Surname 2 Essay Example

Ethical issues related to Sahara Forest Project

Halophytes are known for growing in saline soils and cultivated in salt water. Some of them tolerate salt absorption in their system as others resist to salinity. Since the use of seawater in irrigation to the soil directly is of significant effects, the Qatar Pilot Facility has to come up with a project to secure the ground as well as the halophytes.

The halophytes that accept salt in their system have to be bred with plants that grow in fresh water. This will develop the salt resistant breed. Therefore as is the project of Qatar to purify the salt water, the new breed will successfully evolve in the ecosystem. The bred halophytes will be planted in soils whose salinity have been neutralized using chemicals to discontinue the absorption of salts in the plants as documented by Bierman-Lytle in 2014.

The water purification process involves extraction of the salts from the waters thus leaving the water fresh. The initiative taken is cost and time saving to the project management. This is through using same resources, time and workers to participate in the purification of water as well as in the salt extraction. The process was made successful by the utilization of the saltwater greenhouse to extract salt and collection of fresh water. Also, as the fresh water if evaporated from the saltwater, the concentration of salt increases and later extracted from the Brine.

Other than the extraction of salt from the soil and water, bred halophytes can be grown in soils where the salinity has been reduced. As was documented in a journal by Rietz in the year 2008, the lowering of salinity was done through the installation of drainage in the sub-surface and usage of groundwater to recharge the soil. This was done through pumping the waters in the bores and redirecting it to other storages. Besides, installation of interceptor and bores in drainage areas. These waters were then used for the irrigation of the new species of halophytes.

The fresh water halophytes, the bred species, is a source of food for human consumption and source of forage for the livestock. This was done to keep constant freshness in the soil and water thus the survival of salt-resistant halophytes; preventive measures had to be taken. The native vegetation had to be regenerated and retained, construction of dams at high water tables was highly discouraged as well as the building of the road. Also, adoption of crops that minimize drainage and maintenance of ground cover through the conservation of the rates stocking.

The salt resistant halotropes also participate in the low-cost cultivation of the species. This is because these species don’t absorb the spices and let them accumulate alongside the roots where it can quickly be absorbed. This reduces the cost of the long process of water and soil neutralization and purification. These processes are as documented by Bierman. Therefore, the reduction of salinity on the land prevented soil from forming depressions where erosions, crusting and sealing were highly hindered.

References

Bierman-Lytle, P. (2014). Economic Sustainability for Halophyte Cash Farms in Urban Environments. In Mangrove Ecosystems of Asia (pp. 343-371). Springer New York.

Rietz, D. N., & Haynes, R. J. (2008). Effects of irrigation-induced salinity and sodicity on soil microbial activity. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 35(6), 845-854.