BLSS Sec 1E6

Friday, July 24, 2009






Name of river: The Nile River




Map of Nile River
The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching north for approximately 4,000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean. Studies have shown that the river gradually changes its location and size over millions of years. The Nile flows from the mountains in the south to the Mediterranean in the north.
There are three rivers that flows into the Nile from the south and thus serves as its sources: the Blue Nile, the White Nile and the Arbara. Egypt has always depended on the water of the Nile River. The two main tributaries of the Nile River are the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The source of the White Nile are the Sobat River Bahr al-Jabal (The "Mountain Nile") and the Blue Nile begins in the Ethiopian Highlands. The two tributaries converge in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan where they form the Nile River.
Problems of river: Municipal pollutants, agricultural pollutants, industrial pollutants, water pollution, hydropower dams

Uses of river: Hydro-electricity, water for drinking, water for crops irrigation, water for domestic supply, water for industrial supply, water for industrial use, transportation, tourism, waste disposal and fishing





References/Sources:
Source for picture: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/images/070619-amazon-river_big.jpg

http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=nile+river&fcss=on&fr=yfp-t-101&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8

Source for information:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_Nile_Rivers_uses
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/sec004_gp5/pollution

Sunday, July 12, 2009

GROUP 8

Name of River: The Nile River

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile
: http://touregypt.net/magazine/magf4a.htm

Introduction:

The longest river in the world, flowing about 6,677 km (4,150 mi) through eastern Africa from its most remote sources in Burundi to a delta on the Mediterranean Sea in northeast Egypt. The main headstreams, the Blue Nile and the White Nile, join at Khartoum in Sudan to form the Nile proper. The river has been used for irrigation in Egypt since at least 4000 B.C., a function now regulated largely by the Aswan High Dam.



Uses of Nile River:

Farming

> The River Nile runs through Egypt, creating a fertile green valley across the desert. It was by the banks that one of the oldest civilizations in the world began. The ancient Egyptians lived and farmed along the Nile, using the soil to produce food for themselves and their animals.


Transportation

> A number of different watercourses drain into Africa’s Nile River. The Blue Nile, originating in Ethiopia, joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan; from this point the Nile runs northward through Sudan and Egypt and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile helped the ancient Egyptians was in trade, it was the quickest and easiest way to travel from place to place.



Problems of Nile River:

Flooding & Natural Disasters

> Flooding, Droughts and Famines threaten the life of the crops and people along the River Nile. This is one of the reasons why the Aswan Dam is built.


Fertilizers Needed


>The Aswan High Dam which built over the Nile River has caused a big change to the lives of farmers downstream from the dam. Since the dam was built the annual flood has been stopped. Causing all the farmers downstream to have to use fertilizers to grow their crops, this makes it more expensive.


GROUP 7

Mini-Project Date: 20th July 2009

Mekong river before sunset

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong

Description: The Mekong River is one of the world's major rivers. It is the world's 10th-longest
river and the 7th-longest in Asia(discharging 475km3 of water anually).It is estimated length is
4,350km, and it drains an area of 795,000km2.From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China's Yunnan province,Burma, Thailand ,Laos ,Cambodia and Vietnam. A South-and Southeast Asian regional assiociation,the Mekong-Ganga cooperation,is named after both this river and the Ganges river.

Uses of the river:

Fishing

1. Fishing is a very important part of the economy activities in the area and a vital
source of protein in the local diet.Estimates indicate that some 120 fish species
commercially traded but most of the fishery is based on 10-20 species.
Transport

2. There are fews road in the Mekong basin. The river is an effective way of shifting
passengers and goods.


Problems facing of the river:

Damage to Environmentand livelihood of villages


1. A number of dams have alrewady been built on the river's tributaries notably
the Pak Mun dam in Thailand. This has been critisized on grounds of cost as well
as damage to the environment and to the livelihoods of affected villagers, though none
have been built on the main part itself .

