Essay #3, WATERENVIR 202B: Earth, Air, Water: the Human Context Winter 2003Essay #3, WATERDraft version due/accepted Thur Mar 6, Final version due Thur Mar 13, no later than 5pm!Choose one of the following topics. It would be best to choose the one related to the experimentyou are doing, but see us if you would like to change.W1 - OCEAN WAVESNatural disasters come in many forms, but some are particular to specific regions of geography,especially coastlines. Some disasters can be “predicted”, e.g., the likelihood of a hurricane makingland-fall in a particular place is examined and foretold in subtropical regions, but others aresudden, e.g., earthquakes. One disaster that combines features of both, but is still not predictableenough to completely prevent loss of life is an ocean wave -- a tsunami, or in some old references“tidal wave” (which is incorrect, why?). Explore the nature of this wave (“deep” or “shallow”?,transmitted like in the movies as a huge surface wave?), what tends to make them land where theydo, and what is done for warning people in danger and how effective is it (start withhttp://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami-hazard/) . Use examples from Indonesia and Hawaii toexplore how the shape of the depth profile affects the amount of damage.W2 - OCEAN ESTUARIES AND TIDESEstuaries typically contain large areas of wetlands where particular flora and fauna flourish andcontribute greatly to the overall food web, on both local and global scales. A variety of things, butespecially human population increase, farming, and development, have reduced the number andarea of these wetlands. Choose two areas in the Pacific Northwest, such as the Nisqually Riverdelta, where wetlands have been modified (drained, channeled, diked), and discuss the positiveand negative impacts on both people and wildlife in these regions, contrasting managementdecisions that contribute to those impacts.W3 - CIRCULATION OF THE GLOBAL OCEAN AND CLIMATE CHANGEThis experiment allows you to examine one part of the great heat engine on the planet, the ocean’sthermohaline circulation. Much of the climate change debate centers on what may happen as ourglobal average temperature rises. The density of seawater can change, both due to the directwarming and due also to decreasing salinity of the surface waters (the melting of ice and increasein rainfall is most likely to effect the far north). Much of this information is based on interpretingsignals from paleo-climatology (or paleoceanography), the study of ancient climates so be sure toread and cite some of these studies as well. Research and write about what is predicted to happento this “meridional overturning”, particularly in respect to how a change in it will affect upwellingregions. These regions are usually found on the west-coast of continents, along the equator, and insub-polar regions (high north and south latitudes) and are especially important to biologicalproductivity of the whole ocean ecosystem. (see http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v197/p41-49.html as a start on upwelling)W4 - RIVER FLOW, SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND EROSIONMany of the world’s great river basins are full of dams which are impeding sediment flowseaward. Research and detail what changes in sediment flow and erosion patterns have beencaused by the dams on the Columbia River here in the Pacific NW. Be sure to include effectsboth beneficial and detrimental to people and the ecosystem.W5 - GROUNDWATER FLOW – AQUIFERS AND POLLUTIONChapter 5 of McNeill discusses “The history of water use and water pollution” but does not discussgroundwater pollution. Yet, starting with Love Canal, groundwater pollution has been a majorcomponent of the US Environmental Protection Agencies Superfund program. Consider the timescales of pollution, and how grain or particle size play a roll in adsorbtion of that pollution. Whatare the characteristics of the contaminants (especially PCBs and organic solvents), and thedifficulty of remediation? How do we measure groundwater recharge and discharge rates to startwith? Discuss one or two specific examples of PCB and/or organic contaminent pollution ingroundwater. Is this a widespread problem in the US or is it limited to a few high profile sites?Cite data to support your position.W6 - MICROCOSMS AND BIOSPHERES (note, no recycling your AIR essay for this unit!)Biosphere II is the name of an experiment in Arizona which was an attempt at building a totallyisolated ‘microcosm’ in which a few human beings were to live for some years. It failed. Find outhow the experiment was designed and why it failed. In particular, make estimates of the amount ofplant material needed to support the oxygen needs of 6 people. Was there an imbalance in theseamounts that contributed to failure?W7 - IRRIGATION - EVAPORATION AND SALINIZATIONDue to using river water for irrigating large arid areas, like Eastern Washington, a problem ariseswith evaporation and salinization. This experiment should demonstrate that on a small scale. Inyour essay, discuss and detail the large-scale effects of this situation on food production and thepossibility/probability (or lack) of recovering farmland for other use (or even returning it to a wildstate). Concentrate on both Washington and California’s Central Valley, often known as the“bread basket” and “vegetable basket” of