Conor Clancy– Undergraduate– Environmental Science
The Effects of Agricultural Runoff on Eutrophication in The Danube River
The Danube River is the second longest river in Europe, passing through ten countries. The river supplies drinking water for more than 20 million people and more than 83 million people living within its watershed. However, recently the river has had unacceptable levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus , causes the water clarity to decrease and contributing to an expanding eutrophic zone in the Black Sea, with more than half of the Nitrogen and Phosphorous resulting from agricultural runoff and pollution. This paper examines the effects of agricultural runoff on eutrophication in the Danube River and considers the options for how this might be minimized. High nitrogen and phosphorus levels have resulted in sections of the river becoming eutrophic at times, especially during winter months. If eutrophication were to occur with greater severity or over more of the river the water may become unacceptable to drink without more robust and expensive water treatment systems. In addition, water quality degradation could potentially place limits on farming, further impact fish and other aquatic organisms, and restrict contact-based river recreation. Some possible ways to address this issue is, more rigorous standards could be placed on farms/ranches and agricultural waste/runoff must be kept to a minimum.
Kyson Coombs - Undergraduate- Geography
How is drought impacting the power and agricultural sectors of the Chinese economy
Water uncertainty and drought has been plaguing China for years. This poster and presentation analyzes how this uncertainty has caused issues relating to food security, agriculture changes, and power security. China is one of the most populated countries in the world and their economy and economic output has been impacted by drought. Since 1998, drought has caused $124 billion in losses, according to the United Nations. Although separate regions within China are affected differently, this paper looks at the country as a whole. Droughts across the country have been coming more frequently. Droughts are associated with major flooding damage when rain does end up falling in the summer monsoon months. Drought impacts farmers who face finding new ways to adapt to operating, whether that be through physical methods such as planting drought resistant seeds, or political methods such as collecting drought insurance. Drought has also been increasing the magnitude of debris flows affecting hydropower generation. In this poster and presentation, I examine how drought has affected the power and agriculture sectors of the Chinese economy.
Chase Crowley - Undergraduate - Geography
Stream and Water Quality Degradation Resulting from Cattle Grazing in East Africa
As the cattle industry grows in East Africa, more land is being utilized for grazing. Some of these privately or commercially owned grazing areas are located within small watersheds, which provide the cattle with an ample water supply and wild riparian vegetation to graze on. Giving cattle the freedom to roam through springs, creeks, tributaries, headwater sources, and riverbeds can degrade water quality, and impact the system's ability to store water. This occurs when cattle repeatedly trample the riverbed, springs and plant life during heavy grazing of riparian growth, and through the introduction of microbiological pollutants from fecal matter. This ongoing issue may be worsened when combined with the effects of climate change and drought. In some cases, perennial water systems are becoming more intermittent. Countries such as Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda, contain areas that receive and store a large quantity of water, which surrounding countries, in turn, rely upon throughout the year. When diffuse pollution sources increase, and ground water recharge occurs at lower rates, issues between these countries, communities, and ethnic/ nomadic groups may escalate. In this paper, I discuss the impact on water and social systems of the expanding cattle industry in East Africa. I also examine approaches to governance and policy that provide information about protecting waterways on cattle lands and encourage better dialogues within the cattle industry so as to sustain healthy watershed conditions and maintain sufficient water storage for perennial systems.
Aaron Darragh- Undergraduate - Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Pesticide Contamination in Rural Japan and its Effects on People and Wildlife
Rural Japan is home to large scale agriculture, much of it in the form of submerged rice paddies. Due to the water intensive nature of growing rice, massive volumes of water are exposed to the pesticides that are used in contemporary rice growing practices. This includes pesticides such as fipronil, chlorotoluron, imidacloprid, and an array of other organochlorines and neonicotinoids necessary to prevent pests from damaging crops. When rice paddies are drained, some of this contaminated water is released into streams and rivers where it can flow into other water bodies across the country. This contamination has the potential to impact much of the biota in Japan's waterways as well as affect land-dwelling vertebrates that feed on inhabitants of these waterways. The negative impact is not just limited to wildlife, species such as the Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout) can transfer these pesticides when consumed by humans. Exposure to high levels of pesticides can result in a range of side effects, such as nausea, infertility, convulsions, and even death. Contamination from pesticides is not a recent development and has been monitored in Japan for decades. This paper explores the types of pesticides being released into Japan’s waterways from rice agriculture and the detrimental effects they have on wildlife and those that rely on this water. I will also examine environmental regulations that have been designed to reduce or solve the problems associated with pesticide releases from agriculture into Japan’s waterways.
