http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/water Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:28:18 -0400 Sat, 06 Jun 2026 14:28:18 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1712/food-insecurity-and-the-threat-to-global-stability-and-security-in-the-21st-century By Michael DeFeo - In 2010, over 250,000 Syrian farmers were forced from their land due to water shortages. Lack of water left these farmers dangerously food insecure, so they moved, en masse, into Syrian urban centers. This strained an already overburdened infrastructure which increased tensions between urban dwellers and the displaced farmers (El Hassan, 2014). One year later, the Syrian Civil War began, which has killed over 500,000 Syrians and has destabilized the entire country. Since then, the Islamic State has conquered swaths of land through terror campaigns, rebel and Syrian military clashes have left thousands... Thu, 07 Dec 2017 09:25 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1712/food-insecurity-and-the-threat-to-global-stability-and-security-in-the-21st-century http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1692/the-effects-of-institutional-and-political-instability-on-civil-war-in-south-sudan By Michael DeFeo - Political and military instability plague South Sudan, but economic depression and mass starvation have resulted from the civil war as well. Cutting off oil production sent the economy into a recession it has not recovered from. International sanctions designed to force the government to provide aid to its people, combined with political upheaval have decimated the South Sudanese economy. Corruption amongst political and military elites has diverted foreign aid to just a few kleptocrats rather than the starving population. Even in relatively stable regions, food insecurity is rampant. Controversy... Thu, 02 Nov 2017 10:30 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1692/the-effects-of-institutional-and-political-instability-on-civil-war-in-south-sudan http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1649/remote-sensing-satellites-as-a-solution-towards-anticipating-food-and-water-wars By David C. Harary - In December 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognized the universal human right to food. Most recently in July 2010, the U.N. General Assembly adopted resolution 64/292 that recognized the human right to water as well. While food and water are of vital importance to the security of individual nations, over 700 million people lack adequate access to these basic resources.2 Alarmingly, anthropogenic induced climate change is expected to further undermine human security3 through a reduction of available food and water across particular geographic... Mon, 22 May 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1649/remote-sensing-satellites-as-a-solution-towards-anticipating-food-and-water-wars http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1535/an-analysis-of-the-threat-of-ontarios-hydroelectric-dams-on-its-river-ecosystems By Nicholas Scrivens - Dams have been used for centuries to assist with the development of human civilization. Access to drinking water, flood control and agricultural irrigation are historical reasons for the development of dams and river impoundments. The abundance of large rivers in Ontario has enabled 22% of the province's power generation to be based on renewable hydroelectric power. The composition of Ontario's energy portfolio is shifting away from carbon intensive energy production and towards hydroelectric power, which presents a threat to Ontario's rivers. What is the extent of the threat of storage and hydroelectric... Wed, 30 Nov 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1535/an-analysis-of-the-threat-of-ontarios-hydroelectric-dams-on-its-river-ecosystems http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1531/costs-and-benefits-of-nitrogen-and-phosphate-fertilizer-use-in-the-lake-erie-basin By David C. Harary - This paper explores both the positive and negative externalities associated with nitrogen and phosphate-based fertilizer use. Using 57 scholarly journal articles, government reports, manuscripts, and news articles; a comprehensive review was made on the effects fertilizer use and eutrophication has on ecological, environmental, human health, and economic systems in the western Lake Erie Basin. Negative externalities associated with fertilizer use included species population decline; environmental degradation; increased risks on public health; increased water treatment and maintenance spending;... Sun, 31 Jan 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1531/costs-and-benefits-of-nitrogen-and-phosphate-fertilizer-use-in-the-lake-erie-basin http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1384/sediment-mass-and-nutrient-accumulation-rates-in-lake-erie-using-geographic-information-system By Jinyu Seo - This study emphasizes the reconstruction of sediment deposition rates, sediment concentrations of nutrients, and nutrient fluxes in Lake Erie through the creation of geological maps using geographic information system (GIS). Sedimentation rates, nutrient sediment concentrations, and nutrient flux data from Lake Erie were collected from a variety of sources and used to generate contour maps of the sediment deposition rates, nutrient concentrations, and nutrient fluxes. These maps are helpful in determining post-depositional sediment, sediment focusing, and internal cycling of nutrients in the lake... Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1384/sediment-mass-and-nutrient-accumulation-rates-in-lake-erie-using-geographic-information-system http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1090/sodium-absorption-in-summer-and-winter-acclimated-freshwater-teleosts By Katrina Thede - To maintain sodium (Na+) homeostasis in a hypotonic environment, freshwater teleosts must constantly absorb Na+ through their gills. Teleosts in temperate climates have the extra challenge of living in an environment in which ambient temperatures range from 0-30°C. It was hypothesized that 1. Na+ absorption through the gills occurs via a protein homologous to mammalian Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE), 2. Na+ is exchanged for NH4+—the nitrogenous waste product of the fish—rather than H+, and 3. gill proteins from 5°C winter-acclimated fish (WA) would be more active than those from 20... Fri, 01 May 2015 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1090/sodium-absorption-in-summer-and-winter-acclimated-freshwater-teleosts http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/870/water-pollution-control-policy-addressing-non-point-source-pollution By Adib J. Rahman - Non-point source (NPS) pollution occurs when pollutants from many different and often difficult to track sources have a negative impact on air or water quality. Even though this type of pollution accounts for a substantial amount of water pollution in Canada, the problem has not been addressed as vigorously as point-source emissions (pollution from a single identifiable source). Traditional approaches such as emission standards are problematic because NPS emissions are difficult to control due to non-concentrated diffusion. They are also difficult to monitor because of weather-related issues.... Wed, 19 Mar 2014 12:39 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/870/water-pollution-control-policy-addressing-non-point-source-pollution http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/958/selling-ourselves-short-a-discussion-of-water-markets-in-alberta By Derek N. Pluim - The issue of water management has become one of increasing importance. Any new policy regarding resource management must balance the needs of the environment, the municipalities, and