WATER AND THE AQUATIC LIFE

OBJECTIVES:
 explain the uses of water
 discuss the chemical and physical properties of water
 describe methods of purifying water
 state the conditions for flotation
 discuss the effects of water pollution on aquatic life
 describe the various methods used locally for fishing
 describe the various navigational devices used at sea
identify water safety devices
 discuss the hazards associated with scuba diving.

WATER

Water is a colorless, odourless and tasteless liquid that is formed by the combination
of hydrogen and oxygen.It is essential to all living things.All chemical reactions that
take place in our bodies do so in solution form.

Fresh water is also known as pure water meaning it does not contain any
impurities.The water cycle provides us with a continuous supply of fresh water.Sea
water contains dissolved solids, the most common being sodium chloride, a salt.

The table below shows the various ways in which water can be used.

Water can be used for Water can be used for Water can be used for Water can be used as a
domestic purposes: agricultural and leisure activities: habitat for animals
industrial purposes: because it provides:
 Washing clothes  The manufacture  Swimming  Support
 Washing dishes of goods  Sailing  Oxygen for
and cleaning  Mining  Fishing respiration
 Flushing the toilet  Irrigation of crops  Water-skiing  Submerged plants
 Bathing  Hydroponics with carbon-
 Cooking  Providing water to dioxide
 Drinking animals  Food for aquatic
 Watering gardens  Cleaning crops animals
before marketing
 Generating
hydroelectric
power
 Transport of goods
and people
 Fire fighting
Pure water have chemical properties (properties that becomes evident during, or after,
a chemical reaction) and physical properties (properties we can see without changing
it into a new substance).

Chemical Property Physical Property

pH of 7 Colorless, tasteless,odorless
Is a polar molecule Boils at 100oC and freezes at 0oC at sea
level
Universal solvent Has a density of 1g/cm3
High specific heat capacity
Surface tension

WATER PURIFICATION

The water that we get through the taps in our homes, usually comes from fresh water
sources such as rivers, lakes, springs and wells. However, it does not come directly
from there to your home, it must first be purified to remove different types of
impurities dissolved or suspended in it.

The purification process of domestic water involves the following steps:

Pumping- if the source is below ground level ( in wells) a pump is used to pull the
water up to the purification plant. If it is above ground level, it is trapped in
catchments and fed to the purification plant.

Screening- The source is first passed through screens which sieve out bulky debris,
such as plant material, plastic bags and bottles, stopping them from entering the tanks
at the plant.

Filtering- The water is then passed through a bed of gravel and sand. As the water
trickles through the bed, small solid particles are filtered out

Chlorination- microorganisms can be found in water sources causing diseases like

dysentery, typhoid and hepatitis. Chlorine is used to reduce the risk of this by killing
the microorganism before the water is distributed. Though chlorine is a chemical
poison, the amount used is not harmful to humans.

Aeration- After the water is treated, it can have an unpleasant odor and taste. This is
because there is less oxygen dissolved in the water as well as chlorine. The water is
therefore pumped through tiny holes in the pipeline which causes it to spray out into
the air. Oxygen dissolves in the water droplets, which improves the taste.

Fluoridation- This involves the addition of a fluoride compound to the water. It isn't
compulsory but is done in many places as a public health service, because fluoride
helps to prevent tooth decay.
Sometimes major disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, and earthquakes occur that
damage water pipes and cause supply to our homes to be cut off. In such an event,
water may be trucked to your home or you may have to get your water supply directly
from rivers, lakes or even from the sea. In such emergencies, even if the water looks
clean it is important that you purify all water for drinking and cooking.

There are many methods by which water can be purified at home, but before any
purification is done, the water should be allowed to stand so that all suspended
particles settle to the bottom. The water should then be filtered with or strained
through clean cloth. Then you can purify it by boiling, disinfection or distillation.

 Boiling is the safest method of purifying water even though some is lost by
evaporation. The boiling temperatures kill all micro organisms harmful or not, in
the water which will prevent the possibility of getting diseases. The water should
be left to boil for about 5 minutes after which it should be cooled. Boiled water
has loss some of its oxygen and will therefore have an unusual taste. Oxygen can
be reintroduced if you pour the water back and forth between two clean
containers.

 Disinfection- Add 8 drops of chlorinated bleach per gallon of water, stir and let it
stand for 30 minutes before using. The bleach kills all harmful microorganisms.
Sterilizing tablets may also be added as directed on the package.

 Distillation - Seawater is more concentrated than the fluids in your body. So

drinking sea water takes water out of your body and makes you dehydrated. The
salt must be removed before it can be used for drinking and cooking. This
involves boiling the water and collecting the condensed vapors (distilled water).
The condensed or distilled water contains no dissolved salts or impurities, so it
makes sea water safe for a drinking. It is also known as desalination. Desalination
is growing in importance in the Caribbean as the demand for fresh water
increases every day.

WATER POLLUTION

Water pollution is the contamination of water sources by substances which make it

unusable. Pollutants are chemicals or other changes to the environment that harm
living organisms. Most pollutants that enter the aquatic environments are from human
activity such as:

Effluent (liquid waste discharged into the sea) from factories or refineries
Sewage from treatment plants
Detergents from washing
Pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture.

Some pollutant are put directly into the water and others enter the water as runoff
after rain.
The following are the ways through which water can be polluted.

