Maintaining Environmental Balance - Essay Example

For example, Beavers are a keystone species, because their dam-building changes the waterways within the environment they populate (Wagner, 2012). If a keystone species has been removed the balance of that ecosystem may break down. For example, when they removed wolves from North American woodlands, it caused a spike in prey animal populations and damaged the flow of this system.

Question 2
Discuss what a "fish ladder" is and whether or not they contribute to the reproduction of salmon.
Fish ladders are designed to be placed in places on the migratory path of fish, like salmon, that is a gradient in width, with places for fish to rest in the process of going further and further upstream. The fish ladders are known well to be helpful for adult salmon going upstream. In some ways, it is man's way of giving back. So many manmade structures and endeavors have profound impacts and have interfered in many salmon migratory locales. As helpful as the ladders are in some cases, unfortunately, the ladders are sometimes difficult for the fish to find in the larger bodies of water (USGS, 2013).

Question 3
What are the pros and cons of China's Three Gorges Dam?

China’s Three Gorges Dam is considered the largest construction undertaking since the Great Wall of China. The pros of this immense project include the allowance of ships into the new waterway from areas that were before inaccessible, the turbines will provide massive amounts of alternative energy, something China is in need of and will prevent the reduction of floods, common in the area for hundreds of years. The cons involving the Three Gorges Dam, include, complaints of corruption in its inceptions and construction via illegal and unethical government activities, there are, also, complaints of poor and potentially, dangerous construction. They claim that corners have been cut to save money in construction. Many questions if the dam is safe. There are also concerns from environmentalists that the dam will ultimately leak toxins into the waters and be no better than the previous energy source (Kennedy, 2001).

Question 4
What are the forces responsible for creating Hurricanes in the Atlantic ocean? Are they good or bad, why?
Hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean are perfectly natural occurrences. However, in recent years experts have noticed that the frequency and immensity of hurricanes are increasing. Warm water and moist, warm air are the ingredients of any hurricane. The warm moist air from the surface of the ocean travels up and mixes with cooler air, which causes the warm water to turn to vapor creating rain clouds. It is the continuation of this cycle that creates the swirling mass that a hurricane becomes. It is possible that global warming, caused by human beings, may be responsible for the modern frequency of hurricanes (West, 2013). If this is true then this cannot be good.

Question 5
What forces are responsible for creating sinkholes.
Ultimately it is water that is responsible for sinkholes. Water can weather the minerals in the rock, more water may wash away what has broken away, weight and stress from above, and frozen temperatures, also, contribute, along with drilling, vibration from above, and, of course, everyday wear and tear (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2013)This is what cause a sinkhole.

Question 6
What are the forces responsible for destroying the coral reefs and what can we do to prevent it.
Currently, huge portions of coral reefs have horribly damaged or destroyed. The majority of this has been caused by human waste products, like the runoffs of contaminants, sediments, and industrial sewage and “land clearing watershed” (Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). They are also damaged due to human recreational activities like boat rudders. Protecting the remaining coral reef is essential. The EPA has several programs geared toward saving the coral reef. However, there are many local organizations that are dedicated to protecting and caring for the reef, as well. Do not touch or disturb coral reef, boaters do not use anchors, and do not use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers, the waste of which may find its way to the ocean.

Question 7
Hybrid cars are becoming mainstream as companies are mass-producing them. Ford, Toyota, Honda. Discuss whether you would purchase one of these vehicles (if money was not an issue), and what would be the advantages and disadvantages of owning such a hybrid car.

If money was no issue I would gladly purchase a hybrid car, in fact, one of my dream cars is a Honda Hybrid. I would benefit from the hybrid because of its gas mileage and use of electricity instead of solely gasoline, it charges its own energy source while operating on gas, and it is much more environmentally friendly than traditional automobiles. Granted because of their advanced electrical systems if something were to go wrong it may be more costly to fix in some cases, after all, it has 2 engines; at least until the technology becomes much more common.
Read More