Endangered species

2. Since the building of the first Chinese dam(Gongguoqiao Dam), many species have
become endangered including the Mekong dolphin and manatee, water levels have
dropped as ferries get stuck, fish caught small and the cathch is less than half of before
the dam, the turnover at Chiang Rai port is less than 1/4 of previous years, and
crossings from to isolated Luang Prabang have lengthened from 8 hours to 2 days due
to inadequate water levels.




GROUP 6

Name of river: The Nile River




Map of Nile River


















Flow of Nile River and its tributeries


The Nile is the longest river in the world, stretching north for approximately 4,000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean. Studies have shown that the river gradually changes its location and size over millions of years. The Nile flows from the mountains in the south to the Mediterranean in the north.
There are three rivers that flows into the Nile from the south and thus serves as its sources: the Blue Nile, the White Nile and the Arbara. Egypt has always depended on the water of the Nile River. The two main tributaries of the Nile River are the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The source of the White Nile are the Sobat River Bahr al-Jabal (The "Mountain Nile") and the Blue Nile begins in the Ethiopian Highlands. The two tributaries converge in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan where they form the Nile River.
Within the southern section between Aswan and Khartoum land, there is a land which was called Nubia, the River passes through formations of hard igneous rock, resulting in a series of rapids, or cataracts, which form a natural boundary to the south. Between the first and second cataracts lay a lower Nubia, and between the second and sixth cataracts lay an upper Nubia.
Along most of its length through Egypt, the Nile has scoured a deep, wide gorge in the desert plateau. At Aswan North of the first cataract the Nile is deeper and its surface smoother. Downstream from Aswan the Nile flows northerly to Armant before taking a sharp bend, called the Qena. From Armant to Hu, the River extends about 180 kilometers and divides the narrow southern valley from the wider northern valley.
Southern Egypt, thus being upstream, is called Upper Egypt, and northern Egypt, being downstream and the Delta, is called Lower Egypt. In addition to the Valley and the Delta, the Nile also divided Egypt into the Eastern and Western Deserts.
Water and air pollution continue to be a problem for the river. As development in the spheres of agriculture, industry, and urbanization have progressed among the human population, so too have the side effects associated with these practices increased, namely in the form of various pollutants. These pollutants range from agrochemicals to heavy metals to human waste products.
Though pollution in the Nile river is certainly a large concern, it should be noted that much of the river water is acceptably healthy and free of toxins. It is only in “black zones” near major drains that the water becomes unhealthy. Still, future measures should certainly be sought out to solve this problem before it does develop into a crisis.
Problems of river: Municipal pollutants, agricultural pollutants, industrial pollutants, water pollution, hydropower dams

Uses of river: Hydro-electricity, water for drinking, water for crops irrigation, water for domestic supply, water for industrial supply, water for industrial use, transportation, tourism, waste disposal and fishing





References/Sources:
Source for picture: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/bigphotos/images/070619-amazon-river_big.jpg

http://sg.images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=nile+river&fcss=on&fr=yfp-t-101&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8

Source for information:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_Nile_Rivers_uses
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/sec004_gp5/pollution





















































GROUP 4

Sorry no pic my computer only has text box but not the buttons top of the text box

Overview
Missouri River
The Missouri River is the longest North American river when the Red Rock River is considered as a portion of the Missouri. It rises in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and flows 4368km to join the Mississippi in mid-continent, near St. Louis. The Missouri and Mississippi together stretch 6254km.

Uses of the river
The river was mostly used for recreation, tourism and source of energy to communities and industries along the river. Many National Parks along the river and dams on the river had causing tourism and recreation to be one of the key attractions.

Problem of the river
Earning its nickname ‘Big Muddy’, an approximately 200,000,000 tons of silt was dumped into the Mississippi annually causing goods transportation on the river difficult. Another problem was the often flooding along the river for example the recent flooding on 14th July.