Eutrophication

Fertilizers contain phosphates and nitrates which are used by farmers to encourage
crops to grow faster and stronger.

Eutrophication is the term used to describe the effects on fresh water rivers and lakes
of the addition of large quantities of the nitrates and phosphates found in the fertilizers
when they are used excessively.

Here is how it happens:

The nitrates and phosphates encourage the rapid growth of aquatic plants, specifically
algae in the water.
Rapid growth of algae is known as algal blooming.

The algae covers the surface of the water and prevent light from reaching plants
growing below them.

The plants die and begin to decompose.

The decomposer (microorganisms) need oxygen for respiration and as their numbers
increase more oxygen is absorbed from the water.

Eventually the concentration of oxygen in the water is insufficient for fish, and they
suffocate and die.

Heavy metal pollution

Two examples of heavy metal are lead and mercury. These can be released into the
aquatic environment through the dumping of industrial waste or as runoff from land
contaminated by this waste.

They are dangerous to many organisms and are toxic because they cannot be broken
down into less toxic substances and can remain in the environment for many years.

In humans, these pollutants can cause many birth defects. Mercury can cause
blindness, deafness, damage to the nervous system and even death. Lead gradually
accumulates in the kidney and liver. So although it may take in tiny amounts at a time
it still can be poisonous and cause damage to the nervous system.

Oil Spills

Oil spills occur when oil spills into the sea from oil rigs and leaking oil tankers.
When this occurs many aquatic plants and animals that live in or near the sea would
be harmed.
Oil doesn’t mix with water. It is also less dense than water so it forms a film on the
water surface.

This would prevent the oxygen in the air from dissolving in the water. Therefore there
is a limited supply of oxygen in the water for the plants and animals.

Fish: the oil coats their gills and damages them. The coating of the oil prevents them
from getting the oxygen that they need.

Whales: The same thing applies for whales. The oil gets into the blowhole and then
into their lungs and coats the alveoli which is where gas exchange occurs.

Sea birds: if the oil thickly coats their feathers, it will prevent them from flying and
keeping warm and they will eventually die.

When the birds try to preen themselves, some of the oil gets into their gut which can
be toxic and poisonous to them

Tourism: For countries that rely on tourism oil spills can be harmful. Oil spills wash
up on the beaches making them unfit for recreation or swimming as well as
unpleasant to look at. As a result tourists will stay away.

Pesticides

Pesticides applied to crops to control insects and other pests and diseases on crops and
in gardens, may wash off into rivers and lakes. There are some that last longer in the
environment than others and those that affect many species and some that affect few.

They may poison aquatic organisms and terrestrial animals which eat them.

There is an insecticide known as DDT that is very effective. However, it is banned in

many countries because once it is introduced into the food chain it becomes toxic.

There was a point in time when it was placed on water to kill mosquito larvae. But
before it could kill the mosquito larvae, many were eaten by small fish. The DDT was
then passed down to fish and stored in the liver. The smaller fish would then be eaten
by larger fish and the larger fish eaten by birds.

At every step more DDT accumulated in the body of the animal. High concentrations
of DDT in birds causes them to lay eggs that have thin shells which would eventually
crack and so fewer birds are born.
Thermal pollution

There are some factories that empty hot water into the rivers and seas. This raises the
temperature of the water making it too hot for the aquatic animals and plants to live in.
They will eventually die.

Also hot water doesn’t hold as much oxygen as cooler water. This means that the
oxygen supply in the water is going to be limited eventually killing the aquatic
animals and plants.

Water Conservation

Water conservation is the practice of using water efficiently to reduce water

wastage.There are several things we can do at home to conserve water.

 Check periodically for leaking taps, pipes and toilets and repair them immediately
if any is found.

 Take shorter showers and do not leave the water running while you soap up.

 Don’t use the toilet as a waste basket, to flush tissue and small insects-place them
into the garbage bin instead.

 Do not leave the water running while brushing teeth or shaving.

 Use the dish washer or the washing machine only when you have a full-size load.

 Do not use running water to defrost meats and frozen foods. Allow them to thaw
overnight.

 Collect the water that was used to rinse the dishes and use it to water plants
instead of throwing it down the sink.

 Do not water the lawn everyday. It is better to water them as well as crops early
in the morning or late in the evening, so that more soaks into the ground than
evaporates immediately.

 Wash the car on the lawn instead of on pavement. The water from the car would
also water the lawn.

 Use a bucket to wash the car instead of a hose

Upthrust

The upward force acting on an object immersed in a liquid is called upthrust. The
upthrust on a floating object can be felt when you attempt to push a floating object
below the surface of the water. Objects are able to float because they have equal but
opposite force (up and down) acting on them.

Archimedes Principle
Archimedes was a scientist who live in Ancient Greece. He did some studies on
floating and sinking objects and wrote a principle based on his findings.

The Archimedes principles states that:

When a body is wholly or partly immersed in a fluid it experiences an upthrust equal

to the weight of the fluid which it displaces.

Since the weight of an object always acts vertically downwards, the upthrust on the
object always acts vertically upwards.

Whether an object sinks or floats depends on its weight and the upthrust it receives.If
the upthrust and the weight are equal, the object would stay still

If the weight is greater than the upthrust, the object will sink downwards. If the
upthrust is greater than the weight, the object will float upwards.