Elucidating Anthropogenic Impacts On Water Quality Through Spatial Heterogeneity In The Laurentian Great Lakes And The Global Fast Fashion Industry

Freshwater resources are vital for human survival including for consumption, transportation, and production of goods. We explore the impact of anthropogenic activity on water quality through: 1) the spatial heterogeneity in the northern nearshore regions of the Canadian Great Lakes and 2) the state of fast fashion in the top garment producing countries: China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Turkey, India, and Indonesia. Water quality conditions varied spatially from oligotrophic conditions in Lake Superior to eutrophic conditions with elevated concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll-a in Lake Erie. Further, we found that policy, sustainability and wastewater are key research areas in the top garment-producing countries. However, there was variation in the number of publications, terminology, knowledge gaps, and barriers that impede more sustainable garment production in the top garment-producing countries. We suggest investments in management and education to protect and use our freshwater resources more sustainably.