GROUP 5

Mekong River



Uses:
- Fishing/Food
- Tourism

Problems associated with this river:
Poverty stricken Cambodia is one nation that is completely dependent
on the river for food and the vast majority of its fledgling economy.
The annual floods provide much needed water for crops of the
otherwise dry dusty land, and to refresh Tonle Sap, yet its major cities
are all vulnerable to flooding.
The Mekong River Commission, a panel of the region's nations, has
accused China of blatantly disregarding the nations downstream in its
plans to dam the river in an effort to stop the dams, but to no avail.
Since the building of the first Chinese dam, many species have become
endangered including the Mekong dolphin and manatee, water levels
have dropped as ferries get stuck, fish caught are small and the catch
is less than half of before the dam.
Despite all these problems, new dams planned will have significantly
worse impact if carried out as planned. All nations downstream and
the environment will suffer from added pollution (due to development
and relatively lax regulation and enforcement in China compared to
Thailand, poisoning the food supply from pesticide runoff and heavy
industry, as well as promoting algal blooms from organophosphates
from agriculture, as well as water hyacinth infestation), river blockage
problems as fish cannot swim upstream to spawn, and potentially
devastating very low water flow.

GROUP 1



Mississippi River
Biggest River of Uncle Sam's Country


The River

Mississippi River is the second longest river in United States of America, and is a part of Missouri-Mississippi river system which is the longest in North America, and is at the fourth position in the world. Its name was derived from Ojibwe words of misi-ziibi (the Great River) or gichi-ziibi (Big River).

Uses

As one of the longest river in the States, Mississippi River has contributed much to the economy and development of the United States of America. It also played an important role in the tourism in US and is used to be a settlement of the native Americans. It has also been an alternative transportation system for the Americans.

Problems

Like all other rivers, Mississippi also faced flood as one of its most dangerous problem. Flood in Mississippi is common and can caused many to lose their life. Like Amazon river, the government has also done quite a number of measures to prevent this flood from happening such as building dams and Re-sectioning of Mississippi River.

Past

Present

A native settlement

No natives lives in the bank anymore

Did not play a role in tourism

US most important tourism destination

There were no dam build and no re-sectioning

Dams were build to prevent flood and re-sectioning has been conducted


♣ GROUP THREE ♣


TWiLiGHT:) GROUPTHREE.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥


ALL ABOUT COLUMBIA RIVER :)

The Columbia River (known as Wimahl or Big River to the Chinook-speaking natives who lived on its lowermost reaches) is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is named after the Columbia Rediviva, the first ship from the western world known to have traveled up the river. It stretches from British Columbia through Washington state, forming much of the border between Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and its drainage basin is 258,000 square miles (670,000 km2).


USES

1.The Columbia River Basin is the most hydroelectrically developed river system in the world.
2.Because of the 40-foot-deep channel in the lower river and slackwater lakes on the middle river, ocean freighters can navigate up the Columbia and Willamette rivers to Portland and barges can transport goods to the interior.
3.Recreation on the Columbia began early in the settlement era, with steamboat excursions up the Columbia from Portland, especially to the western end of the Columbia River Gorge. Sport fishing for salmon and steelhead developed as early as the 1920s and expanded with the increased use of power boats. Sailing, day cruising, swimming, water skiing, canoeing, and other water sports have become commonplace on the river since World War II.



PROBLEMS

1.There is also a problem with high levels of contamination by heavy metals in the river. These are metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, copper, and cadmium just to name a few. Many industries are dumping metals in the river on a daily basis, which is causing these levels to rise everyday.
2.Another problem with toxins in the river is the newly found high levels of bacteria in the river. These levels tend to rise after heavy rain storms. Other causes of the bacteria rise in the river is the problem with overflowing sewage that flows over into the river.
3.In 1883 the cannery business hurt the salmon living in that area.
4.The level of dioxins and furans is very high. The levels of dioxin in the fish are so intense that the EPA has stated it is unsafe for human consumption. These dioxins can be cancer forming (carcinogenic). These unsafe conditions may be associated with the pulp and paper factories that are found along the river bend.


