Location: Photo taken from between the only two good hammock trees in John F. Kennedy Park, Cambridge, MA
Date: 4/8/2017
Time: 12:45pm
Weather: Overcast but not raining. 48°F
The bank of the river where I conducted my transect was mostly just grass and mud. Judging by the groomed appearance of the nearby park, and the plant growth visible along the bank near less populated areas, I suspect that this lack of ecological diversity has a lot to do with intentional maintenance on the part of the city. If left alone for a few years, I imagine there would be a substantial increase in plant life in that area. Then again, it is right by a road, so the area is subject to both foot and vehicular traffic. I imagine that also plays a role in the presence of plant life. I decided that it was better to not bring my phone down by the water's edge. There is nearby traffic, an incline, and not only am I not the most coordinated, I also startle fairly easily. That said, I think the lack of substantial growth by the edge of the water is still evident in the picture I have provided below.
The water temperature felt about the same as the air, maybe a little chillier. I forgot the pH strips in my pencil case, so I looked up the pH of the Charles online. According to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority website (http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/harbor/html/cr_wq.htm), the pH of the Charles spans a pretty wide range. It goes from somewhat acidic to quite basic, though the mean reading of 7.45 is close to a neutral 7.0. The most acidic reading (most H+) was 6.39 and the most basic reading was a whopping 9.06 (least H+).
Benefits of living near water:
According to a study published by the James Hutton Institute in 2012 on behalf of Scotland's Centre for Expertise for Waters:
"The scientific evidence for salutogenic benefit of blue space is strongest for mental health, with evidence of water settings as a preferred landscape offering perceived psychological restoration, with some limited evidence that coastal settings may offer greater benefits for walking. However, there is a lack of objective measures and ‘real world’ research in everyday settings since much of the evidence has relied on self-reported indicators in student populations carried out in controlled laboratory conditions. The theory underpinning green health would suggest blue space ought to offer similar benefits in terms of promoting social contact and active living, but we found no empirical evidence supporting this" (http://www.hutton.ac.uk/sites/default/files/files/snc/CREW%20Blue%20Health%20project%20FINAL.pdf)
Though the article cited above does not provide conclusive evidence, it does provide an interesting jumping off point. I believe that the presence of a body of water is definitely connected with the flourishing of humanity. I think that water generally encourages growth of diverse ecosystems, and I think that the findings mentioned in the study above allude to much deeper and more intuitive truths about the role of nature and water in human existence. I think most of the benefits are both subconscious and intangible, which makes them very difficult to quantify and calculate.
I recognize that my strongly held personal belief that the presence of a body of water is beneficial for individual health (mental and physical) and crucial for the health of larger human population is largely based in anecdotal evidence and general assertions, rather than hard facts backed by data and carefully compiled research.
That said, the term 'watering hole' (originally meaning a body of drinkable water) has long been an idiom used to describe a natural site of social congregation and interaction. It is not an accident that water plays a central role in nearly every religion both past and present. (I learned this while taking a class on the evolution of religion at the George Washington University a little over 6 years ago. I suspect it was in connection with the book "Religion Explained" by Thomas Boyer, but I cannot find a specific passage where the prevalence of water-centric religious rituals is explicitly discussed. It also may have been a different book or a supplemental reading). Likewise, it is no coincidence that much of human development has occurred beside a body of water. (Again, I realize this is a bold claim for which I have no specific source. I just know it was the central theme of a unit we did for global studies in 7th grade). There is also a history of waters with various healing properties. As we discussed during the second bio class this semester, access to clean, drinkable water is necessary for a human's survival, but a long historical, if not expressly scientific, view paints a picture of water as essential for processes that occur on a much larger scale.
Final note added 4/17: I realized I have been accidentally clicking save instead of publish. Everything is as it was when I initially thought I posted it.
Date: 4/8/2017
Time: 12:45pm
Weather: Overcast but not raining. 48°F
The bank of the river where I conducted my transect was mostly just grass and mud. Judging by the groomed appearance of the nearby park, and the plant growth visible along the bank near less populated areas, I suspect that this lack of ecological diversity has a lot to do with intentional maintenance on the part of the city. If left alone for a few years, I imagine there would be a substantial increase in plant life in that area. Then again, it is right by a road, so the area is subject to both foot and vehicular traffic. I imagine that also plays a role in the presence of plant life. I decided that it was better to not bring my phone down by the water's edge. There is nearby traffic, an incline, and not only am I not the most coordinated, I also startle fairly easily. That said, I think the lack of substantial growth by the edge of the water is still evident in the picture I have provided below.
The water temperature felt about the same as the air, maybe a little chillier. I forgot the pH strips in my pencil case, so I looked up the pH of the Charles online. According to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority website (http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/harbor/html/cr_wq.htm), the pH of the Charles spans a pretty wide range. It goes from somewhat acidic to quite basic, though the mean reading of 7.45 is close to a neutral 7.0. The most acidic reading (most H+) was 6.39 and the most basic reading was a whopping 9.06 (least H+).
Benefits of living near water:
According to a study published by the James Hutton Institute in 2012 on behalf of Scotland's Centre for Expertise for Waters:
"The scientific evidence for salutogenic benefit of blue space is strongest for mental health, with evidence of water settings as a preferred landscape offering perceived psychological restoration, with some limited evidence that coastal settings may offer greater benefits for walking. However, there is a lack of objective measures and ‘real world’ research in everyday settings since much of the evidence has relied on self-reported indicators in student populations carried out in controlled laboratory conditions. The theory underpinning green health would suggest blue space ought to offer similar benefits in terms of promoting social contact and active living, but we found no empirical evidence supporting this" (http://www.hutton.ac.uk/sites/default/files/files/snc/CREW%20Blue%20Health%20project%20FINAL.pdf)
Though the article cited above does not provide conclusive evidence, it does provide an interesting jumping off point. I believe that the presence of a body of water is definitely connected with the flourishing of humanity. I think that water generally encourages growth of diverse ecosystems, and I think that the findings mentioned in the study above allude to much deeper and more intuitive truths about the role of nature and water in human existence. I think most of the benefits are both subconscious and intangible, which makes them very difficult to quantify and calculate.
I recognize that my strongly held personal belief that the presence of a body of water is beneficial for individual health (mental and physical) and crucial for the health of larger human population is largely based in anecdotal evidence and general assertions, rather than hard facts backed by data and carefully compiled research.
That said, the term 'watering hole' (originally meaning a body of drinkable water) has long been an idiom used to describe a natural site of social congregation and interaction. It is not an accident that water plays a central role in nearly every religion both past and present. (I learned this while taking a class on the evolution of religion at the George Washington University a little over 6 years ago. I suspect it was in connection with the book "Religion Explained" by Thomas Boyer, but I cannot find a specific passage where the prevalence of water-centric religious rituals is explicitly discussed. It also may have been a different book or a supplemental reading). Likewise, it is no coincidence that much of human development has occurred beside a body of water. (Again, I realize this is a bold claim for which I have no specific source. I just know it was the central theme of a unit we did for global studies in 7th grade). There is also a history of waters with various healing properties. As we discussed during the second bio class this semester, access to clean, drinkable water is necessary for a human's survival, but a long historical, if not expressly scientific, view paints a picture of water as essential for processes that occur on a much larger scale.
Final note added 4/17: I realized I have been accidentally clicking save instead of publish. Everything is as it was when I initially thought I posted it.
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