Acknowledgement
First and foremost, we would like to thank to our Biology teacher, Mr Choo Kok Min for the valuable guidance and advices. He inspired us greatly to work in this project. His willingness to motivate us contributed tremendously to our project. We also would like to thank him for showing us some example that related to the topic of our project.
An honourable mention goes to our families and friends for their understandings and supports on us in completing this project. Without helps of the particular that mentioned above, we would face many difficulties while doing this project.
Besides, we would like to our school, SMJK Shing Chung. Also, we would like to take this opportunity to thank to the principal for allowing us to work in this project. It gave us an opportunity to participate and learn about the effects of pollution to the earth.
Eventually, thanks to the entire particular mentioned above. Your guidance, advices, helps and also supports will not be forgotten by us.
Deforestation is the clearance of naturally occurring forests by logging and burning and also can be described that it is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land use such as arable land, urban use, logged area or wasteland
Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees or derived charcoal are used as, or sold, for fuel or as a commodity, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities, and settlements. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforested regions typically incur significant adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade into wasteland.
Disregard or ignorance of intrinsic value, lack of ascribed value, lax forest management and deficient environmental law are some of the factors that allow deforestation to occur on a large scale. In many countries, deforestation is an ongoing issue that is causing extinction, changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement of indigenous people.
Besides, deforestation may bring harms. Effects of this are soil erosion, landslides, climatic change, loss and biodiversity, greenhouse effect and global warming and others.
Effects of Deforestation
1. Soil Erosion
When forest areas are cleared, it results in exposing the soil to the sun, making it very dry and eventually, infertile, due to volatile nutrients such as nitrogen being lost. In addition, when there is rainfall, it washes away the rest of the nutrients, which flow with the rainwater into waterways. Because of this, merely replanting trees may not help in solving the problems caused by deforestation, for by the time the trees mature, the soil will be totally devoid of essential nutrients. Ultimately, cultivation in this land will also become impossible, resulting in the land becoming useless. Large tracts of land will be rendered permanently impoverished due to soil erosion.
2. Landslides
When the heavy rain for a long period of time, the top layer of the soil crumbles and this leads to landslides on steep of hillsides.
3. Climatic Change
It is well known that global warming is being caused largely due to emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, what is not known quite as well is that deforestation has a direction association with carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Trees act as a major storage depot for carbon, since they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which is then used to produce carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that make up trees. When deforestation occurs, many of the trees are burnt or they are allowed to rot, which results in releasing the carbon that is stored in them as carbon dioxide. This, in turn, leads to greater concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
4. Loss of Biodiversity
Forests are natural habitats to many types of animals and organisms. That is why, when there is deforestation, many animals are left without shelters. Those that manage to go through the flat lands and residential sites are then killed by people. Through the years, it is estimated that there are millions of plant and extinct animal species that have been wiped out because they have been deprived of home. Thus, biodiversity is significantly lowered because of the savage deforestation practices of some people. Wildlife advocates have been constantly reminding that several wild animals left in the world could still be saved if deforested forests would only be reforested and the practice of slash and burn of forests would be totally abandoned.
5. Greenhouse Effects and Global Warming
Clearing of the forest cover has a contrary effect on the environment. It results in an increase in the amount of carbon and other greenhouse gases in the environment. Burning of forests results in the emission of a large amount of carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases like the oxides of nitrogen and methane are known to trap atmospheric heat, thus increasing the average temperature of the Earth’s surface. This increase in the temperature near the Earth’s surface and oceans is termed as global warming.
Burning of Fossil Fuels
Burning of fossil fuels is a main source of air pollution. Fossil fuels are burnt in power stations using coal, petroleum, and natural gas, in domestic and industrial boilers, and in the internal combustion engines of vehicles..
When fossil fuels are burnt, the elements in the fuels oxidized, forming various air pollutants. These included carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and fine particulate matter.
Burning of fossil fuels adds about 75% of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. An increase in carbon dioxide level is associated with the greenhouse effects and global warming.
