ABSTRACT
An aspiring employee of an environmental program should have a basic understanding of the environments that are protected by the environmental laws and regulations. Temperature is a prime regulator of natural processes within the water environment. Depending on the extent of environmental temperature change, organisms can be activated, depressed, restricted, or killed. Temperature regulates molecular movement and thus largely determines the rate of metabolism and activity of all organisms, both those with a relatively constant body temperature and those whose body temperature is identical to the environmental temperature. Increased water temperatures may cause aquatic plant nuisances when other environmental factors are favorable. Organisms undergo stress at reduced Dissolved oxygen concentrations that make them less competitive to sustain their species within the aquatic environment. The effects of pollution upon the water environment assumes many characteristics. A complex interaction of many physical, chemical, and biological factors, influenced by meteorological phenomena, occur in a lake environment.
