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 My aim was to investigate the properties of animal adaptability in a polluted environment because I live near a heavily polluted body of water. The North West Arm is an aesthetically beautiful area near the city of Halifax, and many times I have thought about taking a refreshing dip. However, the North West Arm is not a safe environment for recreation according to the signs along its banks and the warnings parents give their children. As I grew older, I wondered how plant and animal life could survive in such an unhealthy environment. Perhaps people had exaggerated the potency of the materials found in high concentrations in the Arm, or perhaps the animal life had indeed suffered from the harsh conditions. |
The main source of pollution for the North West Arm is fecal contamination from the 12 million liters of untreated sewage that are discharged into the Arm each day, as well as the overflow from Halifax Harbor, which receives 150 million liters of sewage a day (Halifax Harbor Solutions Project 2001). This contamination promotes the spread of enteric pathogens (salmonella and Norwalk virus). The main outlet for this material is at Point Pleasant Park; however, overflow sites exist at Jubilee Road and the Armdale Rotary. Other pollutants contribute to the contamination of the Arm, such as petroleum and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. The Arm also has higher-than-normal levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, zinc, lead, and mercury. After my initial decision to conduct an investigation on the biological implications of a polluted environment, I chose to conduct my research on the gastropod Littorina littorea, otherwise known as the common periwinkle, because they appear frequently along the beaches. My first concern was with the care of specimens during the time I was observing them. I was initially unsure of what periwinkles ate, their ability to survive in an observation tank, and the amount of light they needed. However, after conducting some research, I discovered that periwinkles are low-maintenance. |
        
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