In Thomas Belton's "Protecting New Jersey's Environment", Belton stated in the novel that "USEPA has concluded that nationally designated estuaries have a better record of long-term environmental successes because they focus on upstream watershed approach and use science to inform decision making (213). I thought this quote was quite interesting. First, I did research on what estuaries were because I was curious as to why they may have so much success. For anyone who did not know, an estuary is the delta of a large river, otherwise known for being the place where the tide meets the stream. I think that it is interesting that estuaries are so successful and have really positively impacted the environment.
A fun fact that I found within the book was about Barnegat Bay. Belton states, "it is actually composed of three shallow microtidal bays --- Barnegat Bay, Manahawkin Bay, and Little Egg Harbor" (214). I thought this was a fun fact because when I was college searching, I was looking to go to school at Stockton College which is located in Little Egg Harbor. And I had no idea that Barnegat Bay was composed of three other bays, to make the one. Another fact that I really found interesting was that "more than 70% of the total submerged aquatic vegetation acreage in New Jersey is located in the Barnegat Bay (214). He also continues to talk about the different types of grasses that grown there. He also states that the submerged aquatic vegetation oxygenates the bay waters and provides grazing and habitats to several aquatic animals" (214). That is a lot of vegetation to have within a certain area. I wonder where the other 30% of the SAV is located. I also think it is interesting that the vegetation helps oxygenate the water. Just like trees, the SAV provides oxygen to the aquatic ecosystem.
The last section of the book is called "Climate Change and Sea Level Rise". The name of this section is self- explanatory for what the chapter talks about. Climate change has been a heated topic. People either full-heartedly believe in climate change or they don't think it is a thing. I believe that climate change is happening. I believe that the Earth naturally will heat up and cool, but I believe human interaction with the environment has sped up that process and has definitely impacted the environment in a negative way. The sea levels have been rising and the waters are warming. Glaciers are melting and arctic animals are unable to swim due to the high rise. This rise in water can affect our environment and is truly starting to impact our weather patterns. I truly think it's time people wake up and see that our actions do affect the climate. We should be working to improve the environment and make up for lost time.
This is a topic that will continue to be talked about. It will not go away. We have so much carbon dioxide in the hair and the Earth just keeps getting warmer and warmer. Our sea levels are rising. Our ozone layer is depleting. These are things that have started to really pick up recently. It is in our best interest as a human species, to not only help the environment, but to try and conserve as many species and land as possible. Our world has the resources, yet so many people suffer. We need to rethink "going green" and find sustainable and effective ways to help our environment.