sna6284
Potomac_River
While driving back from a visit to George Washington’s estate home in Mt. Vernon, Virginia, we stopped at the side of a road to admire the Potomac River weaving alongside the traffic. Taken on October 30th, 2021, I tried to capture the quiet grandeur of the river.
An ecological process implied in the photo is the role of plant roots on stabilizing the riverbank, preventing soil erosion and increasing sedimentation in the river. When plants root in the soil, they are not only holding themselves to the soil, but also the soil to them, which helps retain sediment to the banks, reduce meandering, and mitigate bank erosion (Yu et. al, 2020). Though not as apparent, the plants featured at the periphery of the photo are right at the river’s edge as I stood on stable earth 3 feet inland.
After the heavy rains last week, this 3 feet wide plant buffer absorbed much of the runoff precipitation and when it could absorb no more, slowed down the speed of water as it tumbled into the Potomac River. These plants can then use the water to grow more leaves and roots in a positive feedback loop of more bank stability leading to more water captured leading to more root growth leading to more bank stability.
In the case that there were no plants nor roots at the water’s edge, the soil would tumble into the river, increasing sedimentation and reducing turbidity. Increased turbidity reduces the primary productivity of submerged aquatic vegetation and can lead to reduced dissolved oxygen and overall productivity in the water. Urban runoff from agriculture and other human activities often contains excess nutrients and commercial and residential chemicals, thus buffer plants serve as a defense against the contamination of riverine water.
The photo connects to the 6th Sustainable Development Goal: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” because the health of the Potomac River ensures the health of the surrounding ecological and anthropogenic communities (United Nations, 2015). Furthermore, the “sustainable management of [Potomac’s] water” is critical to the local economy and culture, from local fisheries, to historical significance, to scenic views all along the Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland borders all relying on the Potomac watershed for their productivity (United Nations, 2015).
Particularly, my photo of the Potomac River and its green banks that evening represents Target 6.6 of SDG 6: “By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes” (United Nations, 2015). I do not know if this target has been achieved globally, but at least at this section of the Potomac River, I am assured that the riverbanks play a role in “protect[ing] . . . water-related ecosystems” like rivers (United Nations, 2015).
I hope that in the future, other visitors to Mt. Vernon estate also stop by Potomac’s edge to take in how much beauty there is in both human and natural communities.
Sources:
United Nations. 2015. Sustainable Development Goals: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. United Nations. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6.
Yu, G. A., Li, Z., Yang, H., Lu, J., Huang, H. Q., & Yi, Y. (2020). Effects of riparian plant roots on the unconsolidated bank stability of meandering channels in the Tarim River, China. Geomorphology, 351, 106958.
Potomac_River
While driving back from a visit to George Washington’s estate home in Mt. Vernon, Virginia, we stopped at the side of a road to admire the Potomac River weaving alongside the traffic. Taken on October 30th, 2021, I tried to capture the quiet grandeur of the river.
An ecological process implied in the photo is the role of plant roots on stabilizing the riverbank, preventing soil erosion and increasing sedimentation in the river. When plants root in the soil, they are not only holding themselves to the soil, but also the soil to them, which helps retain sediment to the banks, reduce meandering, and mitigate bank erosion (Yu et. al, 2020). Though not as apparent, the plants featured at the periphery of the photo are right at the river’s edge as I stood on stable earth 3 feet inland.
After the heavy rains last week, this 3 feet wide plant buffer absorbed much of the runoff precipitation and when it could absorb no more, slowed down the speed of water as it tumbled into the Potomac River. These plants can then use the water to grow more leaves and roots in a positive feedback loop of more bank stability leading to more water captured leading to more root growth leading to more bank stability.
In the case that there were no plants nor roots at the water’s edge, the soil would tumble into the river, increasing sedimentation and reducing turbidity. Increased turbidity reduces the primary productivity of submerged aquatic vegetation and can lead to reduced dissolved oxygen and overall productivity in the water. Urban runoff from agriculture and other human activities often contains excess nutrients and commercial and residential chemicals, thus buffer plants serve as a defense against the contamination of riverine water.
The photo connects to the 6th Sustainable Development Goal: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” because the health of the Potomac River ensures the health of the surrounding ecological and anthropogenic communities (United Nations, 2015). Furthermore, the “sustainable management of [Potomac’s] water” is critical to the local economy and culture, from local fisheries, to historical significance, to scenic views all along the Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland borders all relying on the Potomac watershed for their productivity (United Nations, 2015).
Particularly, my photo of the Potomac River and its green banks that evening represents Target 6.6 of SDG 6: “By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes” (United Nations, 2015). I do not know if this target has been achieved globally, but at least at this section of the Potomac River, I am assured that the riverbanks play a role in “protect[ing] . . . water-related ecosystems” like rivers (United Nations, 2015).
I hope that in the future, other visitors to Mt. Vernon estate also stop by Potomac’s edge to take in how much beauty there is in both human and natural communities.
Sources:
United Nations. 2015. Sustainable Development Goals: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. United Nations. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6.
Yu, G. A., Li, Z., Yang, H., Lu, J., Huang, H. Q., & Yi, Y. (2020). Effects of riparian plant roots on the unconsolidated bank stability of meandering channels in the Tarim River, China. Geomorphology, 351, 106958.