Effects of Burning of Fossil Fuels
1. Greenhouse effects and Global Warming
Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas impacts on the environment through the production of greenhouse gases. When fossil fuels are burned they produce a range of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane and nitrous oxides. Together, these gases trap the sun's heat in the Earth's atmosphere, acting like a 'greenhouse'. The gases work a bit like the lens in a magnifying glass, concentrating and increasing the heat of the sun. This is called the greenhouse effect. As a result of the increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, the Earth's climate is changing. This phenomenon is called climate change. The main function of the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere is to trap the heat obtained from sunlight and do not let it go beyond the atmosphere. It is because of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that our planet is warmer than any other planet of the solar system. When there is a rise in the percentage of carbon dioxide in the air, the amount of heat captured by the carbon dioxide also increases. This in turn contributes towards overall rise in the surface temperature of the earth which is also known as global warming.On burning of fossil fuels, various types of gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc., are released. A significant proportion of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere is by burning of the fossil fuels. Evidence obtained from various research studies suggest that since the middle of the nineteenth century, there have been at least 25 percent increase in the carbon dioxide content in the atmospheric air. This is all because of extensive use of fossil fuels across the globe. As a result, in the last 150 years, the temperature of the earth has already increased more than 1 degree Fahrenheit. Moreover, it is going to increase further in the next hundred years. Thus our planet will be much more hot in the next century. Read more on greenhouse gases.
This will have a severe effect on the climate of the earth. The weather conditions of various places of the earth will change drastically. Droughts and floods will occur more frequently in many inland areas that have extreme weather condition which will badly affect the agriculture. All the glaciers of the earth will be melting at a much faster pace. As a result, the areas nearby the water bodies like the coastal regions and the banks of the river will get submerged under water. Many deltas, islands, thickly populated cities are likely to go under water. Thus you can see that the issues of fossil fuels and global warming and climate change are all interwoven with each other.
Overuse of Fertilisers in Intensive Farming
Excessive doses of organic residues in agricultural fields could be dangerous for plants, invertebrates and micro-organisms living in the soil. This is the finding of a study carried out by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), which has shown that the use of appropriate levels of fertilisers Although controlled amounts of organic residues, sewage sludge and animal waste are a good choice for soil fertilisation, they can have damaging effects on soil biota when applied in excessive doses. In an effort to prevent these toxic impacts on soil, a team of researchers from the UAB’s Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) has carried out a test that sets the maximum safe doses for organic fertilisers.
“We based this on bio-trials in the laboratory using soil-based organisms that are representative of agro-ecosystems, and which need to be protected: plants (Brassica rapa, Lolium perenne and Trifolium pratense), earthworms, annelids, collembola and micro-organisms,” the study’s lead author Xavier Domene told SINC.
The research, which has been published in the magazine Environmental Pollution, shows that the low levels of stability in the residues used is one of the main reasons for their damaging effects on plants and animals. “The rapid decomposition of the residue in the ground generates substances such as ammonia, which is the main cause of the toxic effects observed,” said Domene.
Effects of Overuse of Fertilisers in Intensive Farming
1. Eutrophication
Algae differ from microscopic animal life in our water bodies in their mode of respiration: they release more oxygen during the day than they use, and absorb more carbon dioxide than they release, while animal and other non-photosynthetic organisms release carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen from their environment. Algae usually react in an opposite manner during the night, when they act as dead organic matter adding BOD load. It is important to carefully consider any action of removal of algae from a body of water: oxygen supplied by algae during photosynthesis in beneficial to most forms of life in streams, thus the removal would often be a detriment rather than a benefit.
The main effects caused by eutrophication can be summarized as follows [3]:
1. Species diversity decreases and the dominant biota changes
2. Plant and animal biomass increase
3. Turbidity increases
4. Rate of sedimentation increases, shortening the lifespan of the lake
5. Anoxic conditions may develop
Because of the high concentration of organisms in a eutrophic system; there is often a lot of competition for resources and predator pressure. This high degree of competition and the sometimes-high chemical or physical stress make high the struggle for survival in eutrophic systems. As a result the diversity of organisms is lower in eutrophic than in oligotrophic systems.
Algal and cyanobacterial blooms
Cultural eutrophication causes excessive algal bloom in water bodies, with consequent algal overload. Under certain conditions of darkness and warm temperatures these blooms may die, decompose and produce offensive sewage-like odor. If the receiving water is used as a raw water supply for some public or private agency, algae may be difficult to remove and hence add certain objectionable tastes to the delivered water. Algae also have the tendency to absorb and concentrate mineral nutrients in their cells. When they die, at the end of the growing season, they settle to the stream or lake bottom, from which they release these mineral and organic nutrients at the beginning of the next growing season. In this way they serve as a form of secondary pollution.
