Lake Baikal the Freshwater Ecosystem Cammie L., Madeline D. 6th Hour Soc. Studies 1/5/12 Lake Baikal [By-kahl] is the largest and deepest lake in the world. It is home to many species such as a fish that explodes when in air. In this paper, we are going to tell you about the problems going on in Lake Baikal and some solutions we think would help. What we are about to tell you could help people best use and protect earths freshwater ecosystems. There are many problems in Lake Baikal. Most of these problems are because the environment is just what we need for factories such as paper/pulp factories. These factories give out air and water pollution and water usage plus toxic waste. Plus it is a big tourist spot which leads to littering, over populating, and people moving to close to the water shore to get that perfect view. There are many solutions to help clean the lake. Some solutions for air pollution are to add air purifiers to the factories to clean the air before it leaves the building. For water pollution, you can add filters to the water to keep the toxic waste out but still let the water through. A solution to littering would be to add more trash cans and recycling bins around the lake in convenient places for people to put their trash in. For the issue of people illegally building their houses too close to the shoreline, the government could keep a closer eye on what's being built, and where it's being built to make sure it follows their regulations. We have now told you how people (such as yourself) can help protect the earth's freshwater ecosystems while still using them. Our hope is that you take these solutions and help protect the freshwater ecosystem near you. This is your chance to make a difference. Just recycling or throwing out your trash in the right place and not putting things into the lakes that don’t belong there will have a big positive impact. Bibliography Works Cited “Baikal, Lake.” Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. N.p., 2011. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. Berenson, Sheila, and Joshua K. Hartshorne. “Russia: Lake Baikal, Siberia’s Vast Treasure.” SIRS Discoverer. Cobblestone Publishing Co., Dec. 2007. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://rpproxy.iii.com:9797/MuseSessionID=4ab24cac44427357296a4e2bd6091f/ MuseHost=discoverer.prod.sirs.com/MusePath/discoweb/disco/do/ article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000278316>. Bogutskaya, Nina. “606: Lake Baikal.” Freshwater Ecoregions of the World. N.p., 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://www.feow.org/ecoregion_details.php?eco=606>. Hart, Diane. Geography Alive! Regions and People. Palo Alto: Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, 2006. Print. “Still blue; Lake Baikal.” Expanded Academic ASAP INFOTRAC. Gale, 9 Sept. 2006. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/ i.do?id=GALE%7CA154012590&v=2.1&u=lom_accessmich&it=r&p=EAIM&sw=w>. Thomson, Peter. “Russia’s Lake Baikal: Preserving a Natural Treasure .” environment360. Yale, 3 June 2008. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. <http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2005>.