The increased temperatures
are not only affecting Humans, and the landscape, but are taking a toll on
thousands of fish species. There has been an increasing incidence of fish
deaths across the Midwest, and the heat is causing rivers, lakes, and ponds to
dry up, and raising the temperature of water which creates an unlivable habitat
for the fish. According to this article,
40,000 shovelnose sturgeons died alone in Iowa with the water temperature
reaching 97 degrees. Places such as Nebraska have noted thousands of dead
surgeon, catfish and carp along the Lower Platte River. Biologists are flabbergasted and bewildered
at the growing number of fish deaths as has reached an all-time record.
According to scientist, this summer has been one of the driest and warmest
summers in history. The U.S. Drought Monitor
indicates that more than half of the nation’s counties have been declared a natural
disaster area due to the drought as more than 3,000 heat records have been
broken over the last few months. Estimates
of hundreds, thousands or maybe millions of fish have died in Illinois this
summer, some endangered such as the Greater redhorse. The declining water
levels throughout the Midwest and heat are contributing to the change in fish
populations, giving advantage to some species over the others. These increased temperatures in my opinion are
a direct result from pollution and global warming. Consumerism is continuing to
destroy our planet, and animals and the environment are suffering the worst of
it, and it is only a matter of time before we will suffer the full repercussions
from the destruction of our planet.
What can be done to
save the fish population? Is there something contributing to these unprecedented
high temperatures?
I agree that the rise in temperature may be due to pollution and global warming. Both are issues that our country still have not gotten under control. In response to the fish populations, maybe fish hatcheries could be put into the fish habitats. I know that they cannot bring back the natural abundance of the populations, but at least some efforts can be made with this apparatus.
ReplyDeleteThe effects of global warming have had an absolutely huge toll on not just fish populations, but on all species of animals. Ecologists have long agreed that in a normal Earth ecosystem, a new species should go extinct about once every year. Current estimates show that new species are going extinct at rates 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than that as a result of the effects of anthropogenic climate change. It's a sad reality, and something that future generations will live to regret.
ReplyDeleteWow, a body of water reaching 97 degrees is crazy especially all the way up in Nebraska. I guess it can't be too surprising since even New York suffered from several days around 100 degrees. I wonder how the sun activity has been.(http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57468785/sun-storms-solar-activity-at-fiery-high/)(decided to actually look it up) I figure it has to be a combination of global warming and unusual solar activity. I am no expert but I don't think global warming alone would increase enough to cause this many more fish deaths in just one year. After reading the sun activity article, I am scared for 2013 now!
ReplyDeleteUgh, water at 97 degrees sounds terrible! I usually think of the water as a place to cool off when it gets hot! The fish depletion is terrible. They are, for the most part, at the mid-lower part of the food chain which means all of these deaths are probably having an effect on the birds and other animals that feed on them. I would hate to see what this does to the entire ecosystem in the long run.
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