One of the most common symptoms of Lake Eutrophycation is the development of blue-green algal (Cyanobacteria) blooms. They can be generated by human activity: for example, sediment runoff from construction sites may greatly diminish water clarity and therefore decrease the amount of light available for phytoplankton. Cyanobacteria are able to maintain themselves near the surface of the water by means of special gas-filled vacuoles that give the plants slight positive buoyancy. Once cyanobacteria or more generally algal blooms reach high concentrations, problems can occur: they have a negative impact on water quality, creating taste and odorous problems and interfering with certain water treatment processes. When certain bacteria populations reach very high proportions, they can also produce toxins that can render water unsafe for consumption.
Cultural eutrophication causes excessive algal bloom in water bodies, with consequent algal overload. Under certain conditions of darkness and warm temperatures these blooms may die, decompose and produce offensive sewage-like odor. If the receiving water is used as a raw water supply for some public or private agency, algae may be difficult to remove and hence add certain objectionable tastes to the delivered water. Algae also have the tendency to absorb and concentrate mineral nutrients in their cells. When they die, at the end of the growing season, they settle to the stream or lake bottom, from which they release these mineral and organic nutrients at the beginning of the next growing season. In this way they serve as a form of secondary pollution.
One of the most common symptoms of Lake Eutrophycation is the development of blue-green algal (Cyanobacteria) blooms. They can be generated by human activity: for example, sediment runoff from construction sites may greatly diminish water clarity and therefore decrease the amount of light available for phytoplankton. Cyanobacteria are able to maintain themselves near the surface of the water by means of special gas-filled vacuoles that give the plants slight positive buoyancy. Once cyanobacteria or more generally algal blooms reach high concentrations, problems can occur: they have a negative impact on water quality, creating taste and odorous problems and interfering with certain water treatment processes. When certain bacteria populations reach very high proportions, they can also produce toxins that can render water unsafe for consumption.
Excessive aquatic macrophyte growth
Increased nutrient levels can stimulate other forms of primary production, in addition to algae and cyan bacteria. The littoral zones of many nutrient-enriched water bodies are often chocked with excessive growths of aquatic macrophytes, which can influence recreational and industrial activity and alter the structure of the food web. Excessive growth of phytoplankton and macroscopic plants in the water create aesthetic problem and reduce the value of the body water as a recreational resource. From a purely aesthetic point of view, crystal clear water characteristic of oligotrophic systems is most attractive for swimming and boating. High phytoplankton concentrations cause the water to appear turbid and aesthetically unappealing. Macroscopic plants can completely cover the entire surface of eutrophic lakes making the water almost totally unfit for swimming and boating.
Deepwater oxygen depletion
Increased nutrient levels can stimulate other forms of primary production, in addition to algae and cyan bacteria. The littoral zones of many nutrient-enriched water bodies are often chocked with excessive growths of aquatic macrophytes, which can influence recreational and industrial activity and alter the structure of the food web. Excessive growth of phytoplankton and macroscopic plants in the water create aesthetic problem and reduce the value of the body water as a recreational resource. From a purely aesthetic point of view, crystal clear water characteristic of oligotrophic systems is most attractive for swimming and boating. High phytoplankton concentrations cause the water to appear turbid and aesthetically unappealing. Macroscopic plants can completely cover the entire surface of eutrophic lakes making the water almost totally unfit for swimming and boating.
Deepwater oxygen depletion
Oxygen is required for all life forms on this planet, with the exception of some bacteria. For this reason oxygen depletion is considered to be a serious lake management problem often associate with eutrophycation: this causes an increased organic matter production, so more material is sedimenting down into the profounder waters, consuming oxygen. Since it is impossible for some organisms to function efficiently unless the oxygen concentration in the water is near saturation, such organisms are often absent from eutrophic environments. This problem can preclude fish or other biota from inhabiting deepwater regions of anoxic lakes. It may be a seasonal or nocturnal phenomenon.
Dumping of Domestic and Industrial Waste
Domestic waste is waste that contains only domestic type rubbish .A black refuse bag or recycling bin/s as supplied by your local authority is used for domestic waste
Domestic type waste, for example
- sandwich wrappers
- newspapers, magazines, office papers, etc (other than from kennel areas)
- drink cans and cartons
- hand towels
- sterile packaging
No wastes arising from animal healthcare should ever be placed in these containers.This waste is a non-hazardous waste.
If the waste has been segregated in accordance with this guidance the waste should be classified and described as follows on the waste transfer note
- EWC Classification: 20 03 01
- description: ‘Mixed municipal waste’
The black bag can be disposed of by either non-hazardous landfill or municipal waste incineration. This waste is normally collected by either the local authority or a commercial waste contractor.
Industrial waste is a type of waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills and mines. It has existed since the outset of the industrial revolution.
