The Difference Between Freshwater and Terrestrial Environments

One of the specific threats to the freshwater ecosystem is the reduced quality or quality changes of freshwater bodies. Evidence suggests that global warming increases precipitation, consequently raising the level of water alkalinity. Moreover, environmental changes have already resulted in adverse weather patterns such as intense storms and prolonged dry spells, which thus increase sediments and nitrates in freshwater ecosystems. Global warming and precipitation changes would alter the production, biomass, and composition of the terrestrial ecosystem surrounding freshwater bodies (Manual, 2003). These changes may affect the quality of freshwater by altering the supply of organic materials, as well as the typical characteristics of runoffs entering the freshwater bodies. The most promising mitigation approach is the restoration of degraded freshwater ecosystems. Evidence strongly suggests that the interaction between terrestrial and water bodies affects the composition and quality of freshwater bodies. Recovery of degraded water bodies is advantageous because it enhances the integrity of compromised freshwater ecosystems. It also increases the resistance of freshwater bodies to future climate change. Neutralizing acidified freshwater bodies by using lime is one of the most successful restorative techniques (Manual, 2003). However, the main weakness of the restoration strategy is that it cannot be successful after the damage exceeds a certain threshold. For instance, it is impossible to restore freshwater lakes that have recorded permanent cultural eutrophication. The success of the restoration approach depends mostly on the target. For instance, restoring the connection or the flow of water from rivers into a lake appears to be more realistic. Restoring the sediment dynamics can also be successful. It is crucial to have pre-defined targets. In other words, stakeholders must clearly define the extent to which they want to restore increasing alkalinity in freshwater bodies (Geist & Hawkins, 2016). The approach can be practical when responding to some adverse weather patterns, such as floods. However, restoration can become increasingly challenging when addressing unknown causes of the decline of water quality (Geist & Hawkins, 2016). This implies that stakeholders must have enough access to information before implementing this strategy. Unknown interaction between the freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems can also lessen the success of the restoration approach. The rising global temperature is one of the factors affecting the interaction between freshwater and terrestrial environments. Rising temperatures, for instance, alter precipitation, consequently changing the production, biomass, and makeup of the terrestrial communities (Manual, 2003). For example, freshwater bodies are increasingly experiencing high precipitation levels, subsequently changing the composition of the terrestrial communities surrounding them. Thus, these changes influence the supply of organic substances in the freshwater systems. Increased temperature and precipitation can result in an upsurge in fires. Wildfires surrounding freshwater bodies raise the levels of the nutrient in the water, subsequently resulting in sedimentation load. Sedimentation can affect the quality of freshwater while wildfire bun vegetation reduces protection from winds. Preserving habitat biodiversity and heterogeneity would go a long way in lessening the adverse impact of increased precipitation. Biodiversity would increase the resilience and resistance of species to climate change. Diverse communities, mainly characterized by redundancy species, are resistant to environmental changes. Isolated freshwater ecosystems, for instance, are marked with high biodiversity (Manual, 2003). Evidence shows that the protection of transitional zones is also beneficial. For example, protected transitional zones can accommodate a wide range of shifts resulting from environmental changes, and enhance the quality of habitats at the same time. This approach is beneficial because it increases the protection of rare species. For instance, relevant agencies that focus on protecting the diversity of tree species surrounding freshwater bodies can receive funding and support (Häder & Barnes, 2019). Protecting endangered species can help to draw public attention to conservation efforts. The only weakness of this approach is that it needs collaboration and the efforts of all stakeholders to enhance biodiversity. Even though diverse communities are resilient and resistant to changes in precipitation, it is vital not to use high biodiversity as the sole approach in choosing conservation sites. Equally, it is necessary to enhance the protection of communities that engage in ecosystem services. For instance, low-diversity wetlands are useful in flood protection. Wetlands are also helpful in filtration and perform other functions, which are increasingly becoming useful as extreme weather events increase (Häder & Barnes, 2019). Moreover, protecting freshwater and terrestrial regions with lower biodiversity helps in establishing functioning ecosystems globally. Furthermore, this approach preserves unique species that serve as the fuel for upcoming evolutionary evolution. Additionally, conserving sites with high biodiversity should be the ultimate goal of enhancing the diversity of habitats. It is, however, vital to include different communities and locations with low diversity in planning for future environmental change. Nitrogen is a natural element that gives life to all living organisms, but some activities produce excess nitrogen. These activities include agriculture, stormwater, and the production of wastewater, fossil fuels, and homes. Agriculture is the leading source of excess nitrogen. For instance, the underutilization of chemical fertilizers can harm the environment. Fossil fuels that produce electricity contribute to excess nitrogen in the air. In general, fertilizer, specific soaps, detergents, and certain soaps contain nitrogen, therefore, contributing to excess nitrogen (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2020). The terrestrial nitrogen (N) movement involves plants, soil, and animal. Nitrogen enters the terrestrial ecosystems via the process of “fixation of atmospheric N 2 to NH 3 ” (McNeill & Unkovich, 2007, p. 44). This happens via the industrial or biological processes and through dry deposition or wet deposition. The increase of inputs of nitrogen to the terrestrial ecosystem leads to an upsurge flux of nitrogen in the atmosphere. In general, the change of nitrogen (N 2 ) to its reactive state (N) is referred to as nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen enters the terrestrial ecosystem through this process (McNeill & Unkovich, 2007). Excess nitrogen is the leading source of eutrophication of freshwater. Generally, nitrogen is emitted into freshwater bodies in several ways. For instance, agricultural products are the primary sources of this gas in water bodies. Nitrogen gets into water as a result of runoffs (Petzoldt & Uhlmann, 2006). Excess nitrogen in freshwater bodies is responsible for the growth of algae. Nitrogen enters the ecosystem through natural and human activities. Firstly, nitrogen is a natural component found in aquatic and terrestrial areas. Excess nitrogen, however, enters the ecosystem through human events. These activities may include agriculture, industrial, and household (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2020). Excessive nitrogen input has a considerable adverse impact on the ecosystem. It affects individual species and can result in far-reaching evolutionary and ecological effects. Research shows that nitrogen can affect biota in every aspect, starting from genes, genomes, and ecosystems (Guignard et al., 2017). It can also reshape the ecological and even fundamental processes of the ecosystem. Moreover, excess nitrogen is a source of pollutants such as ozone and ammonia, which obstruct the ability to see, breathe, and plant growth. Global warming is responsible for the continuous increase in atmospheric temperature. This process commences once the sun’s rays reach the Earth. The clouds and the surface of the Earth (oceans and the ground) reflect excess sunlight into space. The oceans and the ground absorb some heat, heating the Earth, and making life practical. As the Earth becomes warmer, it loses excess heat through thermal radiation. However, the heat or radiation lost is re-absorbed by greenhouse gases such as CO 2 and methane. Therefore, the greenhouse effect is mostly responsible for increasing global temperatures (Shahzad, 2015). The Greenhouse Effect occurs due to industrial or human-made activities. These activities are responsible for the increase of chemical compounds in the atmosphere that trap or absorb heat. In the normal or natural Greenhouse Effect, there is not re-absorption of high amounts of solar radiation released from the Earth’s surface. The natural Greenhouse Effect traps some portion of the heat, which is responsible for keeping the Earth warm and safe. However, human activities have increased the production of heat-trapping gases – methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. The image below illustrates or explains the primary sources of greenhouse gases (Shahzad, 2015). Greenhouse or heat-trapping gases are mainly responsible for the rise in global temperature. As illustrated above, these chemical compounds include methane, carbon dioxide, chlorine, bromine, and nitrous oxides. These gases absorb the reflected heat and re-emit back to the surface of the out planet. CO 2 contributes to about 60 percent of global warming, followed by methane, nitrous oxides, and halocarbons, respectively (Shahzad, 2015). The depletion of the ozone layer is the second significant cause of rising global temperatures. Gases that contain chlorine contribute to the depletion of the ozone. In the presence of ultraviolet light, gases with chlorine dissociate, discharging chlorine atoms that initiate ozone damage. Finally, aerosols in the atmosphere also contribute to the increase of global warming, particularly in two significant ways. Firstly, they spread and absorb infrared and solar radiation. Secondly, they can interfere with the chemical and microphysical elements of the clouds, consequently affecting their operations (Shahzad, 2015). 

