aquatic ecosystems – Aquarius-Systems

Glyphosate Risks in Water Hyacinth Control Highlight Concerns

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 20:37:41 +0000

Water hyacinth, one of the most invasive aquatic plants, poses serious threats to waterbodies across India, including Pashan Lake in Pune and Powai Lake in Mumbai. As municipal authorities struggle to manage these infestations, the use of herbicides such as glyphosate is being considered as a cheaper and quicker solution. However, applying glyphosate to control water hyacinth can have long-term harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems. Glyphosate breaks down into aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), which remains toxic and continues to affect aquatic life. It reduces oxygen levels by promoting the decay of dead plant matter, leading to the death of fish and other aquatic species. Additionally, glyphosate can disrupt the food chain by harming beneficial algae and microorganisms that support aquatic biodiversity.

The risks of using glyphosate go beyond immediate environmental concerns. Studies suggest that its residues in waterbodies can accumulate over time, affecting not just fish but also amphibians and other organisms. In sensitive habitats, such as those with crocodiles or endemic species, these chemicals may alter reproductive cycles and hinder growth, leading to population declines. Furthermore, introducing glyphosate without addressing pollution sources, such as sewage inflow, only provides a temporary fix. Experts emphasize the need for thorough environmental assessments and long-term monitoring before opting for chemical interventions. Sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives, such as biological control using weevils or mechanical removal, offer safer solutions to protect India’s vulnerable aquatic ecosystems.

Salvinia Threat Emerges in Lake Victoria Waters

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 20:16:39 +0000

A new invasive type of water hyacinth, Salvinia spp., has been discovered in Lake Victoria. It reproduces rapidly, doubling its biomass within 8 days due to high nutrient levels caused by human activities such as improper waste disposal and deforestation. Over 36 tons have already been removed, but the plant continues to spread, threatening fish populations, water transport, and biodiversity by depleting oxygen and reducing water quality.

The newly discovered Salvinia spp. in Lake Victoria likely entered the lake through contaminated fishing gear, boats, or water currents connecting nearby ecosystems. Unlike the regular water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), which forms thick mats on the surface, Salvinia spp. spreads faster and is more resilient under varying environmental conditions. It depletes oxygen more aggressively, suffocating aquatic life and reducing biodiversity. This variant poses a greater ecological threat and requires immediate control measures.

The species negatively impacts fishing, tourism, and water supply, making urgent action necessary.

Lake Killarney Restoration Removes One Million Pounds of Weeds

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 16:59:53 +0000

Lake Killarney in northeast Tallahassee is undergoing its first major cleanup in decades, addressing years of overgrowth that made the waterway inaccessible for residents. Using a specialized aquatic weed harvester, over one million pounds of invasive vegetation were removed in just one week, with more progress to come.

The cleanup effort aimed to improve water quality and restore the lake’s ecosystem, which had been impacted by excessive vegetation. This significant environmental effort highlights the importance of preserving natural water bodies and ensuring sustainable ecosystems. Unlike chemical treatments, harvesters provide an eco-friendly method of managing vegetation with immediate results.

Aquatic weed harvesters play a crucial role in maintaining healthy water ecosystems by removing excessive vegetation. Without intervention, this vegetation eventually dies and decomposes, releasing nutrients into the water that can fuel harmful algae blooms. These blooms deplete oxygen levels, harm aquatic life, and diminish water quality, making weed harvesters an effective, environmentally-safe solution to prevent such environmental issues.

Harvesting Improves Lake Habitat and Navigation

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 21:11:09 +0000

An aquatic plant harvester has been used to scoop up the floating islands of vegetation that have built up on the lake for decades.

The process will make the lake easier to navigate for fishermen and other boaters, and should improve the fishing there as well, state experts say.

“It will improve the habitat of the lake,” said project manager Ed Hayes, a biological scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “This is preventative maintenance,”

The project will help not only fish, but also the birds and turtles that call the lake home.

