how can human activity affect a creek ecosystem?
the creek is located within a rural-urban catchment where rapid development has taken place. The creek itself, has experienced years of deterioration due to industrial pollution and urban run-off. It has been heavily modified in its middle sections to provide flood protection once extensive wetland areas and also in upstream tributaries.
with measurements made, there was no phosphorus or nitrate found.. in fact the water was clear, and seems "healthy".. the only human activity found were mats and garbage..
Areas of land are divided into drainage basins (large and small) separated by divides (high points along ridges) that drain rain and snow melt to a lake or the sea, etc. Anything dumped into the drainage basin may find its way to the creak (or river) through surface runoff or movement of groundwater (especially near dumps, etc.). Flood control projects often spare land but increase the prospects of flooding downstream because upstream flooding provides a buffer. Stream velocities may increase without flooding scouring the stream beds.
February 24th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
the industrial pollution and urban run-off can poison the animals living in the creek, lets say, a species of insect dies, the frogs/fish that eat them die off then the bigger animals that eat them die off too!
hope i helped
References :
February 24th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Areas of land are divided into drainage basins (large and small) separated by divides (high points along ridges) that drain rain and snow melt to a lake or the sea, etc. Anything dumped into the drainage basin may find its way to the creak (or river) through surface runoff or movement of groundwater (especially near dumps, etc.). Flood control projects often spare land but increase the prospects of flooding downstream because upstream flooding provides a buffer. Stream velocities may increase without flooding scouring the stream beds.
References :