Much industrial waste is neither hazardous nor toxic, such as waste fiber produced by agriculture and logging.
Toxic waste, chemical waste, Industrial solid waste and Municipal solid waste are designations of industrial waste. Sewage treatment can be used to clean water tainted with industrial waste.
Penalties and fees are created as enforcement actions and to ensure that violating conditions are corrected in a timely manner to ensure consistent treatment of industrial dischargers; to eliminate economic advantages for violations; and to ensure that states recover expenses attributable to violations.[
Causes of Air Pollution
Carbon dioxide is one the main pollutants that causes air pollution. This is because, although living beings do exhale carbon dioxide, this gas is harmful when emitted from other sources, which are caused due to human activity. An additional release of carbon dioxide happens due to various such activities. Carbon dioxide gas is used in various industries such as the oil industry and the chemical industry. The manufacturing process of most products would require the use of this gas. There are various human activities that add to the increased proportions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The combustion of fossil fuels and the harmful effects of deforestation have all contributed towards the same. show that amongst the various gasses emitted during a volcanic eruption, carbon dioxide remains to be at least 40% of the emission. Scientists have now therefore identified carbon dioxide as one of those elements that have contributed to global warming.
Causes of air pollution are not limited to this. The combustion of fuels in automobiles, jet planes etc all cause the release of several primary pollutants into the air. The burning of fossil fuels in big cities which is seen at most factories, offices and even a large number of homes, it is no wonder that air pollution is increasing at an alarming rate. The release of other harmful gases all adds to the state that we see today. Although carbon dioxide plays an important role in various other processes like photosynthesis, breathing an excess of the same also causes harmful effects towards one’s health.
The various causes of air pollution that releases harmful gases into the atmosphere are caused due to the increasing number of power plants and manufacturing units or industries that mostly have activities related to the burning of fuels. Besides, as mentioned earlier, most automobiles, marine vessels, activities that involve the burning of wood, fumes that are released from aerosol sprays, military activities that involve the use of nuclear weapons, all are the numerous causes of air pollution.
Carbon monoxide is another such gas which, although was present in the atmosphere earlier, is now considered to be a major pollutant. An excess of the same has a harmful effect on our system. There are many reasons why carbon monoxide can be released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities. This is also produced due to any fuel burning appliance and appliances such as gas water heaters, fireplaces, woodstoves, gas stoves, gas dryers, yard equipments as well as automobiles, which add to the increased proportion of this gas into the atmosphere.
Sulfur dioxide is yet another harmful pollutant that causes air pollution. Sulfur dioxide is emitted largely to the excessive burning of fossil fuels, petroleum refineries, chemical and coal burning power plants etc. Nitrogen dioxide when combined with sulfur dioxide can even cause a harmful reaction in the atmosphere that can cause acid rain.
Nitrogen dioxide is one more gas that is emitted into the atmosphere as a result of various human activities. An excess of nitrogen dioxide mainly happens due to most power plants seen in major cities, the burning of fuels due to various motor vehicles and other such sources, whether industrial or commercial that cause the increase in the levels of nitrogen dioxide.
These and a number of other hazardous air pollutants are emitted with the various numbers of activities that we carry out during the day which are the main causes of air pollution.
Causes of air pollution are not limited to this. The combustion of fuels in automobiles, jet planes etc all cause the release of several primary pollutants into the air. The burning of fossil fuels in big cities which is seen at most factories, offices and even a large number of homes, it is no wonder that air pollution is increasing at an alarming rate. The release of other harmful gases all adds to the state that we see today. Although carbon dioxide plays an important role in various other processes like photosynthesis, breathing an excess of the same also causes harmful effects towards one’s health.
The various causes of air pollution that releases harmful gases into the atmosphere are caused due to the increasing number of power plants and manufacturing units or industries that mostly have activities related to the burning of fuels. Besides, as mentioned earlier, most automobiles, marine vessels, activities that involve the burning of wood, fumes that are released from aerosol sprays, military activities that involve the use of nuclear weapons, all are the numerous causes of air pollution.
Carbon monoxide is another such gas which, although was present in the atmosphere earlier, is now considered to be a major pollutant. An excess of the same has a harmful effect on our system. There are many reasons why carbon monoxide can be released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities. This is also produced due to any fuel burning appliance and appliances such as gas water heaters, fireplaces, woodstoves, gas stoves, gas dryers, yard equipments as well as automobiles, which add to the increased proportion of this gas into the atmosphere.
