Like many national parks, Death Valley was selected for preservation because it is unsuitable for human life. However, the environment of Death Valley supports forms of life that would not survive in a colder, moister environment. Death Valley is home to several different forms of birds, amphibians, fish, reptiles, and even a full food chain of mammals such as bats, rodents, and foxes (Animals). During migration season, there are also several species of butterfly that travel through the national park (Animals). While Death Valley is not capable of supporting all forms of life, the environment provides the specific conditions needed in order for several different kinds of animals to survive.
Retaining the environment of Death Valley includes direct exposure to sunlight as well as a lack of water. The environment is hilly with sand dunes and salt flats, providing just enough shelter from the sun to support life in select areas (Natural). As the hottest place on Earth, Death Valley is necessary for researching how different species have evolved to survive in extreme environments (Natural). In order for the environment to be properly retained, there must be direct sunlight unblocked by the fog of air pollutants (Natural). This open sky is retained by the mountain range along the east side of Death Valley, which acts as a shield against the passage of the wind (Natural). Very little rain reaches Death Valley, preserving the arid environment required to nurture Death Valley’s ecosystem, which is once again ensured by the tall mountain range on the eastern border of the national park (Natural). Death Valley’s hot, dry environment, necessary in order to preserve the life that takes shelter in the park, is preserved by its own physical features.
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"Human Effects on Death Valley".
Although much of the surrounding area has been measurably affected by pollution, the environment of Death Valley has been relatively unchanged. Tracing the quality of the air from 1999 to 2009, Death Valley has been mostly unchanged while California as a whole has plummeted in air quality. Since the year 2003, the quality of the air in California, which is based on the quantities of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and poisonous chemicals in the air, has decreased to below the quality of Death Valley’s air, and remained stagnant (Death). The quality of the air in Death Valley is not healthy for human life, but the cause is likely the area’s own harsh environment rather than human impact. The amount of suspended particles found in Death Valley’s air is in nearly twice the quantity as the quantity in the rest of California (Death). The area also has an unstable amount of carbon monoxide, which is fatal in sufficient quantities (Death). Death Valley also contains an abnormally high amount of ozone, which is normally attributed to human pollution (Death). Death Valley may have an unhealthy environment, but pollution does not appear to be to blame.
Death Valley’s environment is harsh, but pollution is not to blame. The mountain range along the eastern border of Death Valley protects it from outside pollutants so that it is vulnerable only to the pollutants that Death Valley, itself, produces. In essence, the best way to preserve Death Valley’s environment is to not tamper with it. By observing trends in Death Valley’s life and air quality, scientists have been able to confirm that the preservation of the national park’s environment has thus far not been subject to outside pollutants. This knowledge demonstrates that the best way to protect Death Valley from human influence is to not tamper with it.
Though it is not pollution, there are other problems in Death Valley that are caused by human influence. One significant problem affects the national park’s butterfly population. Illegal specimen collectors come to Death Valley while butterflies are in season, and catch the butterflies in order to sell them (Animals). The result is a dwindling butterfly population in an otherwise stable ecosystem. Even though Death Valley is safer from air pollution than other areas in California, human tampering still manages to have a negative effect on Death Valley’s environment. In order to lessen the effects that human tampering has on the environment of Death Valley, security must be increased at Death Valley. Suspicious items must be investigated at the entrances and exits to the national park, and known areas used for the capture of butterflies must be monitored. In order to avoid non-pollution-related effects on Death Valley, direct tampering with the national park’s ecosystem must be prevented.
Death Valley is a hot, dry national park with a small variety of wildlife. The wildlife that is present needs this arid climate to be preserved in order to stay alive. Luckily, the environment of Death Valley is more or less cut off from the rest of the world, and despite the negative effects of air pollution being experienced all around the national park, Death Valley, itself, is sheltered by a large range of mountains along its eastern border. The air inside Death Valley is unhealthy, but this problem appears to be caused entirely be the harsh environment inside the confines of the national park. Instead of outside problems with pollution, the most serious problem that Death Valley must contend with is tampering from within the national park. There is a problem with smugglers capturing butterflies inside of Death Valley and selling them despite the harm that the removal of the butterflies is having on the national park’s ecosystem. In order for Death Valley to be safe from human effect, direct tampering must be prevented.
- “Animals.” National Park Service. 26 September 2014. 26 September 2014.
- “Death Valley, CA Air Quality.” USA. 2014. 26 September 2014.
- “Natural Features & Ecosystems.” National Park Service. 26 September 2014. 26 September 2014.
