and the failure of these irrigation systems has sometimes been attributed to the demise of past civilizations.
Rivers such as the Amazon, the Nile and the Yellow River have massive cultural resonances. The Chinese say that 'he who can conquer the Yellow River can conquer China'. Hence the world's biggest damn across the Yangtze. Livingstone the explorer is famous for looking for the source of the Nile. The Congo River became famous because of Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'. The book uses a powerful metaphor that compares the stripping away of the veneer of human civilization with a journey up a river.
St Lawrence Institute of Environmental Sciences originally set up www.riverinstitute.com to publish scientific studies on the St Lawrence River ecosystem that is located in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. Scientists used the facilities provided by the institute to measure various aspects of the river to determine the health of the river and the possible impact of human activity on the river ecosystem.
It was found that the ecotoxicology of the river was of particular concern. Mercury uptake in native mussels (Elliptio complanata), invertebrates, and fish (yellow perch) showed mercury was accumulating up the species food chain and reaching levels that were dangerous to human health as well as the health of the river ecosystem.
An unexpected corollary of this research showed high levels of mercury take up by local bat populations.
Another area of research done by the River Institute was to study the concentration levels of mosquito larvae along the river and to correlate these levels to incidences of West Nile virus in Canada. This has been a major concern for inhabitants of Canada since the disease first appeared in 2003.
St Lawrence Institute of Environmental Sciences continues to collect data on the St Lawrence River to study the possible impact of global warming on river ecology. Rivers will play a major role in the future with the predicted rise in temperature. The oxygen levels of a river are vital to the health of a river. The healthier a river is the more aquatic algae and plants it will have that will be able to use photosynthesis to combat the build-up of carbon in the atmosphere and turn it into valuable oxygen for water and land bound life.
Another concern is that rivers make up a vital part of mammal water supplies. As human numbers increase the need to carefully manage river resources and protect them from pollution will be of the utmost importance to secure the quality of life for future generations.
The same is true of animals that come to rivers to rehydrate. In Africa animals will travel hundreds of miles to get to water sources during the dry season. If those water sources dry up or become toxic the animals will quickly perish. The animals will also be compelled in their desperation to enter human settlements to find water.
If the science behind climate change is correct (and the UN believes it is) then it is to the study of water sources such as rivers that we should focus some of our scientific resources. Through scientific research it is hoped that we will be in a better position to know how to conserve not only the St Lawrence River but all rivers. By conserving rivers, we increase our chances of survival in the future.
Ever tossed a cigarette butt on the ground, on the beach, into a a canal or waterway? I think if we are being honest most smokers or ex-smokers would admit to doing one or both of these things at one time or another. The thing is they probably didn’t even realise the harm that these cigarette butts can cause to the environment. The thing is they are not biodegradable as many may have thought, far from it, they are in fact extremely toxic.
Studies have shown that cigarette butts can take a long time to break up, upto 15 years in fact. For those that are thinking “well, if they breakdown then they must biodegrade” think again. They have been shown to turn into tiny filter particles that can have a detremental effect on ecosystems, they also release harmful carcinogens and other pollutants. This is, of course, after they breakdown, before they do they are a real risk to many types of marine life from fish to geese who mistake them for a tasty snack!
Just because they are small doesn’t mean the effect is not too great, there are said to be around 1.7 billion pounds of butts found in and around waterways every year.
All of this leads more to the benefits of switching to e cigarettes as a solid alternative for your nicotine hit. This way of ’smoking’, as covered in depth by sites such as www.ecigclick.co.uk, does away with not only cigarette butts but also the harmful effects of second hand smoke.
The Volga River is the main river that is found in Russia and is known to be the largest river in the European continent. It is also regarded as a national river by the Russian people as it flows from the central part of the country to other eleven cities including the capital city. There are many people who live along the rivers in these cities such as Samara that is found on the south side of the river that allows them to enjoy the beach. The people who live next to the river have a lot culture that is infused into their daily lives and that of the overall Russian culture.
Many foreigners travel to Russia as tourists to see this great river and enjoy the beaches as well as interact with the rich culture of the area. There are other tourists who go further and marry the women of the area so that they are part of the culture and also because the women of Russia are quite attractive. However, not everyone can make it to Russia to enjoy the scenery and probably find love but this can be made possible through internet dating advice. There are quite a number of dating sites that are set up to help men or women meet up with singles in Russia either for romantic or casual relationships. Singles who are interested in Russians can be able to put up profiles on the dating sites and soon be connected to singles who hail from cities near the Volga River. However, it is important to sign up onto dating sites that are authentic and delivers results because there are some sites that are set up to defraud singles looking to connect with potential partners from Russia leaving them disillusioned.
We’ve spent a lot of time on this site talking about the evils of global warming. I know that the plight of our major rivers speaks to most people and the downward spiral of our local tributaries is worrysome to others, but I know a different topic might help me make my case more clearly.
If we don’t stop global warming, the wine industry is going to be changed forever, for the worse. I send wine gift baskets to a few friends and family every Christmas from a local winery just outside of San Francisco and I had an interesting conversation with the winemaker during my last trip there. He said that even a swing of two degrees would have disasterous consequences for wine in the state of California. Evidently the difference of two degrees in average temperature is basically all the changes from London to Bordeaux as an example and you can’t grow a single grape in London currently. Warm weather climates will simply be too hot to grow wine. Industries in California, Spain, Portugal, Australia and much of France could be decimated.
Is that a future we want?
There are many causes for pollution of water resources as well as land resources. Industrial effluents, factory emissions, logging and private transport are often blamed for deteriorating biodiversity, destroying habitat and general pollution. These are important causes of pollution but not the only ones. Another important cause of pollution is tourism.
Tourism makes up 5% of the world GDP. That means millions of people are moving around the world. Except for those people walking or cycling to their destination all these tourists are causing CO2 emissions from the transport they take. Especially when that transport is on an airplane. Despite rising airplane ticket prices and a global recession people are still getting in planes by droves to go on holiday.
The fact that many tourists have become jaded with the usual destinations and seek to go somewhere exciting and rarely visited has a negative impact on natural resources. People are now keen to take boat trips to Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, the Siberian Tundra, the Amazon Rainforest, the forests of Borneo and Papua New Guinea. Eco tourism is a good idea but the carbon emissions involved in getting to these places and the infrastructure needed to cater for the tourists has an impact on the natural surroundings.
Although divers to the Similan Islands, the Great Barrier Reef etc. try to be careful they are taking many learners out to these important aquatic resources who will unintentionally damage the corals and disturb these important natural resources.
In Africa jeeps in the National Parks bring people who drop litter and disturb the hunting patterns of the animals they are chasing around trying to spot.
It is often the case that beautiful coastal areas that cater for tourists don’t have the resources to deal with large numbers of people. Sanitation and refuse disposal becomes a bigger problem as a beach in Koh Tao, for example, becomes more important. Although the locals try their best in many cases tourists have a polluting influence.
The idea of eco-tourism needs to be looked at more carefully.