Effects of Urbanization on Coastal Ecosystems

By:Christina Barkel cbarkel@umich.edu

Alex Blouin ablouin@umich.eduMichael McCarthy mikemcc@umich.edu

Global Change 2, Section 7, Group 4

http://www.smu.edu/sociology/

Hypothesis

Urbanization has numerous adverse effects on the environment.

What are these effects?

Where are the most affected areas located?

Why are these areas affected?

We are testing the hypothesis that coastal areas are the most affected by urbanization

because of their:

•High Population Densities

•Location near diverse, fragile ecosystems

Methods of Research

•GIS Independent Research – Used Geographic Information System Analysis to compare Global trends of Urbanization, extreme cases of threatened Biome regions,

etc.

•Scholarly Research – Used information from scholars and scientists to make more predictions about Global Trends

Resultshttp://www.swi-austria.org/source/informationen/stories_veranst/urbanization.jpg

Threatened Biomes

Yellow Areas: Critically Threatened Biomes

Yellow areas are critically threatened biomes. The circled areas indicate particularly urbanized areas –to the north, coastal cities of Peru and Ecuador, to the south, developed cities of Chile.

Specific Examples

Areas Most Affected by Water Pollution

An Ocean-by-Ocean Study

• In considering the damage humanity has placed upon the Earth’s aquatic ecosystems, it is important to note that not all areas have been affected in the same way.

• Specific areas have been affected in different ways due to the way humanity lives around the world.

• As such, pollution control and restoration must be focused on certain areas more than others.

The Atlantic Oceanand Surrounding Areas

• Four areas are most in need of restoration.• The Gulf of Mexico due to eutrophication.• The Black Sea due to a variety of human

wastes.• The Amazon River drainage area due to

chemical pollution.• The lakes of sub-Saharan and Western

Africa due to eutrophication.

The Indian Ocean

• The Eastern coast of Africa due to microbial pollution.

• Indonesia due to solid wastes.

• India and the Indian sub-continent, due to chemical and microbial pollution.

The Pacific Ocean

• China due to eutrophication, specifically resulting in the increase in red algal blooms.

• The Islands of Oceania due to radionuclides and solid waste.

The Southern Ocean

• Antarctica and the surrounding coastal waters due to a specific loss of ozone and the related effect upon the UV ray levels of the Earth. This increase greatly affects the photosynthesis processes of plankton.

The Arctic Ocean

• Areas throughout the Arctic Ocean due to chemical pollution, especially because of global currents.

The Connection

• Through data gathered from ArcGIS, the GIWA Report, and research, it is clear that urbanization is connected to the world’s most problematic pollution areas.

• Every area has been affected by the rapid growth of people in some way.

• Trends show that continued urbanization will lead to a continued abundance of pollution in the world’s water.

Urbanization increases Eutrophication

• The process by which excessive amounts of nutrients cause an increase of algae growth

• These nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, come from fertilizers and wash

away with rainfall• This increased growth upsets natural

balance of the ecosystem and degrades the environment

Nutrient Loading

Image: http://www.greenfacts.org/images/glossary/algae-bloom.jpg

Urbanization increases Arsenic Poisoning

• Urban areas release large amounts of waste metals into local watersheds

• These metals compromise the safety of the area’s water supply

• EX: Bangladesh

Effects of Arsenic Poisoning

http://international.usgs.gov/images/projects/big_pics/bg-coring-lrg.jpg

http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2005-03-15/schlesinger-arsenic/arsenic_project_sufferer_picture16.jpg/asset_small

Urbanization Increases Erosion

• Soil from construction sites washes away during rainfall and clogs natural water

systems

• This leads to sewer overflows which release waste, oil, litter and other toxic materials

into area’s coastal environment

Implications

Urbanization continues to increase exponentially around the world. Understanding its effects on the

environment is vital for safe and productive development in the future.

Now that we know the negative effects of urbanization on coastal ecosystems, we can extend rescue and

conservation techniques to the effected areas

Solutions

•Restoration and Regulation of Tidal Hydrology•Shoreline Stabilization and Erosion Control

•Stockpiling and Planting•Fertilization and Protection

•Habitat Enhancement

http://www.csc.noaa.gov/coastal/implementation/implementation.htm

• “Pollution and habitat modification are relatively widespread but can be addressed through long-term natural resource planning, stronger political will and the strengthening of institutions responsible for environmental management and enforcement” (GIWA, 2006).

Conclusions

•Urbanization has negative affects on the coastal ecosystem and environment in general

•Urbanization is highly concentrated along coastal regions which exacerbates the issue

•There are effective ways to prevent these negative effects, also many innovative methods for restoration

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