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Arctic Ecosystem Article
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Ecosystem Disruption
from:Ecosystem disruption can be defined as the affect on the environment where human subsistence has altered the face of the environment to the extent that survival of a species is threatened. In this environment the ecosystem disruption can be a seen in the fragile ecosystem where plants, insects, grasses, fungi and animals are in crisis. The survival of any species other than man, in an area of ecosystem disruption shows an amazing ability to survive despite crippling odds.
The interaction of humans may cause ecosystem disruption in an environment too harsh for the aquatic loving species of plants. Without the abundance of water in an ecosystem dominated by humans many plants are unable to survive. Those that do survive have adapted or found themselves in an area of ecosystem disruption. Ecosystem disruption can be seen in an environment where species cope with high levels of toxins in the water table. They may have adapted to harsh conditions. High diurnal range of temperatures due to the levels of human activity and building and environmental development make survival difficult for many animals, insects and plants. Those that do survive in any number are often classed as vermin. Rodents are peculiarly adaptable and are often the last to leave an area prone to ecosystem disruption. Cockroaches, rats, possums, ants, mosquitoes, flies, spiders are all able to adapt to the ecosystem disruption. Plants that are able to withstand periods of drought, harsh treatment underfoot or under tyres, are often so tough that they too are classed as weeds.
It is the ability to survive that makes those plants and animals numerous in the ecosystem disruption. Cultivated gardens need care, and where lawns and manicured shrubs are able to survive with constant care, where there is signs of ecosystem disruption only the toughest species survive.
In worst cases of ecosystem disruption it is the humble survivor that forms the food chain. The hardy grass, the indestructible cockroach the every present fly can survive where ecosystem disruption has begun. Those creatures and plants that are able to exist and propagate where life is toughest are the species that will thrive and populate despite ecosystem disruption.
Concrete, paving, tarmac and high density buildings alter the ground water flow and drainage of the landscape. With high volume run off, low volume absorption and with limited open landscape, grassland or trees, the overall consumption of water for the disrupted ecosystem is minimal. Despite a high annual rainfall, much of the precipitation can be lost as storm- water. Having so much fresh water wasted makes ecosystem disruption more likely. Species that once relied on abundant rainfall and absorption of run off must alter their areas of scavenging or leave the area suffering ecosystem disruption.
Arctic Ecosystem Specific links
Arctic Ecosystem News
A River Runs Through It: Scientists Explain Arctic Mercury - OPB News
A River Runs Through It: Scientists Explain Arctic Mercury OPB News Now, says a study just published in Nature Geoscience, we can add one more insult to the Arctic ecosystem that may well be at least partly climate-related: significant amounts of toxic mercury flushed into the Arctic Ocean every spring by three mighty ... |
Dear Shell: Please Be Honest About Risks from Your Arctic Ocean Oil Drilling ... - Huffington Post
 New York Times | Dear Shell: Please Be Honest About Risks from Your Arctic Ocean Oil Drilling ... Huffington Post Shell understands and confirms that a major offshore spill into the relatively pristine Arctic marine ecosystem would likely have catastrophic and long-lasting ecological, economic, and social/cultural impacts. Shell understands and confirms that it ... Why Shell is betting billions to drill for oil in Alaska |
Alarmingly high mercury concentrations in the Arctic might be due to Siberian ... - ZME Science
Alarmingly high mercury concentrations in the Arctic might be due to Siberian ... ZME Science Besides ever thinning ice, permafrost melting, soot deposits, habitat loss, you might as well add another significant factor threatening the arctic ecosystem – mercury. For some time, the alarmingly high mercury concentrations in the regions were ... |
Researchers Measure Carbon In The Arctic Ocean - RedOrbit
 RedOrbit | Researchers Measure Carbon In The Arctic Ocean RedOrbit The study, recently published in the journal Biogeosciences, provides data that will help researchers better understand the Arctic Ocean's carbon cycle—the pathway through which carbon enters and is used by the marine ecosystem. |
Climate: study sets baseline on Arctic Ocean carbon cycle - Summit County Citizens Voice
Climate: study sets baseline on Arctic Ocean carbon cycle Summit County Citizens Voice Where carbon is coming from, which organisms are using it, how they're giving off carbon themselves—these things say a lot about how an ocean ecosystem works,” said lead author David Griffith. “If warming temperatures perturb the Arctic Ocean, ... New study provides baseline measurements of carbon in Arctic Ocean Baseline Measurements of Carbon in Arctic Ocean |