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: Describe the location of the Salton Sea. What is the climate and geography of the area?
The Salton sea is located directly on the San Andreas fault. The climate is usually warm in this area and
rain only reaches to about 3 inches. It occupies a structural basin called the Salton Trough. There are
mountains everywhere besides the South.
2: How did the Salton Sea form? Explain what role humans played.
Because of flooding in the Colorado river which caused the it to overflow into the salton sea
3: What is the present condition of this body of water? How has it changed over the last 25 years?
Why?
Salton Sea is maintained, in large part, by agricultural runoff from irrigation in the Imperial and
Coachella valleys. Salinity has been going up in the sea. Water is lost to evaporation, leaving salt behind
and raising salinity.
4: Describe several ways the Salton Sea has altered the ecosystem of the region. Explain the stability
of that ecosystem. How is it changing over time?
The ecosystem was once full of biodiversity. It has increased salinity and now looks like a deserted
wasteland. There is no stability of that ecosystem. Fish species and bird species are dying off quickly.
There is a 1% raise in salinity annually.
5: Outline 3 environmental and 3 economic reasons the Salton Sea is important.
Environmental- Was home to 400 species of birds, home to many species of fish and plants
Economic- Recreational activities (once was a resort), bird watching and fishing
6: What steps are being taken to remediate the Salton Sea? What are the chances of success? Explain.
Construction of pipelines to bring in ocean water to the Sea to decrease salinity. There are slight chances
of success, because the sea is too polluted and it would take a long time to remediate the whole sea.
7: Compare the similarities and differences between the Salton Sea and Lake Chad in Sub-Saharan
Africa. (Make a VENN Diagram)
Salton
similarity
U.s.
Both are toxic in
Chad
located in Africa
their own ways
Increased salinity
Shrinking
1: Where is the Aral Sea located?
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
2: Which rivers mainly supply the Aral Sea?
Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers
3: What government agency is responsible for the Aral Sea and its plight?
The World Bank Uzbek
4: Why was the water supply to the Sea diverted?
To irrigate the desert region surrounding the Sea in order to favor agriculture rather than supply the Aral
Sea basin.
5: What resources did the Aral Sea supply to the local inhabitants?
Resources that the Aral Sea supplied were fish, water, transportation and recreation.
6: Describe 3 negative environmental effects of the fading of this sea.
The receding sea has left huge plains covered with salt and toxic chemicals, leaves population with with
lack of water and health problems like cancer and crops in the region are destroyed by salt being
deposited onto the land.
7: Describe 3 economic impacts in the region because of the water diversion.
Fish catch has been devastated, fishing towns have turned into graveyards and fish boats lie scattered
on the dry lands that was once the Aral Sea.
8: How is the situation of the Salton Sea similar to the Aral Sea? How is it different?
Similar- problems have been caused by humans, increase in salinity and toxins. Decrease of biodiversity.
Different- Salton Sea has been shrinking because of Soviet Union diverting the two main sources, Salton
sea is increased in salinity because there is no way for the water to flow out.
9: How would you describe this region today, other than as a “sea”?
Dry and salty lands surround the sea. Severe desertification and pollution.
10: Explain five health effects on people related to the vanishing Aral Sea.
High rates of cancer from pollution, lung diseases, digestive disorders, anemia and respiratory illnesses.
11: How can the Aral Sea be realistically rehabilitated?
Improving quality of irrigation canals, installing desalination plants, use fewer chemicals and installing
dams to fill in the Aral Sea
12: Compare the situation in Mono Lake, California with that of the Aral Sea
• How did the Mono Lake problem arise?
Los Angeles began diverting water from Mono lake to meet the needs of its growing population
• Describe 3 ways the problems of Mono Lake are similar to those of the Aral Sea
Water was diverted for human use, loss of fish species and both have severe effects on the area
surrounding the lake and the sea.
• Outline three ways the problems of Mono Lake differ
Fishing industries ruined in Aral sea while there is still fish in Mono Lake
Russia diverted water for irrigation, Los Angeles diverted water for growing population
Mono Lake is able to be saved while Aral sea cannot.
13: Summarize the proposal and actions to remediate Mono Lake
There is a committee working to save Mono Lake from destruction. They educate the public about
the natural environment and how to use water wisely. California Fish and Game service attempted to
put fish back into the lake. In 1994, California State Water Resources Control Board ordered the DWP to
raise the sea levels of the lake to above 6932 feet.