A Goldfish Explosion in Hamilton Harbour Stresses the Ecosystem

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:40:00 +0000

The water of Hamilton Harbour in Ontario, Canada, has been used and abused over the decades, as sewage water and industrial by-products have flowed into the port since the 1800s with devastating consequences for the harbor’s flora and fauna. Today, treated sewage water, which isn’t fully cleansed of algae-causing nutrients, is still released into the harbor, along with occasional sewage overflow. The water has little to no oxygen, making survival a struggle for native fish species like walleye and yellow perch.

But, goldfish are the ultimate survivor of difficult conditions. They feed on blue-green algae blooms that native species cannot—blooms that appear with increasing frequency in Hamilton Harbour, due to pollution and warming water. What’s more, the creature’s bottom-grazing uproots vegetation and increases the water’s murkiness, both of which make life still tougher for other inhabitants. The goldfish, meanwhile, are rapidly reproducing. Without management, experts say, they’ll squeeze out their native competitors and take over.

Read More https://macleans.ca/society/the-goldfish-invasion-in-hamilton-harbour/

Water Chestnut Spreads in New York and Harms Aquatic Ecosystems and Recreation

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 14:33:28 +0000

Trapa natans is native to Western Europe and Africa and northeast Asia, including eastern Russia, China, and southeast Asia to Indonesia. Trapa natans was first introduced to North America in the mid- to late-1870s, when it is known to have been introduced into the Cambridge botanical garden at Harvard University around 1877.

A decade later later, the aquatic invasive species made its way to New York and now stretches fro Long Island, inland to the Hudson River Valley and up to Lake Champlain and is spread throught the Finger Lakes.

The water chestnut most directly impacts aquatic ecosystems by blocking sunlight from penetrating the water and preventing other aquatic vegetation from photosynthesizing. At the same time, the water chestnut photosynthesizes at the surface, restricting oxygen exchange under its cover. Other aquatic life, particularly fish, can be sensitive to low-oxygen environments. For the recreationist, water chestnuts make boating, fishing and swimming a crowded feat.

Phosphorus Loss From Farm Soil Can Harm Wetlands and Water Quality

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:07:39 +0000

Phosphorus-enriched soil is very much essential for agricultural purposes. But the current alarming fact is, this nutrient is increasingly being lost from soils all around the world. This mineral is one of the vital factors for the world’s food production and there isn’t an unlimited supply of this from the soil.

Phosphorus in the soil flushed out of agricultural soils into wetlands and local bodies because of the erosion. The excess of nutrients harms the aquatic plant and animals.

Activists Push to Ban Glyphosate for Water Hyacinth Control

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 21:35:51 +0000

Environmentalists and activists from the city on Pune, India have urged the Central Pollution Control Board and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to ban the use of glyphosate for use on water hyacinth in water bodies due to its dangerous impact on human health and aquatic life.

Glyphosate has been linked to probable carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, kidney and liver damage, reproductive health problems and neurological effects. In addition to the threat on the health of humans, it poses a greater threat to aquatic life and river ecosystems. The continuous use of glyphosate also mean groundwater quality will be at risk and the damage could be irreversible.

Atrazine, Frogs, and the Scientist Challenging a Widely Used Herbicide

Wed, 07 May 2014 17:39:18 +0000

Attending the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership convention is an annual event that Aquarius Systems looks forward to every year. We enjoy seeing old friends, meeting new friends; customers, DNR agents and academics. This year’s event featured a speaker that has literally made headlines, although not always in a good way.

Dr. Tyrone Hayes of the University of California- Berkley has been slammed in the media for being a scientist turned activist; of which he is proud. He did not set off to be an activist, but trusts what one man said, “Those who have the privilege to know, have the duty to act.” ~ Albert Einstein

Dr. Hayes interest in frogs began as a child at his grandmother’s home. He was particularly interested in frog hormones which are similar to human hormones. After being asked to join a panel of experts conducting studies for Novartis (later Syngenta) on the herbicide atrazine, Dr. Hayes made a surprising discovery. Developing male African clawed frogs and leopard frogs exhibited female characteristics after exposure to atrazine.

