Hobbies And Interests
Puget Sound
Each year, an estimated 14 million pounds of toxic chemicals find their way into the Puget Sound. Polluted runoff is the most pressing pollutant in the Puget Sound. Before European settlement, rainwater was naturally drained into the region̵7;s saltwater marshes and wetlands. However, 75 percent of the region̵7;s saltwater marshes have since disappeared. Additionally, many of the area̵7;s wetlands have been converted into anthropogenic landscapes. Without these natural drainage basins, much of the region̵7;s runoff picks up pollutants, such as oil, grease and pesticides, and flows directly into the Puget Sound. Polluted runoff in the Puget Sound has contaminated its seafood and interfered with salmon mating patterns.
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is a hotbed for nitrogen and phosphorous pollution. While usually beneficial to life, in excess, nitrogen and phosphorous are toxic. Today, approximately 132 million pounds (59.9 million kilograms) of nitrogen and 21.5 million pounds (9.75 million kilograms) of phosphorous are dumped into the Chesapeake Bay annually. Agriculture is the largest source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, responsible for 40 percent of the nitrogen and 50 percent of the phosphorous that pollute the bay. High levels of phosphorous and nitrogen have created algal blooms -- areas contaminated with excess algae -- preventing oxygen and sunlight from reaching the bay̵7;s depths. Without life-supporting oxygen and sunlight, the plant and animal life below these algae blooms dies. The result is a lifeless area termed a dead zone.
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the most polluted river in the United States, receiving an estimated 32,111,718 pounds of toxic discharge in 2010. The Ohio River is most affected by point sources, such as industrial and municipal waste facilities. While regulation has curbed the effects of industrial and waste facilities in the region, they still dump tens of millions of pounds of pollutants into the river each year. Urbanization, logging, construction and agriculture also contribute immensely to the river̵7;s pollution problems. Oil spills have been a problem for the river in the past. The Ashland Oil spill directly resulted in the dumping of four million pounds of oil in 1988.
Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone
The Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi River dead zone is between 6,000 and 7,000 square miles in size, the largest in the world. It begins at the Mississippi River delta and extends into the Gulf of Mexico, reaching as far as the coast of Texas. Like the Chesapeake Bay, this dead zone owes its existence to phosphorous and nitrogen pollution from the Mississippi River. Phosphorous and nitrogen entering the Gulf Mexico may have originated from areas as far away as Montana and Pennsylvania, due to the river̵7;s large tributary system. The Gulf of Mexico is a large contributor to the shrimp and oyster industry. Already, negative economic affects have been felt in the region, and the dead zone continues to expand.