industry. In an effort to reconcile these needs, this report reviews the best practices of water policy. Specifically, the reason for undertaking this report is to research policy options available to the Alberta government to provide a framework for improving the Water for Life strategy. One generalization that can be made across the spectrum of privatization models is that whenever a resource is labelled a commodity... Mon, 30 Sep 2013 04:37 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/958/selling-ourselves-short-a-discussion-of-water-markets-in-alberta http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/701/arsenic-contamination-of-groundwater-in-nepal-good-public-health-intention-gone-bad By Roman Shrestha - Nepal is a small developing country in South Asia, bordered by China to the north and India to the south, east and west. With a total land area of 56,827 square miles, the country is predominantly mountainous with more than 80% of the total area covered by hills and mountains. However, the southern belt of Nepal consists of flat alluvial plains called the Terai region, populated by almost half of the total population of the country.1 According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) census, 2012, the estimated total population of the country is 29,890,686 with growth rate of 1.768% per annum.... Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:16 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/701/arsenic-contamination-of-groundwater-in-nepal-good-public-health-intention-gone-bad http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/625/cablegate-and-watergate-more-namesake-than-legacy By Tonei Glavinic - Just a few months after making international news in early 2010 for releasing confidential reports on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the international whistleblower site Wikileaks began publicly releasing information from a series of over 250,000 classified diplomatic cables it had illegally obtained from a U.S. military database. This release, which quickly came to be known as Cablegate, was condemned by the U.S. Department of State as “reckless and dangerous” for its potential to negatively impact United States interests abroad (including the safety of diplomats’ confidential... Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:39 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/625/cablegate-and-watergate-more-namesake-than-legacy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/618/watergate-and-the-washington-post-questionable-tactics-in-service-to-democracy By Tonei Glavinic - In their introduction to Journalism: The Democratic Craft, G. Stuart Adam and Roy Peter Clark write that “journalism is one manifestation of the right of free expression, a fundamental democratic freedom” (p. xvii). This is not a radical new concept. Yet as Adam and Clark go on to explain, journalism is also more than this: it is a necessary piece of the democratic structure itself, making writers “democracy’s stewards” (p. xviii). This means that journalists have a fundamental responsibility to pursue stories that further the interests of democracy, using any ethical... Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:41 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/618/watergate-and-the-washington-post-questionable-tactics-in-service-to-democracy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/544/an-ethnography-of-water-birth-and-its-representations-on-youtube By T S - The purpose of this qualitative research study is to report semi-structured interview narratives from sixteen parents who had given birth immersed in water and posted their live birth videos on YouTube.com. This report introduces the concept of water birth as an alternative birth practice and discusses the contributions of anthropologists to the anthropology of birth. Anthropologists such as Mead, Sargent, Davis-Floyd, and Jordan call for the narratives women share related to their childbirth experiences, with specific attention paid to women who engage in childbirth activism and “reject... Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:34 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/544/an-ethnography-of-water-birth-and-its-representations-on-youtube http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1109/transnational-waterstreams-in-the-middle-east By Onur Kara - Due to its direct connection with economic power, control of water resources has been a crucial issue for Middle Eastern states throughout their history. Human alteration of water streams can be traced back to around 3000 BC, when the Jawa Dam was constructed in what is now Jordan. However, those constructions were mainly used to control water levels and aid irrigation.3 The recognition of petroleum as a strategic raw material and the beginning of the “mega-dam” age in the early twentieth century has highlighted new aspects of this issue. As its importance has grown, examination of... Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1109/transnational-waterstreams-in-the-middle-east http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/351/preventive-security-in-the-21st-century-the-threats-of-the-threats By Ali B. Al-Bayaa - Let aside the debate around what globalization means; it has become evident that this phenomenon has shown that what affects one nation often affects another, or many others, and that interdependence exists in many forms and shapes. For the sake of this paper, we will move forward while adopting Nick Bisely’s method of defining globalization: “[The definition] depends not only on one’s basic vision of  [globalization's] constituent elements, but also on the sphere of human life in which one is interested” (Bisely, 2007). This paper examines preventive human security... Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:40 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/351/preventive-security-in-the-21st-century-the-threats-of-the-threats http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/321/the-water-crisis-a-quest-to-conserve-our-planets-most-precious-resource By Valerie D. Wade - What are our threats? Where do we stand at our current pace of waste and misuse of our precious resources? What are ways in which we can sustain our planet? Although I will focus on the global water crisis, you will soon see how all of the current threats against our planet are intimately intertwined. We’ve heard the old saying, “keeping your head above water,” which could mean just doing the minimum or barely surviving, but what if there is no water, literally, to keep your head above. Join me, form your own opinion, and keep an open mind. Our chances are dwindling if we are... Thu, 11 Nov 2010 09:28 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/321/the-water-crisis-a-quest-to-conserve-our-planets-most-precious-resource http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/68/environmental-sustainability-in-china-a-historical-perspective By Patrick M. Hutchison - In “Food, Famine, and the Chinese State” Perdue analyzes cases in the Dongting Lake region during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Dike building was then, and is now, an integral part of the agricultural system. Perdue illustrates how dike building and necessary repairs were met with inconsistent success. “Community organization of waterworks construction and repair proved inadequate, because individual incentives contradicted collective needs. At times, this intervention [local official] was successful..but the dialectic of official initiative and community response did not always... Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:49 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/68/environmental-sustainability-in-china-a-historical-perspective