Sulfur dioxide is yet another harmful pollutant that causes air pollution. Sulfur dioxide is emitted largely to the excessive burning of fossil fuels, petroleum refineries, chemical and coal burning power plants etc. Nitrogen dioxide when combined with sulfur dioxide can even cause a harmful reaction in the atmosphere that can cause acid rain.
Nitrogen dioxide is one more gas that is emitted into the atmosphere as a result of various human activities. An excess of nitrogen dioxide mainly happens due to most power plants seen in major cities, the burning of fuels due to various motor vehicles and other such sources, whether industrial or commercial that cause the increase in the levels of nitrogen dioxide.
These and a number of other hazardous air pollutants are emitted with the various numbers of activities that we carry out during the day which are the main causes of air pollution.
Effects of Air Pollution
Air pollution is responsible for major health effects. Every year, the health of countless people is ruined or endangered by air pollution.Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways. Just how sick people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed to, in what concentrations, and for how long.
Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the US alone could be over 50,000.
Older people are highly vulnerable to diseases induced by air pollution. Those with heart or lung disorders are under additional risk. Children and infants are also at serious risk. It is because people are exposed to so many potentially dangerous pollutants, it is often hard to know exactly which pollutants are responsible for causing sickness. Also, because a mixture of different pollutants can intensify sickness, it is often difficult to isolate those pollutants that are at fault.
Many diseases could be caused by air pollution without their becoming apparent for a long time. Diseases such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease may all eventually appear in people exposed to air pollution.
Air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide also have harmful effects on natural ecosystems. They can kill plants and trees by destroying their leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly polluted rivers.
Ways to Overcome Air Pollution
First way to overcome air pollution is reduce vehicle emissions. This can be done by installing catalytic converters in every car so that the amount of toxic gases released is reduced. A more effective way is to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. For example, in Manila, the government has introduced regulations such that on different days, only cars with certain number plates can be driven. Another way is to encourage the public to take public transport. We can choose to take public transport to reduce air pollution.
The second way is more to industrial and the governments responsible. They must reduce industrial emission to overcome air pollution. Industries can reduce the amount of air pollutants they release by installing scrubbers, which are capable of removing up to 90 % of sulphur dioxide from waste gases.
Other than that, we also need to reduce emissions from power stations. This method concerns us, consumers of electricity, greatly. If electricity is used, less fossil fuels have to be burnt, and less air pollution would be emitted. We can do our part to reduce air pollution by conserving electricity at home, at school and at work.
We also can use the renewable energy to overcome the air pollution in our country or world. Renewable energy such as wind and hydroelectric, does not pollute, unlike traditional sources of energy that depends on the combustion of fossil fuels.
Causes of Water Pollution
The major sources of water pollution are as described below. Discharge of contaminated and/or heated water that has been used for industrial purposes. The surface runoff that contains spilled petroleum products. The surface runoff from farms, construction sites or other impervious surfaces. The improper disposal of solid wastes like littering on a localized scale. Addition of excessive nutrients by runoff containing detergents or fertilizers called as eutrophication. The geology of aquifers where groundwater is abstracted. Maltreated sewage discharged in a wrong manner. Slash and burn farming practice is a component in shifting cultivation agricultural systems. Radioactive substances from nuclear power plants and industrial, medical and scientific use are also contributive. Uranium and thorium mining and refining are some of the examples. Heat is a leading cause as it results in the death of several aquatic organisms. A discharge of cooling water by factories and power plants lowers the temperature of the water bodies. Oil pollution is very harmful for coastal wildlife. Oil spreads on huge areas to form oil slicks. If there are trials to sink the oil or chemically treat it, the marine and beach ecosystems may be further disrupted.
Farmers often use chemicals to hinder bug infestations or other diseases from damaging or ruining their crops. They may also use chemicals to enhance the growth of their crops. Either way, these chemicals seep into the ground water or run off into lakes, creeks, or rivers, causing water pollution. Farmland that is irrigated and treated with chemicals in the form of fertilizers or pesticides is a major contributor to water pollution.
Industrial processes produce toxic waste containing heavy metals. When heavy metals filter into water, they are fatal to marine life. Shellfish and fresh fish are staple menu items for people around the world.
Humans are affected by the heavy metals ingested by the fish and shellfish, causing health problems and sometimes death. The heavy metals in water have also been linked to severe birth defects, a damaged or suppressed immune system, cancer, fertility problems, and developmental problems in children.
The construction industry is also at fault for contaminating our water resources with cement, lubricants, plastics and metals. Rivers and lakes are also polluted from heavy silt or sediment run-off from construction sites.
