Human Impact On The Water Cycle

UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE

Assignment Unit 4

Introduction

Water, nitrogen, sulfur, carbon dioxide and chlorine are the primary materials that cycle through our oceans, our atmosphere and sediments. Material cycles of nature are essential, these substances are very essential to the preserving of life on earth as we know it. These material cycles are called biogeochemical cycles because it involves the transfer of these chemicals from the biological systems to the geological systems. These processes are affected by both biological and geological processes. Some biological processes are respiration, transpiration, photosynthesis, and decomposition, while some geological processes are weathering, soil formation, and sedimentation

This has existed for ages and become more prominent as human population grew and population started to become more industrialized. However, the impacts could be considered as both positive and negative, all depends on the results these activities have on the environment. These impacts could be direct or indirect and there is no limit it the scale. We impact the water cycles in three major ways, namely in, water quantity, water quality, and water ecology. The building of dam for hydropower generation is one human activity that impact the water cycle. Change in land use and cooling water for power plants. (geocases2, n.d.).

Reducing human impact on the water cycle could change life in a serious way, both for the negative and the positive. One of the activities as mentioned above is damming of lakes for hydroelectricity.

The water or the air around a hydropower dam is not polluted by it. Nevertheless, hydropower facilities do have significant environmental impacts on the environment, affecting land use, homes, and natural habitats. Another major impact is the disruption of the river’s flow downstream. This impedes the transportation of sediments downstream that is needed by downstream ecosystem (“internationalrivers”, n.d.).

Giving up hydro electricity could easily be replaced by solar energy, which is clean and sustainable, and do not have the same negative impact hydroelectric dam have on the

It is very difficult at times to balance the two since human activities that impact the water cycle have all become essential to the sustainability of human civilization. Human civilization is never going to regress in its activities. There will continue to be expansion in development, industrialization, and population growth. The world has reached 7.6 billion people. This means more food and more human activities. What would be crucial is the implementation of sustainable use of the environment and the conscious awareness of these material cycles and their importance to the existence of human on earth.

Conclusion

Water as stated already is very important to life on earth as we know it. Without water, life on earth would seize to exist. The same as if the water cycle is not managed and maintained by positive human activities, despite the rise in human population.

References

Flom, S. (n.d.). Material Cycles in Nature. Retrieved from http://environ.andrew.cmu.edu/m3/s4/cyclingmaterials.shtml

geocases2.co.uk. (n.d.). Human impact on the hydrological cycle. Retrieved from http://www.geocases2.co.uk/printable/hydro.htm

Internationalrivers.com. (n.d.). Environmental Impacts of Dams. Retrieved from