stream erosion

This is an example of stream erosion. This is located in 

Linn County, Oregon. This stream supports 3 communities

and the erosion is constant. 

This is a picture of the different loads in a stream. These 

loads include solution. suspended, and bed. This is the 

way debris moves through streams.

  Stream erosion happens when loose sediments are moved along the bottom of a river channel creating small bed forms such as ripples and sand dunes. There are 3 types of loads in stream erosion including solution, suspension, and bed. Solution load, or dissolved, is when dissolved rock is carried in the flow. This is higher where the flow is derived from groundwater pathways. This allows water to stay in contact with rock for long periods of time. It is also higher where rock is prone to chemical weathering. The next load is Suspension. Suspension load happens with finer sediment such as clay and silt and as it flows, it does not come into contact with the bed. The clay and silt is suspended by the turbulent flow of the water. The suspended load comes from materials eroded from the surface bordering the channel and deposited in the stream plus the erosion from the channel. The third load is the bed load. The bed load is moved through the bed of the channel. The bed is transported by traction and saltation. Traction is the scooting and rolling of materials through the bed of a stream. Saltation is the movement of materials through a bounce like motion. Saltation occurs when materials  are suspended in a stream for a short distance and then fall to the bed, dislodging particles. This is a reoccurring pattern. 

   Mature streams form after excessive erosion has occurred over time. It is characterized by the sloping sides. The stream gets wider and becomes more U shaped. The stream will also become less steep which results in slower and steadier moving water. This characteristic can lead to the formation of large floodplains where water can escape if the stream somehow becomes flooded. On the other hand, a youth stream occurs when a stream is in it early stages on an uplifted landmass. These streams are very steep in formation and have an energetic flow of water. Unlike the U shape of a mature stream, youth streams are V shaped and have not formed a floodplain yet. Youth streams are also characterized by the interruption of boulders, rapids, and waterfalls on the flow of the stream. Floodplains are areas of land that are prone to flooding the surround mature streams. This is the wide, level bottom of a valley that contains a stream. These are very important areas to have because they are capable of holding water from a flooded stream. Floodplains vary on the size and depth of the valley that the stream is located in. When enough land is eroded and a mature stream is formed, this is now called a stream valley which is a depression of earth with water flowing at the lowest point. Stream valley's are characterized by the presence of floodplains.  

Wetlands

This is a picture of a wetland. Wetlands are the most threatened

part of nature at the moment. Many have been damaged 

or removed by humans for various reasons. 

What are Wetlands? Wetlands include and body of land with a marsh or swamp, or in other words saturated. It is an area where water either covers the soil or where water is present in the soil throughout the year. This is largely determined by what type of life there is in the environment including plants, animals, and insects. Wetlands also depend on other factors such as topography, climate, water chemistry, vegetation, and human disturbances. Wetlands are most common in the northern and midwestern parts of the United States as well as Alaska. Some wetlands even dry up for parts of the year and becomes habitats for other animals and vegetation during the off-season. 

What is the importance of wetlands? Wetlands are important to our environment because they provide earth and it inhabitants with economic, social, and cultural benefits that many of us fail to realize. Economically, wetlands provide opportunities for fishing, timber, and give tourists activities to try. Wetlands help reduce the impact of storm damage by giving water a place to go if flooding occurs. They also maintain water quality for rivers, recharge groundwater, store carbon, and help stabilize climate control and control pests. Wetlands have a lot to offer us and we are not doing our part to sustain them. Without wetlands we will loose vegetation, animals, and many other issues will arise. They help with irrigation on farms and provide water for livestock and domestic use. Wetlands filter out pollutants and absorb nutrients that would otherwise result in poor quality downstream. 

What is RAMSAR? RAMSAR convention, also called the convention of wetlands, is a treaty that provides national action and international cooperation for the conservation and the wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are currently 2,216 RAMSAR sites. 

What is RAMSAR in Ohio? In the state of Ohio, the RAMSAR site located in Columbus is called the Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP). Wetlands include freshwater, tree dominated wetlands, permanent rivers streams and creeks, seasonal and intermittent wetlands, and permanent freshwater marshes. It has a unique combination of biologically diverse habitats, it provides high quality education of students at The Ohio State University, and significant wetland eco-tourism and outreach for an urban community where few wetlands remain. Since its development it has supported over 160 bird species, diverse fish and invertebrate species, and a variety of mammals, amphibians and reptiles as well as over 1.6 million people in its surrounding urban region. The ORWRP is one of only two research facilities of its kind in the United States.

What country did not sign on to RAMSAR? Although the list of countries that have signed on to RAMSAR is very large, I did find out that Uruguay just signed on to the treaty as of this year. There is no direct information on what country has not yet signed on to the treaty if there are any. It looks like RAMSAR has already had an impact on its participating countries. Although this treaty is widespread, many countries only has one specific facility or area for wetland protection. 

Urbanization

This is what urbanization looks like in some parts of Africa today.

Although this is not America, the United States is rapidly growing and

could resemble this in the near future. This is a prime example of 

why we need to limit our resources before we run out.

   Urbanization refers to the increasing number of people that live in urban areas. This results in the physical growth of urban areas vertically and horizontally versus rural areas. Urbanization began in the time of industrial revolution when people flocked to large cities in search for jobs and a better life due to the decrease in need for agriculture. This has been the case in America for decades as well as other areas of the world. Developing countries are beginning to have increases in urbanization, which is causing mass homelessness and low resources. People are turning to the worst case scenario in order to stay alive including food, water, and everyday needs. Those who have no resources at all readily available to them are turning to contaminated water to wash dishes, clothes, and even themselves. Children are becoming ill because they are so thirsty that they are drinking the same water that is being bathed in and excreted in by humans and animals. Many of us do not realize this because we have available running water and it is all clean but most countries have no running water and most of the water is not clean. In some places in the world, families wait in lines for hours just to fill up jugs of water to carry all the way home. This water will last for close to a week depending on how many people live in the house and how frequently the water is used. Urbanization is causing more trash to build up in small water sources and is being carried to larger lakes and oceans. The increase I'm litter is causing chemical and other dangerous substances to leak into water sources. Believe it or not, urbanization is also causing erosion and sedimentation to occur in heavily populated areas. Although population growth is not in anyones control, we can all do our part in keeping these areas clean and healthy to live in. A few things we can do to help is keeping trash, animal waste, and debris out of draining systems. We can also dispose of waste including antifreeze, paints, oils, etc. properly. Cleaning up oil spills, break fluids, antifreeze, and grease can eliminate contamination in water sources. Controlling soil erosion and encouraging local government officials to develop construction erosion/ sediment control ordinances in your community. Have your septic system pumped and inspected every 3-5 years to make sure it is working properly. Other than trash and chemicals, pathogens can also enter freshwater through feces and food that contaminate water sources. This is the reason for so many people falling ill in developing countries. Pathogens cannot be  seen by the human eye and do not make water look dirty. Most people will drink water if it looks clean regardless of where it came from. These pathogens cause hundreds off illnesses and deaths yearly worldwide. Many of us know that water is an issues in other countries and can become and issue in the states very soon for humans, but we fail to realize that our habits of not taking care of the environment is killing wildlife, especially aquatic life. There is a food chain on earth and if we damage the very bottom of it will we will be next.