Ground water pollution occurs when chemicals, debris, garbage, oil or other harmful contaminants enter the ground water supply over time. Ground water is often a resource for our drinking water. If it isn’t treated properly, those harmful elements can cause serious health issues for human beings and domestic animals.
Natural catastrophes are the cause of water pollution effects as well. Major upheavals such as storms, earthquakes, acid rain, floods, and volcano eruptions have been known to disrupt the ecological system and pollute water.
The growth of algae due to food items, feces, or urea in the water source is also a source of water pollution. When algae grow in water, it uses up more than its fair share of oxygen, causing other living organisms in the body of water to suffer. Certain types of algae can be fatal if they reach an algal bloom stage, otherwise known as brown or red tides.
The process of contamination begins with tiny organisms called zooplankton and travels up the food chain through clams, birds, marine creatures, and ultimately, humans. These types of algae are considered toxic because they have been known to cause fatalities in humans. Even overgrowths of non-toxic types of algae can effectively block the sunlight from penetrating the water’s surface, which makes it difficult for marine life to find food, causing eventual death.
Littering on the land or on the water is a source of water pollution. Debris tossed onto land eventually makes its way into storm drains and then returns to surface water. Ships and boats discharging human waste or chemicals into the water directly are simply speeding up the pollution process.
Industrial accidents that dump chemicals into the water kill marine life swiftly and within a short period of time. As the fish and plant life decompose, further water pollution occurs. Even sunken ships are a contributor to water pollution. As the ship corrodes and decays over time, those pieces of debris or chemicals are released into the ocean or freshwater lake. Once again, marine life is affected, which means humans who eat those fish or shellfish can be adversely harmed as well.
Effects of Water Pollution
The effects of water pollution are varied and depend on what chemicals are dumped and in what locations.Boston Harbor is a strong example of how badly pollution can damage bodies of water. The water is filled with toxic waste and sewage, and routinely receives more waste when rainfall pushes it into the harbor.
Many bodies of water near urban areas are highly polluted. This is the result of both garbage dumped by individuals and dangerous chemicals legally or illegally dumped by industries.
The main problem caused by water pollution is that it kills life that inhabits water-based ecosystems. Dead fish, birds, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by pollutants in their habitat.
Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Pollutants such as lead and cadmium are eaten by tiny animals. Later, these animals are consumed by fish and shellfish, and the food chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels.
Eventually, humans are affected by this process as well. People can get diseases such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned.
Ecosystems can be severely changed or destroyed by water pollution. Many areas are now being affected by careless human pollution, and this pollution is coming back to hurt humans.
Ways to Overcome Water Pollution
There are many things that ordinary individuals can do as ways to overcome water pollution. One important thing to do is to make sure that toxic products such as paints, oil, gasoline, polishes, cleaning products and household products are properly disposed of. Never wash these types of substances down the drain or flush them down the toilet. These chemicals should never be washed down a driveway with a hose either to prevent them from getting into the water supply. Other important ways to prevent water pollution is to dispose of trash properly. Make sure that trash is not left in the water gutters or storm sewers around the streets. Never flush items such as feminine products or baby diapers down a toilet. This is not only dangerous to your own personal septic system but also interferes with the sewage treatment facility that handles the water wastes. Never throw litter or trash into lakes, streams, ponds, oceans or rivers and if you see any trash in the waters pick them up and dispose of them properly. Another one of the important ways to prevent water pollution is to use environmentally friendly household products such as shampoos, detergents, and toiletries. Also natural fertilizers have a much less harmful effect on the environment and do not contribute to water pollution the way that traditional commercial fertilizers do. Plant ground cover to reduce the amount of topsoil erosion which also plays a factor in water pollution.One of the more obvious but often overlooked ways to help stop water pollution is to simply use less water. By reducing the amount of water used you will be reducing the amount of water that flows in to the sewage treatment systems. This will help the sewage treatment centers to run more effectively and help to prevent water shortages. There are many more ways to prevent water pollution than have been outlined here. By taking an active role in the health of the water that is so necessary to everyday life, water pollution can become a thing of the past.
