Unit 2 Mid-Post

“Troubled Waters.” Nature 480.7376 2011: 151–152. Web. 22 Sept. 2015

The article discusses the wide range of issues concerning the waters of the Earth and concludes that protection of is necessary. The author of the articles lists some of the proprietary factors of the issue such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change. One effective method of protecting the waters is to create safe havens known as MPAs that help preserve the marine environment. However, while the author does argue for the implementation of MPAs, they also acknowledge that merely declaring for it is meaningless without action and resources.


“Message in a Bottle.” Nature Geoscience 6 2013: 241. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

This article is about the accumulation of waste on coastal regions and rivers of the globe. The author goes into detail of instances when trash from the shores reach remote areas of the oceans over time. Although, some of the debris may be from ships traveling along shipping routes that may have thrown equipment overboard. The author does notify that disposing of waste into the oceans is banned, but acknowledges the fact that there are still traces of trash being introduced into the marine ecosystem.


“Strife on the Seven Seas.” Nature 448 2007: 623. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

This article discusses the large number of resources from the oceans but admits that it is finite at the same time. The author discusses that nations have set up frameworks that settle disputes between resources called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This law also prohibits piracy and includes environment safeguards that protect the sea against overfishing and pollution. The author does note that due to the nature of this treaty, its range over what it covers is expandable as new issues occur.


Giosan, Liviu et al. “Climate Change: Protect the World’s Deltas.” Nature Dec. 2014. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

The article provides insight on bodies of water known as deltas and the threats to them that may lead to their destruction. Sediment erosion and flooding are a few of the issues caused by rising seas and climate change. The authors detail that as some deltas are being exacerbated by human activities, the marshes begin to falter, vegetation dies, and stops soil formation. Thus, the authors argue that due to climate change, there are shifts in the land and waters that either expand or minimizes one or the other.


Gilbert, Natasha. “Europe Sounds Alarm over Freshwater Pollution.” Nature Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

The article talks about the rising pollution in European rivers from agriculture and urbanization. The author points out that the increase of algae in the rivers may be toxic to the fish and eventually may kill them. She also discusses that there are large quantities of untreated water and waste in the rivers. The author then states that the amount of pollution in these European rivers will increase as climate change and population growth.

You can check out all of the articles by clicking on their citations.