Since that discovery and additional research, Dr. Hayes has become an advocate for banning atrazine. For those that don’t know, atrazine is an herbicide that is most often used in corn fields and on lawns. 76 million pounds of it are applied each year and it is one of the most widely used herbicides in the U.S., second to glyphosate. Atrazine is also the most commonly detected pesticide contaminating drinking water.

Hayes as well as well as other scientists studying atrazine in North and South America, Europe and Japan has found links between atrazine exposure and abnormal male hormone levels in fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Co-author professor Val Beasley says at least 10 studies found that exposure to atrazine feminizes male frogs, sometimes to the point of sex reversal.

While human experiments aren’t possible a study shows that men with .1 parts per billion of atrazine in their urine have low sperm counts. Atrazine applicators have 24,000 times that amount in their urine that is known to “chemically” castrate frogs. Dr. Hayes questions what those applicators reproductive health is like.

Listen to Dr. Hayes Story https://youtu.be/_OHd2rPrtuE?si=yEuq9FADmE7FWvuf

Road Salt Keeps Roads Safe but Pollutes Waterways and Drinking Water

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:09:44 +0000

Countries around the world experience extended periods of snow and ice. In order to combat the icy road conditions crews spread road salt on sidewalks and roadways. Salt was first used in the United States on an experimental basis in New Hampshire in 1938. By the winter of 1941-1942, 5,000 tons of salt was spread on highways nationwide. Today, road salts may include sodium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, and ferrocyanide salts. More than 20 million tons of these various salt mixtures are used yearly.

Salt is a natural mineral that lowers the freezing/melting point of water. Salt is made of two components, sodium and chloride. When dry salt is spread onto a paved surface, it will dissolve and form a solution called brine. It is the brine that melts the snow and ice by reducing the temperature at which water will freeze. At 32^o water will turn to ice and above that point ice will melt. A 10 % salt solution will freeze at 20^o and a 20 % solution freezes at 2^o, so the colder it gets, the more salt is needed. While it may sound relatively simple, it is actually quite complicated and scientific.

Salt not only damages metal and concrete, it contaminates drinking water, kills vegetation, and accumulates in streams, lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater, harming aquatic plants and animals. It is only the beginning of February, Wisconsin hasn’t seen very much snowfall, yet our roadways are white from the dried brine. As much as 70% of salt spread on roadways stays within the watershed.

Salt also causes soil alongside roads and sidewalks to become more acidic and reduces its ability to retain water which increases its susceptibility to erosion. It also affects the soils ability to transfer nutrients to plants resulting in the extra nutrients being leached into the ground water. The salt also damages trees and vegetation; it dehydrates the cells creating a drought like effect when absorbed.

In high concentrations sodium chloride can be harmful to aquatic organisms. While most waterways have not reached a status that is considered lethal, the high concentrations the excess salinity due to the salt concentrations impedes the survival of spotted salamanders and wood frogs. Changes in the salinity of a pond or lake can also affect the way the water mixes as the seasons change, leading to the formation of salty pockets near the bottom and biological dead zones.

Sodium is essential to life and good health at recommended levels. Since the body doesn’t produce sodium or chloride it is necessary to obtain the mineral in both food and beverage. Road salt does have a negative impact on human health. High concentrations of sodium in groundwater increase the amount of the mineral into the body, leading to hypertension, increasing the chance of heart attacks, and strokes. Too much salt can also irritate the stomach lining and may trigger stomach cancer. Some states monitor their drinking water for sodium, but there are no federal regulatory standards for sodium concentrations in drinking water in the United States.

So why do we keep using road salt if it is harmful to humans, aquatic organisms and the environment? Well, it is not only effective, but it is cheap compared to other forms of de-icing that are available. Alternative chemicals are expensive and often require municipalities to invest in new spreading equipment. Calcium chloride, for example, is quite effective for extremely cold temperatures, but costs five times more than road salt and is much more corrosive. Road salt it a necessary evil in some parts of the world. Its use prevents accidents and loss of productivity due to impassable roads. The only win-win is to use road salt in the most efficient manner to decrease the amount of salt needed to keep people safe.

Road Salt White Paper

Cary Institute Special Report

Alternatives to Road Salt