Causes of Noise Pollution
The causes of noise pollution in general are obvious - construction sites, highway vehicle traffic, industrial companies, air traffic, rail traffic, and others. While many of these sources are unavoidable in daily life, the exposure to them can be kept to a minimum with a little personal effort. The effects of these forms of noise pollution can be reduced by something as simple as rolling up a car window or turning up the television volume. Good urban planning can reduce the number of citizens forced to endure noise pollution by keeping the industrial and transportation sources in a central location away from residential areas. Competent local government has the ability to pass strict regulatory guidelines to suppress the creation of noise pollution, or at the least to discourage those businesses prone to offensive noises. Unfortunately, in many instances the local industrial economy takes priority over personal comfort, as the presence of noise pollution is a sign of local prosperity.Without doubt, the individual is the most common cause of noise pollution, at least as applied to life in a residential community. Home improvement chores that require the use of power tools and lawn equipment are a way of life in every neighborhood, and are generally accepted within reason as part of life and necessary. Add to this those who are just plain rude in their view of others by playing loud music, owning dogs that bark constantly or leaving children unsupervised to create noise havoc, and it is easy to see why noise pollution has become so firmly entrenched in our lives
Effects of Noise Pollution
Human health, noise pollution disturbs our health and behavior in a number of ways including deafness causing lack of sleep, irritability, indigestion, heartburn, high blood pressure, ulcers, and heart disease. Just one noise explosion from a passing truck drastically alters our endocrinal, neurological, and cardiovascular functions in many individuals. If this is prolonged or frequent, the physiological disturbances become chronic and contribute to mental illness.Annoyance, sometimes, even low levels of noise are irritating and can be frustrating, and high volumes can be annoying. Natural sounds are less irritating than those we find uncontrollable but intermittent sounds such as a tap dripping water can be more irritating than the sound of falling rain.
Speech interference, noise more than 50dB can be very difficult to hear and interpret and cause problems such as partial deafness.
Sleep interference, very high levels of noise can wake people from their sleep with a jerk and keep them awake or disturb their sleep pattern. This could make them irritable and tired the next day.
Decreased work performance, increased noise levels gives rise to a lack of concentration and accuracy at work, and reduces one’s productivity and performance. Difficult tasks can be impaired, and instructions or warnings difficult to be heard and interpreted, causing accidents.
Ways to Overcome Noise Pollution
- Rake leaves by hand, don't use a noisy leaf blower.
- Trim bushes or shrubs by hand, don't use a noisy bush trimmer.
- Sound proof rooms that might have music conducted in them, like a room with a piano or if someone in the house plays drums or guitar or whatever. This can be done simply with curtains, window inserts, carpeting, and closing windows and doors.
- Don't blast music on the radio or computer or speakers. Be considerate of your own ears and those of other around you.
- Don't slam doors / car doors, close them easily and with only as much force as needed. (People don't usually think of this, but imagine - how loud is it when you slam your car door? Pretty tolerable. But imagine thousands of people doing so. Now that can start to get loud.
- Turn off the TV or radio when you aren't actually fully listening to it.
- Train your dog not to bark so much.
- Don't yell. Have civil conversations. Call someone or go find them instead of yelling across the street for them, for example.
- Plant trees and bushes around you house. They help keep the air clean, absorb sound, give privacy, and add nice design and looks to a house.
- Do noisy things (dishes, hammering, etc.) over or on a rubber mat to reduce noise.
- Put carpets, rugs, mats, throw rugs, etc. in your house / mats outside.
- Put fabric window coverings instead of plastic or wooden shades / blinds.
- Don't rev up a motorcycle or car unless it is actually needed for the drive.
- Don't beep your car horn "just because", make sure it is a legitimate reason.
Though it is difficult to think of it as a pollutant, noise in excess does cause a lot of damage.
1) A simple measure to cut down on this form of pollution include keeping the volume of the TV and the music system low.
2) Using the horn in your vehicle sparingly, when absolutely necessary will eliminate a lot of noise from our streets.
3) Cutting down the use of loud speakers at public functions will help in maintaining the peace and quiet in a locality.
For our health and happiness, as well as that of our children, it is absolutely essential that the various forms of pollution are limited to the extent possible. By adopting some of the above measures we can contribute towards this noble cause.
1) A simple measure to cut down on this form of pollution include keeping the volume of the TV and the music system low.
2) Using the horn in your vehicle sparingly, when absolutely necessary will eliminate a lot of noise from our streets.
3) Cutting down the use of loud speakers at public functions will help in maintaining the peace and quiet in a locality.
For our health and happiness, as well as that of our children, it is absolutely essential that the various forms of pollution are limited to the extent possible. By adopting some of the above measures we can contribute towards this noble cause.
Causes of Thermal Pollution
Thermal pollution occurs when changes in the temperature of water adversely affect the species living there. Most of these thermal changes are caused by man, often in the form of pollution caused by factories using water as a coolant. When the water is released back into the body from whence it came it is much warmer, causing many ill effects.Warm water depletes oxygen, adversely affecting fish and amphibians. A temperature change of even one to two degrees Celsius can cause enough stress on young fish or eggs that they will die. Even cool water, released from reservoirs into water in warmer climates, can cause death in the local aquatic ecosystems.