How does technology affects the columbia river?

People want the salmon, now almost extinct, to return to the river but that is impossible. Many believe the only solution is to remove the dams and the fish will return. Technology has led us to create an environment where the fish no longer survive, but can we return the river to its natural state.


Agriculture near columbia river.?

The Columbia River takes a 180-degree bend where it becomes the border with Oregon (lower half of the view in this north-looking scene). The Snake River enters the view from the northeast (top right) and joins the Columbia just below Ice Harbor Dam. Two distinct patterns of land use can be seen in this photograph. The green signature of irrigated crops (potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and hops) appears on floodplains flanking these rivers. On higher-lying flat landscapes beyond the reach of easy irrigation, agriculture is “rainfed.” In this summer-dry, semiarid part of the United States (rainfall less than 200 millimeters), upland fields are dormant and therefore yellow-brown in this late summer (September 1994) view. Winter wheat from the Columbia Basin is the state's leading dryland.

POSTED BY: MARiE♥
CREDiTS TO:
www.wikipedia.com
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
www.ask.com
www.ccrh.org
♥♥♥


(C)opyright.
TWiLiGHT ™
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 20o9.

GROUP 2

Mississippi River
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Itasca_Mississippi_Source.jpg The Mississippi River is the second-longest river in the United States, with a length of 2,320 miles (3,730 km) from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River is part of the Missouri-Mississippi river system, which is the largest river system in North America and among the largest in the world: by length (3,900 miles (6,300 km)), it is the fourth longest, and by its average discharge of 572,000 cu ft/s (16,200 m³/s), it is the tenth largest. The name Mississippi is derived from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River") or gichi-ziibi ("Big River").It supplies water for the cities and industries that have located along its banks. More and more the Mississippi's importance is emphasized as America continues to grow. This great river is, truly, one of the Nation's outstanding assets. Uncontrolled, it would be just as great a liability.

Problems:
Drainage area:
The Mississippi River drains a majority of the area between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains, except for the areas drained to the Hudson Bay via the Red River of the North, by the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, the Rio Grande (and numerous other rivers in Texas), the Alabama River-Tombigbee River, and the Chattahoochee River-Appalachicola River. The Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico (and pollutes it with the waste from the north) about 100 miles (160 km) downstream from New Orleans. Measurements of the length of the Mississippi from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico vary somewhat, but the United States Geological Survey's number is 2,340 miles (3,770 km). The retention time from Lake Itasca to the Gulf is about 90 days.

Discharge:
The Mississippi river discharges at an annual average rate of between 200 and 700 thousand cubic feet per second (7,000–20,000 m3/s). Although it is the 5th largest river in the world by volume, this flow is a mere fraction of the output of the Amazon, which moves nearly 7 million cubic feet per second (200,000 m3/s) during wet seasons. On average the Mississippi has only 9% the flow of the Amazon River but is nearly twice that of the Columbia River and almost 6 times the volume of the Colorado River.

Uses:
Navigation and Economic Use:
The lower river, which has a relatively narrow but deep channel, is navigable for oceangoing ships upstream to Baton Rouge, La. From there to Cairo a 4-m-deep (12-ft) channel is maintained. From Cairo to Minneapolis and on the other navigable streams (the Cumberland, Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas, and Missouri rivers), a 3-m-deep (9-ft) channel is maintained in most places. About 24,150 km (15,000 mi) of the system are presently navigable, and river traffic has experienced significant growth in recent years. The cargoes transported on more than 8,000 towboats consist mainly of petrochemicals from the Gulf of Mexico and grain from the Midwest.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River#Drainage_area
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River#Discharge
http://www.gatewayno.com/history/Mississippi.html