The Negative Condition of the Great Lakes
By: Spenser Larson I am Spenser Larson from Chicago, Illinois . I am qualified to write this editorial because I graduated for the University of Stanford in California. I majored in Environmental Science while being the top of my class. I am currently a scientist for the United States Government. I am worried about the pollution in the great lakes because animals such as baby bird have been known to have deformations because of the cancer their mothers were introduced to. Point- source pollution is from a single place such as a factory or sewage plant. This causes lots of pollution to be dumped into the great lakes. Non-point pollution is pollution that comes from many places such as rainfall or snow that has melted. A runoff is where water in not …show more content…
Scientist estimate that there are over 185 invasive species in the lakes. Invasive Species are not native to the area and can do great damage to an ecosystem. Sea Lamprey are one of the biggest invasive species problems in the great lakes. Sea Lamprey’s hook on to fish and eat them from the outside in, killing the fish. Sea Lamprey kill more lake trout than all fishing for lake trout combined. Zebra Mussels are also a big problem in the great lakes. They are a threat to the food web because they eat what the native fish rely on for food. The Zebra Mussels arrived at the great lakes from boats that traveled through the Atlantic Ocean and went through the canals which lead to the Great Lakes. Zebra Mussels accumulate toxins 300,000 times higher than the concentration in the lake. The Asian Carp is another major threat to the Great Lakes. Asian Carp have the capability of destroying the entire food web in the Great Lakes. They have not made entered the Great Lakes but are extremely close. They are also known to hurt boaters and water skiers by jumping and slamming into people and boats which could injure or kill
By: Spenser Larson I am Spenser Larson from Chicago, Illinois . I am qualified to write this editorial because I graduated for the University of Stanford in California. I majored in Environmental Science while being the top of my class. I am currently a scientist for the United States Government. I am worried about the pollution in the great lakes because animals such as baby bird have been known to have deformations because of the cancer their mothers were introduced to. Point- source pollution is from a single place such as a factory or sewage plant. This causes lots of pollution to be dumped into the great lakes. Non-point pollution is pollution that comes from many places such as rainfall or snow that has melted. A runoff is where water in not …show more content…
Scientist estimate that there are over 185 invasive species in the lakes. Invasive Species are not native to the area and can do great damage to an ecosystem. Sea Lamprey are one of the biggest invasive species problems in the great lakes. Sea Lamprey’s hook on to fish and eat them from the outside in, killing the fish. Sea Lamprey kill more lake trout than all fishing for lake trout combined. Zebra Mussels are also a big problem in the great lakes. They are a threat to the food web because they eat what the native fish rely on for food. The Zebra Mussels arrived at the great lakes from boats that traveled through the Atlantic Ocean and went through the canals which lead to the Great Lakes. Zebra Mussels accumulate toxins 300,000 times higher than the concentration in the lake. The Asian Carp is another major threat to the Great Lakes. Asian Carp have the capability of destroying the entire food web in the Great Lakes. They have not made entered the Great Lakes but are extremely close. They are also known to hurt boaters and water skiers by jumping and slamming into people and boats which could injure or kill