Effects of Thermal Pollution
Warm water typically decreases the level of dissolved oxygen in the water. The decrease in levels of dissolved oxygen can harm aquatic animals such as fish, amphibians and copepods. Thermal pollution may also increase the metabolic rate of aquatic animals, as enzyme activity, resulting in these organisms consuming more food in a shorter time than if their environment were not changed. An increased metabolic rate may result in food source shortages, causing a sharp decrease in a population. Changes in the environment may also result in a migration of organisms to another, more suitable environment, and to in-migration of organisms that normally only live in warmer waters elsewhere. This leads to competition for fewer resources; the more adapted organisms moving in may have an advantage over organisms that are not used to the warmer temperature. As a result one has the problem of compromising food chains of the old and new environments. Biodiversity can be decreased as a result.In the 1970s there was considerable activity from scientists in quantifying effects of thermal pollution. Hydrologists, physicists, meteorologists, and computer scientists combined their skills in one of the first interdisciplinary pursuits of the modern environmental science era. First came the application of Gaussian function dispersal modeling that forecasts how a thermal plume is formed from a thermal point source and predicts the distribution of aquatic temperatures. The ultimate model was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introducing the statistical variations in meteorology to predict the resulting plume from a thermal outfall.
Coal-burning power plants are known producers of thermal pollution in nearby bodies of water that they use as cooling ponds. This research focused on the effects that thermal pollution caused by the Marshall Steam Station had on Lake Norman, North Carolina. It was found that dissolved oxygen in the steam station's discharge cove was decreased by approximately four mg/L as compared to a site ten miles upstream, and was decreased by about three mg/L as compared to a cove several hundred yards downstream. Temperatures of the surface water in the discharge
Ways to Overcome Thermal Pollution
1. Theoretically, when efficiency of any heat engine is equal to 1.0 then it will convert 100% of heat energy to mechanical energy. So there will be no loss of heat to the environment. This is practically impossible. Rather, we should aim at maximizing the efficiency of heat engines (steam, IC, nuclear etc) so that heat loss is minimum.2. Reduce mechanical friction in any rotating parts.
3. Avoid consuming energy more than necessity. Burn less coal, oil or gas.
4. Temperature signal conditioners accept outputs from temperature measurement devices such as resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermocouples, and thermistors. They then filter, amplify, and/or convert these outputs to digital signals, or to levels suitable for digitization
5. Industrial fans and industrial blowers and commercial fans and blowers are designed to move air and/or powders in industrial and commercial settings. Typical applications include air circulation for personnel, exhaust or material handling.
Thermal pollution from power plants and factories is relatively easy to control. Instead of discharging heated water into lakes and streams, power plants and factories can pass the heated water through cooling towers or cooling ponds, where evaporation cools the water before it is discharged. Alternatively, power plants can be designed or refitted to be more efficient and to produce less waste heat in the first place. In a process called cogeneration, the excess heat energy from generating electricity can be used in another manufacturing process that needs such energy. Where homes or other buildings are located near industrial plants, waste hot water can be used for heating—an arrangement often found in Scandinavian towns and cities, and proposed for use in China.In the United States, the problem of industrial thermal pollution was first addressed in 1970, when Congress gave the Atomic Energy Commission authority to regulate thermal pollution from nuclear power plants. In 1972, the comprehensive Clean Water Act instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to issue regulations to clean up all hot water discharges from all power plants, nuclear or conventional. Since then, thermal pollution from power plants has not been a major issue in the United States.
To overcome thermal pollution due to devegetation, the prescription is simple: do not devegetate. Landowners can leave strips of trees and vegetation along streams and shorelines. Grazing livestock can be kept away from streamside by fencing. All efforts to control erosion also have the effect of keeping water clearer and, thus, cooler.
As a practical matter, however, thermal pollution from devegetation is quite hard to overcome because it is caused by the cumulative effect of many peoples’ actions, most of which are individually minor. Regulations focus on a few of the most important threats. Grazing management plans, for instance, are intended to counter thermal pollution and other problems on lands owned by the federal government. In the United States, regulations governing logging on both public and private lands supposedly protect streamside, though enforcement is often lax. Elsewhere, streamside protection is largely up to private landowners, encouraged and aided by such advisory organizations as the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service and cooperative Resource Conservation Districts.
