A Eutrophic body of water is one in which the nutrient content is markedly higher than the oxygen concentrations. This process is long and complex, and usually ends up turning a healthy aquatic ecosystem into an algae-ridden dead zone. Since the advent of synthetic fertilizers, monocultures (and small scale agriculture) have been using increased amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in the soil to stimulate plant growth. However, most of the sprayed-on artificial fertilizer (which has been easier and cheaper to produce in volume because of the ammonium Haber-Bosch process) ends up in the fields’ runoff and travels downward until it pollutes water. Once the nutrients filter into a stream, the algae levels skyrocket because they feed off the plentiful fertilizer. The blooms of algae die off and their minute bodies fall to the ground floor (benthic layer) of the water. There, microbial bacteria decompose the algae waste, using huge amounts of oxygen in the process to do so. As a result, there is less oxygen in the bottom layers of the water to keep other organisms (i.e. fish, kelp, etc) alive. This creates a toxic dead/hypoxic zone in which there is low levels of oxygen (which is inhospitable for life) and high levels of industrial nutrients. This phenomenon is occurring widely in the Gulf of Mexico, where the fertilizers from the Mississippi’s watershed are flowing rapidly into the pristine waters. Once this condition has occurred, it is almost impossible to reverse it; it takes huge amounts of money and ingenious ideas (i.e. floating plant mats that suck up the poisonous nutrients) to reclaim the area. Hyper-eutrophic is used to characterize a body of water with frequent and dangerous harmful algal blooms.

Note the green algae http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eutrophic_Armstrong.jpg

Biofilm from the River Arno, Florence My own picture

       By contrast, an oligotrophic body of water is one in which the oxygen concentrations are higher than the nutrient levels. This condition is healthy because there is more dissolved oxygen to keep organisms (i.e. fish) and plants alive. The water in oligotrophic areas is usually clear, cool, and located far (or farther) from agricultural or industrial centers. There is no nutrient-rich waste permeating the waters, so bacteria on the floor use less oxygen to decompose the decaying tissues. The primary productivity, which is the conversion of solar energy to sugar that autotrophs can use for daily functions, is generally lower because there are less algae and plankton on the surface (less nutrients) to perform photosynthesis. Oligotrophic water can usually be safe to drink because of low toxicity, turbidity (amount of suspended particles—cloudiness), and pathogen count due to human waste. The pictures seen here are from an artificial oligotrophic pond near my house. Although algae are kept to a minimum because of a mechanized aerator, the water is still clear, healthy, and full of wildlife. There is also little runoff because the pond is protected by a stone barrier and the park is never full with impertinent and environmentally-unconscious visitors. The wildlife seen here are lily pads, large and small fish, turtles, blue herons, and squirrels. 



       It’s amazing to think there is an (man-made) ecosystem, unspoiled by humans, two minutes from my house. Just for fun, here are some other pictures of the park, which was inspired by ancient Greece. There is a pediment with Corinthian columns, a bronze sculpture of a Greek goddess (with hair that looks like the Venus from the “Birth of Venus” by Botticelli), a mini Greek theater, and a Greek-inspired pavilion/courtyard.

Banyuls sur Mer, French Riviera http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banyuls_sur_mer_4.jpg

St. Flannan's College, Ireland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Flannans_Ennis.JPG

While chatting on Interpals, I asked a bunch of teenagers (aged 15-18) from different countries:
"Do you prefer to travel by car, bus, metro, or airplane?"
Here are the responses I got: Lamyae, Germany, 15
“I prefer to travel by car and by the airplane.”

Hemdal, Sweden, 18
“Probably train. Really love just leaning back and relaxing throughout my journey. Reading a good book, listening to music, travelling with friends and having a nice conversation through the trip. Prefer it over airplanes since it's less cramped and prefer it over buses because you can't get sick (not that I ever get sick, but still…)”

Lin, Brazil, 18
“Well, I do not know for sure if I can answer this question because I have never traveled by metro or plane, but either way, between car or bus, I prefer car travel.”

Leonel Sebastian, Argentina, 18
“I like to travel in airplanes for outside but inside in bus.”

Talha, Turkey, 16
“I prefer car.”

Chloé, France, 16
“So, I've never taken airplane, and travel by bus is AWFUL... Therefore I prefer car, however I think train is the best way to travel! :)”

Jealisha, Guyana, 18
“I actually like both car and airplane, car for brief overland traveling airplane for long distances.”

Daria, Russia, 17
“I prefer to travel by my legs: D”

Thanks for all the responses! Check out my interpals profile here

Vondugil with the mountain Háalda, Iceland http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vondugil_and_H%C3%A1alda_20090721.jpg

Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sainte_Chapelle_-_Upper_level_1.jpg

Watch my video here:

       This lovely image, painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) in 1873, is in the Impressionist Style. Renoir first painted porcelain and china as a young boy and eventually had art displayed at the Paris Salon (a “high art” gallery) later on in his career in 1864. He most often painted nude women and light, jovial scenes of Parisian people. He was involved with other impressionist artists of the day such as Monet, Manet, Morisot, Cassatt, and Degas. Impressionism was a late 19th art movement that focused on shadows and the changing nature of light. It wanted to give an ephemeral “impression” of a scene that depended on the time of day, the available light, and the movement of the subject. The colors were usually applied in short dabs of paint that weren't mixed well/smooth. The artist wanted to capture the essence of a moment, rather than to represent an object with complete accuracy and realism; the idea was for the mind to “mix” the colors for the viewer. The paint also tended to look chunky and thick on the canvas. 

Mandeville Parish Church, Jamaica http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mandeville_Church_by_AAlexander.jpg