Ecosystem Services: Water Purification

Ecosystem Services: Water Purification

AGVISE laboratories presents more information about the soil, including phosphorus, potassium, organic matter, and many more info about the nutrients and how healthy the soil is. According to yardcare.com, commercial laboratories cost roughly $1000 for a soil test. In order to clean the soil, we can add organic matter to increase the alkalinity of the soil. In order to reduce the lead, we can add alkali to the soil. Alkali is a salt in which the more the human body has, the healthier, and the less, the more acidic. According to cmoma.org, celery is one of most alkaline foods. The average price for a stalk of celery is $0.90 according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Let's say that for every pound of dirt, we need 0.1 pounds of compost (celery). Therefore, for 2250 pounds, we need 225 pounds of compost. If there are 9 stalks in a bunch, and a bunch equals to about one pound. 1 pound divided by 9 equals to about 0.1pounds per stalk, which equals to 2.5 stalks per 0.25 pounds, or 10 stalks per pound. Therefore, we need 2250 stalks, which equals to $2025 for the compost. But remember that the compost needs to break down.

Finally, we need detrivores and decomposers. In order to break down the organic matter, in this case, celery, and we will use earthworms. Consider this ecosystem service to be located somewhere with no extreme climate. Since earthworms are already native to almost everywhere, we do not need to ship or bring them for any cost. Same thing applies to fungi and bacteria, which is a decomposer that can release the nutrients into the soil. To conclude the price of an ecosystem service, the cost for 1 yard worth is $2025 (compost) + $11.50 (soil) + $1000(soil test) =$3036 for just one cubic yard. Note that we need to order more compost about every few months, in this case, we will update the compost every 8 months, and we can also check the health of the soil, needing another soil test. If you did multiple cubic yards, it would be the price plus every additional cubic yard's price of just $2036. The system should be able to work and the water will stream to reservoirs, and will be clean and healthy to drink!

By: Udy Ding

Threats

What dollar value can be attached?

Biotic and Abiotic Factors

Prevent the Threats

This service provides water purification, as well as using eco-friendly materials to decompose compost and naturally clean soil and purify water. Soil is natural, and lots of animals need soil, to grow plants to benefit our air, as well. A threat is that the decomposition of the celery releases carbon dioxide. Carbon is in dead plants that are buried in soil. Some don't decompose completely, therefore they can remain underground for millions of years. It experiences chemical changes in which it forms fossil fuels that humans use to burn and therefore lets carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, called greenhouse gases. There is also a possibility of bacteria spreading from the decomposed celery. Bacteria is also released into the air, which can cause infections.

Since the only threat is carbon dioxide being released into the air, you just need to plant trees to filter the air. The more trees, the more carbon dioxide being taken in and oxygen coming out to benefit the air. The bacteria from plants can also benefit the growth of plants, and the bacteria helps release nitrogen that is essential to plant life.

Dead and decomposing plants release bacteria that helps grow plants again, but also releases bacteria that can cause illnesses.

Carbon dioxide is the most released gas. Decomposing from celery contributes to our greenhouse gases. They stay in the air for 50 to thousands of years.

All of the factors to this ecosystem are eco-friendly, and it is not man-made. The abiotic factors needed are soil, the sun and water. Light and water help the decomposition process speed up. Water can dissolve some of the matter, as well as giving bacteria a comfortable place to live. Light helps the growth of lichens and moss, as well as providing heat for enzymes to deteriorate things.

Biotic factors include celery, earthworms, bacteria, and fungi. These are all the essentials for creating the ecosystem service. The earthworms and fungi support the decomposition of the celery.

Because of human activity, many ecosystems are being disturbed and harmed. The government hires workers to repair these systems, but they must have a dollar value. Most of the time, rebuilding an ecosystem can cost millions. If we were to estimate the cost of rebuilding a water purification service for just one cubic yard big, we need to know how water is purified in nature and how to repair it. It should be eco-friendly and the most efficient method.

Bacteria grows best in wet places.

The sun produces light, which helps

with decomposition.

What service is provided?

H2O. One of the most important things an organism needs. But water is nothing if it is so contaminated you can't drink it. That is why water needs to be pure, but a large portion in the world is polluted and can spread disease. Water purification is a process in which nature uses filtration services to clean water. Water is one of the mandatory items for survival. Every organism needs water, it can be a habitat for some organisms, and is often an abiotic factor of an ecosystem. The problem is, often water is crawling with bacteria, and therefore not drinkable. Organisms can filter water, along with some abiotic factors of a habitat, such as rocks, or soil.

$Determine the price$

In this example, we will refer one cubic yard. In order to create this artificial ecosystem service, you need the materials needed to filter water. If the government were to buy soil, one cubic yard would equal to $8-$15 of screened fill dirt (clean). That is about $11.50 (in the middle) per cubic yard. According to eHow, one cubic yard of dirt equals to roughly 2,250 pounds.

In order to see the health of the soil, we need to take a soil test to see the current pH and nutrient content. We have two choices: a state university test or a commercial soil test.

One cubic yard of soil. About 2250 pounds.

Explanation: How water is purified

Conclusion

Water can be purified in many ways. Sometimes it depends on soil. For instance, when water falls as precipitation, some falls on land. The soil can absorb the water, which becomes groundwater that percolates back to a natural reservoir. Human activity has disturbed the soil that absorbs the water by compacting it, degrading the structure, contaminate storm water, or alter the formation of the soil. Therefore. the accessible way to create an ecosystem service is by preventing pollution, or by cleaning the soil.

Therefore, this concludes my presentation

on water purification. Water is a very valuable source, and could be eliminated from our earth without good care. Pollution, mostly from man-made disturbances, can make our water dirty and not drinkable. So if the government were to create an water-purifying ecosystem service, just ONE cubic yard would cost us $3036.00 plus every additional cubic yard of $2036.00 That makes the price for just Markham equal to almost 0.5 billion dollars! It is very costly, but it does barely any harm and the threats can easily be fixed by mother nature. Does this convince you that if you don't take care of our precious environment, TAXES could be raised and also our world will be one, dirty ball of life? Therefore, water is very essential to a healthy life and the future of clean water is in our hands.

Created from poor climate or soil erosion.

Compact Soil

It has a reduced rate of water infiltration and drainage. Soil particles are pressed together.

To Conclude the Price...

$Determine the price$ (Cont.)

Earthworms are detrivores. They break down the organic matter into smaller pieces.

Decomposers, such as fungus, break down the remaining

matter, releasing nutrients that help the soil.

Basically, the ecosystem service goes like this. Since percipitation can go on land, soil absorbs the water and it seeps through the pores and back to a natural reservoir. Humans pollute the soil, so the water becomes polluted, too. Therefore, the water that percolates back to the reservoirs are polluted and dirty.

Composting makes soil healthier, and also reduces banana peels, orange peels, and other food scraps found in garbage, that should be helping soil instead. They can release nutrients back into the soil.

Celery is one of the most alkaline foods. Vegetation plays a very important role in natural water purification because they either utilize or breakdown countless chemical and biological contaminants in water.