ARTICLE TITLE: Phosphorus- A Looming Crisis AUTHOR/SOURCE: David A.

Vaccari MAIN POINTS: Conditions for growth of plants boil down to 19-12-5. Nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. Phosphorus global supply might start to run out by the end of the century By then our population may reach a peak that is beyond what the planet can sustainably feed U.S has 19% of all phosphorus. 65% of that 19% comes from Tampa, Florida which may not last more than a few decades 40% global reserve is in Morocco- "The Saudi Arabia of phosphorus" Modern agricultural has tripled the natural rate of phosphorus depletion from the land Phosphorus is now one of the most significant sustainability issues despite having little attention Average human body contains about 650 grams of phosphorus Land ecosystems use and reuse phosphorus in local cycles an average of 46 times. The mineral, through weathering and runoff makes its way into the ocean where marine organisms recycle it 800 times before it passes into sediments. 10 million years of tectonic uplift may return it to dry land. Harvesting breaks up the cycle because it removes phosphorus from the land. Agriculture accelerates land erosion, so more phosphorus drains away with runoff. River floods redistribute phosphorus-rich sediment to lower lands where it is available to ecosystems. Too much phosphorus from eroded soil ends up in lakes and oceans, causing eutrophication. Phosphorus flows add up to an estimated 37 million metric tons per year. 22 million come from phosphate mining. Estimates include types of rocks, such as high-carbonate minerals that are impractical as sources because no economical technology exists to extract the phosphorus. U.S produces 30 million metric tons of phosphate rock a year. U.S mines no longer supply enough phosphorus to satisfy the production of fertilizer. The U.S and much of the globe may come to depend on a single country for a critical resource Geologists are skeptical about a phosphorus crisis. Most of phosphorus discovery has occurred in Morocco and North Carolina. Residual bio solids are contaminated with many pollutants. Making agriculture sustainable over the long term begins with renewing efforts to phase out toxic metals from plumbing. Half the phosphorus we excrete is in our urine, which is easy to recover New discoveries are likely just to forestall the depletion of reserves, not to prevent it We are running out of phosphorus deposits that are relatively easily and cheaply exploitable. AUTHOR'S POINT: Vacarri is trying to inform the readers about the decreasing amount of phosphorus and what the consequences would be if it were gone. The author explains how phosphorus is beneficial for us humans and plants. Re-invented agricultural practices have increased the natural amount of phosphorus. While the human population is increasing rapidly, more people are demanding higher standards for living

which would also mean that more people are asking for phosphorus. With the amount of people demanding phosphorus, theres not much to go around for everyone. Vacarri states the fact that if we use less amount of toxins phosphorus can be more sustainable.

MY THOUGHTS: I found this article interesting because I wasnt really aware of the fact the amount of phosphorus was decreasing. I think that we need to find a way to conserve the amount of phosphorus, because the amount of phosphorus isnt going to automatically increase; we need to make changes just like Vacarri was saying. I think the changes need to be done quickly because our population is increasing everyday so pretty soon there wont be enough to supply everyone, we need to use less amount of toxins. So what? Soon the amount of phosphorus will be too low to supply human and plant life. What if..? What if there was a sufficient amount of phosphorus everywhere? Would more people take excessive advantage of it? Says who? David A. Vaccari What does this remind you of? This article reminded me of when we were learning about water and we watched videos about it, because we are also running low on water but a lot of people dont even know it.