Brackish, Fresh, and Salt water
By: Kallie VanBeek
Brackish water
Water that has more dissoloved salt content than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. This can be caused by seawater and fresh water mixingand it contains between 0.05-3% of salt. Estuaries, brackish fossil aquifers, and human projects such as flooding ofa coastal marshland are just a few examples of when brackish water can occur. Brackish water is harmful to most plant species and can be very damaging to the environment if not taken care of properly.
Fresh water
Water that naturally happens on Earth such as glaciers, ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams. Fresh water contains less than 0.05% of salt. It is a very important natural resource that all ecosystems need to survive. We have found ways to take fresh water and make it easier to access in irrigation and other things , but contamination can severly damage ecosystems. If the lanscape changes, like if we need more land to farm, and we remove trees and soil, this causes the flow of the freshwater in that area to change. Fresh water is a renewable natural resource that can only be repolenished by the water cycle. However, because of global warming, our supply of fresh water may actually decrease because if ice bergs and glaciers melt into the oceans, the water then becomes too salty to drink.
Salt water
Water from the sea or ocean, also known as seawater. Salt water contains about 3.5% of salt which is higher than both brackish and fresh water. Because of its higher salinity, salt waters freezing point decreases. Ingesting salt water even for survival is not really a good option because your kidneys can't eliminate all the salt that it contained in the water. Because of global warming, waters are rising and pollution is getting into the seawater and disrupting the natural balance. There are reduced levels of oxygen, rising levels of nitrogen, and and increase in mercury and organic pollutants in seawater.