References 

Geist, J., & Hawkins, S. J. (2016). Habitat recovery and restoration in aquatic ecosystems: Current progress and future challenges.  Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems ,  26 (5), 942-962.  https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2702 

Guignard, M. S., Leitch, A. R., Acquisti, C., Eizaguirre, C., Elser, J. J., Hessen, D. O., ... & Soltis, D. E. (2017). Impacts of nitrogen and phosphorus: from genomes to natural ecosystems and agriculture.  Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ,  5 , 70. 

Häder, D., & Barnes, P. W. (2019). Comparing the impacts of climate change on the responses and linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.  Science of The Total Environment ,  682 , 239-246.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.024 

Manual, A. U. S. (2003). Protecting freshwater ecosystems in the face of global climate change.  A User’s Manual for Building Resistance and Resilience to Climate Change in Natural Systems , 177. 

McNeill, A., & Unkovich, M. (2007). The nitrogen cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. In  Nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems  (pp. 37-64). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. 

Petzoldt, T., & Uhlmann, D. (2006). Nitrogen emissions into freshwater ecosystems: is there a need for nitrate elimination in all wastewater treatment plants?  Acta hydrochimica et hydrobiologica ,  34 (4), 305-324. 

Shahzad, U. (2015). Global warming: Causes, effects and solutions.  Durreesamin Journal ,  1 (4). 

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2020, March 6).  Sources and solutions . US EPA. Retrieved July 5, 2020, from  https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/sources-and-solutions