david ickowski's List: Ecosystems

Comprising over 70% of the Earth�s surface, water is undoubtedly the most precious natural resource that exists on our planet. Without the seemingly invaluable compound comprised of hydrogen and oxygen, life on Earth would be non-existent: it is essential for everything on our planet to grow and prosper. Although we as humans recognize this fact, we disregard it by polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans. Subsequently, we are slowly but surely harming our planet to the point where organisms
are dying at a very alarming rate. In addition to innocent organisms dying off, our drinking water has become greatly affected as is our ability to use water for recreational purposes. In order to combat water pollution, we must understand the problems and become part of the solution.

A document stating the policies of the Clean Water Act from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Welcome to the Water Pollution Guide, where you can find useful information
about the sources of water pollution and how they can be treated.

Water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality
of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or
lives (in) it. When humans drink polluted water it often has serious effects on
their health. Water pollution can also make water unsuited for the desired
use.

The world's oceans and rivers have never been under more pressure from
pollution. This handy list of information sources points you to books, articles,
and websites that tell you what the problems are, how they're caused, and how we
can attempt to solve them. There are thousands of web pages about pollution and
this is not a complete list. But it'll give you a good start in finding out
about most of the issues involved.

EPA divides water pollution sources into two categories: point and non-point.
Point sources of water pollution are stationary locations such as sewage
treatment plants, factories and ships. Non-point sources are more diffuse
and include agricultural runoff, mining activities and paved roads. Under the
Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permit program contr ols water pollution by regulating point sources that
discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. EPA works with state and
local authorities to monitor pollution levels in the nations water and
provide status and trend information on a representative variety of ecosystems.

Water is a resource that has many uses, including recreational, transportation, hydroelectric power,\nagricultural, domestic, industrial, and commercial uses. Water also supports all forms of life and affects our\nhealth, lifestyle, and economic well being. As individuals, we use water for sanitation, drinking, and many\nother human needs, and we pay for the public water utilities that provide water. Examples of the amount of\nwater used by an individual during everyday activities are shown below (compare the gallons to a gallon of\nmilk):

PURPOSE: To describe and identify the link between land use activities within a\nwatershed and water quality.\nSUMMARY: Students will evaluate the quality of a "water sample" (a bag of\nskittles), graph their results, and form a hypothesis about the land use near\nthe location their "water sample" was collected.

The people below are taking care of their home and car, but they are doing many things that can damage the environment, especially our water. Click on the spots where you think someone is doing something wrong for a surprise.

general recycling info

interactive recycling site with games and activities

Rotten Truth (About Garbage) is an on-line exhibition created by the ASTC and the Smithsonian Institution's Traveling Exhibition Service that takes an in-depth look at the complex issues surrounding municipal solid waste. The Association of Science-Technology Centers, Incorporated (ASTC) is an association of over 400 science and technology museums worldwide

Three R's Info

Welcome to the Green Guide, National Geographic's source for greening your life.

Kids Page Fun with Recycling -- presented by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as a means of introducing kids to science and research interests.

Recycling Home Abstract: Recycling Reduce-Reuse-Recycle What is Recycling?Why should I recycle?Who recycles?How does recycling work?What are recyclable materials?How can I reduce the amount of trash I generate?Other ways to reduce your trash outputWhat about reuse?Where does my trash go after I put it in the trashcan?What is a ..."><meta NAME="Date" Content="2005-10-7

Describes what ecosystems and biomes are and gives examples.

Explains human impact on the climate and how this can effect wildlife.

acid rain interactive story