Dead Zones Of Ocean An Environmental Crisis

Dead zones of the ocean are large water bodies in lakes, rivers, and oceans that don’t have enough oxygen in them necessary for the marine life. This marine condition is also referred to as hypoxic meaning the lacking of oxygen. Often the condition occurs naturally but currently the condition is expanding in marine bodies unnaturally. It is due to due to the introduction of pollutants and the fertilizers into the water bodies. The fertilizers and toxic pollutant encourage the growth of algae which increases the bloom of algae in water bodies. The algae decompose in the water and consume the oxygen which causes to the extinction of the oxygen necessary for the marine life. Researchers say that hypoxic condition in marine bodies has become doubled in every ten years since 1960.

Development of the hypoxic zone:

Change in the climatic condition is increasing the hypoxic condition in the marine bodies. with the onset of the industrial era, there has been a rapid change in the temperature globally. Since last few decades change in the temperature affects the climate of seas and marine body directly. It is evident from the research that warm water dissolves less oxygen in as compared to cold water. The situation in the marine body becomes complicated when the warmer air above the surface of the water heats the water on the surface reducing the chances of mixing of top layer warm water with cold water at the bottom of the sea surface. The dead zone thus occurs in the deeper water as the temperature increases the animals in the area get less supply of oxygen and move toward the mortality. The change in climate will expand the production of the dead zone in oceans.  Currently, there are 400 dead zones available worldwide and it is expected that 94 % of these areas will experience the rise of 3.6Farenheit till the end of this century.

How to combat with hypoxic zone :

Climatic change is no doubt the great cause of the dead zones but pollutant introduction also contributes. If we control the harmful nitrogenous and other poison pollutant introduction in the seas and oceans, we can somehow avert the cause. With less pollutant in water, the algae blooms will definitely get reduced and the dead zone will occur less no matter how warm the water becomes. The hypoxic zone in black sea vanished in 1990 with the fall of Soviet Union. At that time, there was seen a great rise in the price of fertilizers. The situation was spontaneous and resulted in giving a positive impact on the Black Sea. This taught the scientist and the state advisors a lesson and now the United Nation officials are trying hard to lessen the industrial and agricultural toxin emissions in an area where dead zone is a serious concer.

Chemical And Physical Properties Of Water

Water is an abundantly occurring natural source. It is found on the surface of the earth as well in the underground resources. Water is said to comprise the 70 percent of the earth’s surface, beside it is present in some ratio in the atmosphere.  Around us, the living being on the earth are also composed of water. The human body is consisting of only 70 percent of water in the form of blood and other liquid states the human body. Water is necessary for the smooth working of many natural processes on earth man and living animal depends on water by in taking it. Man cannot continue his life if he gets deprived of water due to any reason.

Physical properties of water:

Water is present in the form of liquid in nature. It is colorless, odorless, tasteless liquid. But if it is present in reservoirs, it appears with a tinge of blue. Ice is the solid form of water and in gaseous form, it is can felt as water vapors. The boiling point of water is 100 degree Celsius; it is the point when liquid water changes from liquid state to gaseous state. The freezing point, the point when water changed from liquids state to solid state ice is 0 degree Celsius. These above two properties of water are due to hydrogen bonding present in the water molecules. Besides, the water is good universal solvent, able to dissolve minerals and salt in it.

Chemical properties of water:

Water molecule as polar molecule:

The water molecule is composed of 2 hydrogens and one oxygen connected with the covalent bond.   Hydrogen bonding in the water molecules is responsible for different chemical properties in water. A water molecule is a polar molecule because they are unequally shared   electrons between hydrogen and oxygen atoms.  The oxygen has more electronegativity than the hydrogen and the result it attracts more molecules toward it making hydrogen end of molecules positive. This in turns results   in making water soluble for minerals.

Water cannot dissolve nonpolar substances:

The polar substances are easily dissolved in water due to the presence of negative and positive charges on the hydrogen and oxygen molecules in water. the sodium chloride bearing the polar specification get easily dissolved in water while the non-polar molecules are not dissolved in water. They remain as clumped together.

Water as amphoteric compound:

Another property of water is that it is amphoteric compound. It can react with base or acid in a chemical reaction in a laboratory as well as in nature.

Cohesive and adhesive nature of water :

Water is cohesive or adhesive due to the presence of hydrogen bonding in it.  Atoms in water molecules bear small charges that are responsible for making them join them together. Due to this ability water is easily transported to the top parts of plants from the soil it due to this fact that water easily gets sucked by the straw.

Biological properties of water:

Water is an essential element of the cell in plants and animals the cell in animal and human is made up of liquid known as cytoplasm. All the components of organism’s cell like DNA and other organelles are dissolved in water. Water being polar molecule keeps the organelles in the cell from moving apart out of the cell membrane. The electronegativity in of water help in transporting the impulse from and to the brain.