How is chemical equilibrium related to the process of eutrophication?
Eutrophication is a process by which, when excess nutrients such as Phosphorus and Nitrogen are introduced into a marine ecosystem, explosive algal growth occurs. This algal growth results in environmental hypoxia and/or apoxia, the partial or complete lack of oxygen in an environment. Organisms, such as fish, plants, bottom feeders, and invertebrates die, and the ecosystem is devastated.
Ecological devastation within estuaries results in what are called dead zones. Dead zones are essentially biological deserts, virtually totally devoid of all life. While hypoxic dead zones can occur naturally, the vast majority seen in ecosystems around civilization are anthropogenic, caused by human activity. This idea was the focus of my interest and of my outreach, to spread awareness of eutrophication as well as how our consumption activities so directly affect marine environments and the devastation that they cause. I created two infographics to communicate two separate and extremely prominent causes of eutrophication within the United States: animal agriculture and our consumption, and the general process of eutrophication.
Ecological devastation within estuaries results in what are called dead zones. Dead zones are essentially biological deserts, virtually totally devoid of all life. While hypoxic dead zones can occur naturally, the vast majority seen in ecosystems around civilization are anthropogenic, caused by human activity. This idea was the focus of my interest and of my outreach, to spread awareness of eutrophication as well as how our consumption activities so directly affect marine environments and the devastation that they cause. I created two infographics to communicate two separate and extremely prominent causes of eutrophication within the United States: animal agriculture and our consumption, and the general process of eutrophication.
Infographic 1
Infographic 1 can be found at <https://magic.piktochart.com/output/14115263-untitled-report>.
Infographic 2
Infographic 2 can be found at <https://magic.piktochart.com/output/14325027-eutrophication>
Above is my annotated bibliography, containing my infographic sources as well as descriptions of the information found within the articles or studies.
As for my social media platform, I used an old tumblr blog of mine. Tumblr makes it exceptionally easy to get campaigns and social movements out into the open simply due to the way it was designed, which is why I chose this media in the first place.
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/beespy : my blog
As for my social media platform, I used an old tumblr blog of mine. Tumblr makes it exceptionally easy to get campaigns and social movements out into the open simply due to the way it was designed, which is why I chose this media in the first place.
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/beespy : my blog
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this project because we all got to choose topics which we felt were most important to us or were most interesting to us. I, of course, chose an environmental issue, being an environmental activist, centered around the role that animals grown for consumption have in the ongoing damage to our marine life and oceanic ecosystems. This subject, while not technically about chemical equilibrium, dealt with the very much related topic or environmental homeostasis. I learned a lot about not only the condition of our aquatic environments, but even more importantly (on a personal level) I gained new outreach skills. This is especially important for those planning a future in activism, whether it be social, political, or environmental. I certainly learned a lot during this project, but not everything went very smoothly. I spent a tremendous amount of time at the beginning of this project trying to determine how exactly my issue related to chemical equilibrium, or what specific chemical equation was relevant to the concept of Le Chatelier's Principle? I did not end up finding one, but I equated the reaction of eutrophication with what results when environmental homeostasis is thrown off balance - it has disastrous results. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and I am even looking into extending my tumblr presence on the subject.