1 – Brandon A.

Hi I am Brandon Ammori, I am a business major and I just finished my freshman year. I was born in Michigan and I live in walled lake which is about an hour from campus. In my free time I love to play sports, especially basketball, football, baseball, and golf. I also like to workout and just relax and play games with friends. I have never been anywhere outside of North America so this is going to be a very new and exiting experience for me and I cannot wait till we are in Australia.

When we get to Australia I will be looking at how the water quality has been effected by land runoff and pollution and how it is not as safe as it used to be. There is sediment runoff that ultimately increases sedimentation on coastal reefs, reduces the clarity of coastal waters and restricts the growth of light-dependent plants and animals. There is ongoing research to try and detect trends and to monitor the effects of the runoff as AIMS (The Australian institute of marine science) has created molecular based biomarkers for the detection of exposures and runoff. AIMS estimates that average yearly inputs of nitrogen from the land have nearly doubled from 23 000 to 43 000 tons over the past 150 years, while phosphorus inputs have tripled from 2400 tons to 7100 tons. There is a 2050 reef water quality improvement plan where there is a joint commitment from the Australian and Queensland governments and they hope that there is improved ecosystem health by 2050. I hope to learn more about the problem while I am there an I want to find out how we could go about helping the environment so that people do not have to live with these issues.

Water Quality: Impact of Land Runoff. Retrieved from https://www.aims.gov.au/impact-of-runoff

Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan. Retrieved from https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/

Issues with no end in sight. Retrieved from http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_offices/australia/environmental_problems_in_australia/