1942 Assessment on the ways human activity leads to major environmental setbacks

In her dissertation, Williams sought to explore the factors that eventually lead to the erosion observed in the Anacostia River. Little had been done in terms of examining the upper and lower regions of the river and the basin sedimentation. The flooding of Bladensburg, Maryland precipitated the erosion and necessitated investigation. Williams concluded that, in addition to natural erosion, human activities, including deforestation, agriculture and urbanization, had accelerated the process. When the Industrial Revolution occurred, an abundance of trees offered a ready source of fuel, leading to mass deforestation in the regions surrounding the Anacostia River. Due to European settlement and agricultural processes that necessitated a mass deforestation of these trees, human activity was seen as the primary reason for the erosion which occurred in the Anacostia River. Marguerite’s assessment on the ways human activity leads to major environmental setbacks further denotes her significance in the geoscientific fields. As a result, she is considered to be one of the first scientists who scrutinized the impacts that humans have in deterring natural processes observed in the world.

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Category:
Geology - Environmental Impact

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
N/A

Co-Inventor:
None