1: Compare water diversion influences on the Colorado River with those on the Salton Sea and the
Aral Sea. Describe three ways they are different.
Diversion of Aral Sea for population and diversion of Salton for irrigation influenced the Colorado River
to divert for irrigation also. The Colorado has less of an impact after diversion. Aral sea diversion caused
sea to recede. Diversion of the Salton Sea leads to more salty waters in the water systems
2: Look at the map- Where is the source of the Colorado River?
The Gulf of California is the source of the Colorado.
3: Politics: Who decides where the water in the river system goes? How is the resource divided
between the various states in the watershed and beyond?
Seven States of the Colorado River Basin decide where the water goes. It divided the river between
upper and lower basins.
4: How do the individual states use the water? Who are the top five consumers of the water?
The water goes through dams that send water through aqueducts which then sends the water
throughout the seven states. California, Colorado,Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.
5: Describe some of the conflicts that arise over water use. How are they usually resolved?
Conflicts include when there is an endangered species, which leads to arguments over how much water
one state should use over the other. They are resolved through conferences to agree the best places to
use the water.
6: How are conflicts between public and private use managed?
The Colorado River Salinity Control Program settles the conflicts between public and private use of
water. Some conflicts are also taken into supreme court.
7: Serious differences with Mexico exist concerning the amount of water the Mexicans receive from
the river. Explain why this problem exists and what can be done to work out this dispute between the
countries.
The amount of water in the Colorado River has dropped, meaning there is less water in Mexico. This
problem exists because we are using more water than is being remediated. What can be done is that we
can let the Colorado River remediate and then continue use but reduce or limit the amount of use.
8: The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers cross international boundaries in their path to the Persian Gulf.
Why is this problem potentially greater than the one that exists on the Colorado River?
The countries in these areas require more water than other countries because they are located in arid
regions. It causes international relations to be unstable.
9: Compare the problem of water diversions on the Yangtze River in China with those of the Colorado
River.
The Yangtze River has a higher discharge rate than the Colorado River. Diversion of the Yangtze and the
Colorado are both because of the growing populations in those areas.
10: The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is very controversial. Why is this dam being built?
The dam was being built to hold back flood water than can kill millions and also to supply electrical
power to the people around the region.
11: Describe how this dam differs from dams on the Colorado River, such as the Glen Canyon Dam or
Hoover Dam, with respect to:
• the disruption of human life
• impact on the environment
• archaeology
• local culture and natural beauty
The dam forces millions of people to relocate and reduces the biodiversity also. 300 fish species cannot
move upstream of the Yangtze River, compared to the 4 species in Hoover Dam. In the 3 gorges, 44
archaeology sites would be affected, while the sites in Hoover Dam are flooded. The 3 gorges decimated
beauty and destroyed cultural artifacts.
FRQ
a: Describe and discuss two environmental issues associated with water diversion
projects. Identify two benefits other than agriculture and recreation that people derive
from that system of dams.
They occur an ecological disruption by distracting beaches and Sedimentation is likely to happen when
dams are there because sediments get trapped in the dams and are harmful for the water. Two Benefits
are Hydroelectic power generation and improved domestic water availability.
b: If there is a shortage of water, decisions will have to be made as to whether the water
should be diverted to urban areas, agricultural areas, or natural ecosystems. Make an
argument for diverting water for urban consumption, and an argument for permitting
the water to flow to natural areas.
The water should be diverted for urban consumption because for the first time there are more people in
the urban area than the rural area so the urban society is obiviosly going to need more. So the water
should be for urban consumptions.
The water should also be for natural areas because they are the base for everything no urban thing can
be existing without natural areas. So the water sould be able to flow to natural areas.
c: Identify another example (other than the Colorado River) of a large-scale water
diversion project. Discuss two environmental problems that have resulted or might
result from this project.
The aral sea was used for cotton growing when the diversioin project started the aquatic population was
dying because of the increase of salinity in the water and toxicity.
d; Identify two possible environmental consequences of climate change on the
hydrology of the Colorado River system.
Decrease in DO
And water flooding
e: In addition to impacts on the Colorado River system, climate change is impacting the
hydrology of coastal ecosystems. Identify and describe TWO possible consequences of
climate change on coastal ecosystems.
Temprature changes will alter the ecology of species and their interaction and Climate change will cause
ocean acidification since there’s an increasing amount of Co2 and that will lead the animals to die from
the decreasing of oxygen in a waterbody.