Chicago: A Diverse Ecosystem?

       Skyscrapers and jam-packed roads might not seem the ideal place to find wildlife. However, even bustling cities, such as Chicago, are unique ecosystems in themselves.

                                             

       Maintaining a healthy environment in urban ecosystems has its rewards. Simply allowing for tree and plant life in cities has great benefits in ecosystem services. For instance, a large tree population in urban settings reduces the runoff of stormwater, decreasing the need for maintenance of excess water. A recent study shows that an increase of paved areas unable to absord water in cities by 20% (in two years) created a yearly cost of over $100 billion dollars nationwide. City trees/vegetation also improve air and water quality. By intercepting rainwater, less runoff is exposed to the city’s pollution of the streets, which eventually run into lakes and oceans. Trees and other plants have the capability to remove pollutants from the air and to store carbon. Finally, their cooling benefits during hot months have the potential to save a great amounts of electrical spending. In Atlanta, for example, The American Forests Program conducted a study (2001) and found that nearly $2.8 milion was saved in electricity bills. With urban dwellings continuing to push into rural areas, these ecosystem services will become more and more essential.

      Most animal species in Chicago are fairly obvious. Squirrels, rabbits, bats, mice, and a variety of insects dominate the 2nd trophic level, living closely with humans. By far Chicago’s greated source of wildlife is the bird population, which migrates along Lake Michigan. Having adapted to a city habitat, most  are able tomake their way through even the busiest arears of the city, such as the Loop. Opposums, which are omnivores and scavengers, are originally from woodlands but have become increasingly accustomed to city living. Occasionally even foxes and eagles venture close enough to the city to be considered part of the 3rd trophic level.

      Many species in urban areas thrive naturally, maintaining symbiotic relationships with humans. Typically, animal species and humans are able to maintain positive relationships, mutualism or commensalism, with one another. Urban animals can prevent pest outbreaks and can also be a source of motivation to keep cities clean and safe for the animal populations through wilflife programs. However, they can negatively affect human life with rabies or other diseases.

      One example of a negative effect of an animal species on human living is the overwhelming population of white-tailed deer, a species growing more and more content to live along side humans near urban developments. The growing population means damaged landscapes, greater risks of Lyme’s disease, and possible increase in vehicle accidents. The increase itself is not beneficial for the deer population as it can potentially lead to starvation and diminishing of the species.

       The greatest threats to Chicago wildlife are pollution, dense development, and improper land management. One of the lesser known issues involves the city lighting. The constant glow of lights in Chicago throws off the sleeping patterns of birds, affecting their behavior. Fatal collisions of birds with lighted buildings are more common than many would expect. After a calculation that approximately 1,500 birds were dying off from these collisions in 1990, the Hancock building officially ended its ornamental lighting during the spring and fall seasons. Excess lighting can even affect the dairy production in mammels as well as affect the trees, many which need natural light patterns to adjust to the changing of seasons.

                                                      

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/600-699/nb650.htm

http://www.americanforests.org/resources/urbanforests/naturevalue.php

http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/603.html

http://www.county.milwaukee.gov/Deer9212.htm#overpopulation

http://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/wildlife.html

http://usasearch.gov/search?input-form=simple-firstgov-images&v%3Aproject=firstgov-images&query=chicago+lights&x=49&y=19

Global Warming Gaining Speed

                                   

      We might tire of hearing it, but the Global Warming problem is as present as ever. In fact, its effects may be coming sooner than we expected. Nancy Gibbs reported in Time this week that we are heading toward dangerous consequences, and we are moving fast.

     Gibbs cites new and alarming facts which U.S. government scientists announced this week. By their calculations, approximately 40% of the Arctic’s ice may disappear by the year 2050, a shocking estimate even for those involved in this field of work. The year 2008 is also predicted to be the warmest in a century. This means more than just bad news for the polar bears.

     Scientists now predict the arrival of a deadly, disease-carrying water snail in China due to the melting ice caps. With a growing population and increasingly dense cities, disease spreads rapidly. A further prediction estimates that nearly one billion people could be at risk for dengue fever, a disease spread by mosquitos, with rising temperatures and rates of rainfall.

     Perhaps one of the reasons this situation is so dire is because we keep saying that we can turn it around in the future. However, as this article states, greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for years. Even if a large level of these gases was decreased, there would likely still be a decent decline in the Arctic. At the rate we’re going, we are not exactly close to having ideal sustainable environments.  

     From a different angle, many are looking at the possible resources that the melting ice caps might gain us. Also, passages reducing the amount of time to commute from Europe to Asia are likely, meaning less transportation pollution. However, these seemingly positive results have problems as well.

     With U.S. studies estimating that nearly 25% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas might become available in the Arctic, countries will be rushing to make their claims. Russia, for example, has already planted their flag near the North Pole. There is more than enough conflict in the world from battling for resources already. Plus, the process of obtaining them might actually cause more environmental problems such as oil spills and harm to animal life.

Sources:

Time magazine, Sept. 24, 2007, p. 17

http://usasearch.gov/search?input-form=simple-firstgov-images&v%3Aproject=firstgov-images&query=arctic

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-northwest-passage,0,4639842.story

Tackling the Turf

     Who would guess that America’s largest irrigated crop is not corn, wheat, or tobacco, but in fact, mere lawn turf? According to Cristina Milesi of NASA’s Ames Research Center, America contains about 128 million square meters, or about 400 million square feet of lawn area. That’s approximately three times the amount of  irrigated cropfields. So what’s the problem? Neatly-trimmed, well-watered lawns are just what Americans want in their neightborhoods. However, many do not know the environmental impacts of the American lawn.