Sie sind auf Seite 1von 8

Pollution

Presence of matter or energy whose nature, location, or quantity directly or


indirectly alters characteristics or processes of any part of the environment,
and causes damage to the condition, health, safety, or welfare of animals,
humans, plants, or property.
Air pollution
The condition in which air is contaminated by foreign substances, or the
substances themselves.
Air pollution consists of gaseous, liquid, or solid substances that, when
present in sufficient concentration, for a sufficient time, and under certain
conditions, tend to interfere with human comfort, health or welfare, and
cause environmental damage. Air pollution causes acid rain, ozone depletion,
photochemical smog, and other such phenomena.
Sources of air pollution
There are four main types of air pollution sources:

mobile sources such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains


stationary sources such as power plants, oil refineries, industrial facilities, and
factories
area sources such as agricultural areas, cities, and wood burning fireplaces
natural sources such as wind-blown dust, wildfires, and volcanoes
Effects of Air pollution
1. Respiratory and heart problems: The effects of Air pollution are alarming.
They are known to create several respiratory and heart conditions along with
Cancer, among other threats to the body. Several millions are known to have
died due to direct or indirect effects of Air pollution. Children in areas
exposed to air pollutants are said to commonly suffer from pneumonia and
asthma.
2. Global warming: Another direct effect is the immediate alterations that the
world is witnessing due to Global warming. With increased temperatures
worldwide, increase in sea levels and melting of ice from colder regions and
icebergs, displacement and loss of habitat have already signaled an
impending disaster if actions for preservation and normalization arent
undertaken soon.
3. Acid Rain: Harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are
released into the atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels. When it rains,
the water droplets combines with these air pollutants, becomes acidic and

then falls on the ground in the form of acid rain. Acid rain can cause great
damage to human, animals and crops.
4. Eutrophication: Eutrophication is a condition where high amount of
nitrogen present in some pollutants gets developed on seas surface and
turns itself into algae and and adversely affect fish, plants and animal
species. The green colored algae that is present on lakes and ponds is due to
presence of this chemical only.
5. Effect on Wildlife: Just like humans, animals also face some devastating
effects of air pollution. Toxic chemicals present in the air can force wildlife
species to move to new place and change their habitat. The toxic pollutants
deposit over the surface of the water and can also affect sea animals.
6. Depletion of Ozone layer: Ozone exists in earths stratosphere and is
responsible for protecting humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Earths
ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of chlorofluorocarbons, hydro
chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. As ozone layer will go thin, it will
emit harmful rays back on earth and can cause skin and eye related
problems. UV rays also have the capability to affect crops.
Water pollution
is the contamination of water bodies (e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and
groundwater). This form of environmental degradation occurs when
pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without
adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.
Sources of water pollution
Direct sources include effluent outfalls from factories, refineries, waste
treatment plants etc... That emit fluids of varying quality directly into urban
water supplies. In the United States and other countries, these practices are
regulated, although this doesn't mean that pollutants can't be found in these
waters.
Indirect sources include contaminants that enter the water supply from
soils/groundwater systems and from the atmosphere via rain water. Soils and
groundwater contain the residue of human agricultural practices (fertilizers,
pesticides, etc..) and improperly disposed of industrial wastes. Atmospheric
contaminants are also derived from human practices (such as gaseous
emissions from automobiles, factories and even bakeries).
Effects of water pollution
The effects of water pollution are varied. They include poisonous drinking
water, poisonous food animals (due to these organisms having bio
accumulated toxins from the environment over their life spans), unbalanced

river and lake ecosystems that can no longer support full biological diversity,
deforestation from acid rain, and many other effects. These effects are, of
course, specific to the various contaminants.
Soil pollution
is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other
alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial
activity, agricultural chemicals, or improper disposal of waste. (Xenobiotic is
a foreign chemical substance found within an organism that is not normally
naturally produced by or expected to be present within that organism. It can
also cover substances which are present in much higher concentrations than
are usual.)
Causes of Land Pollution
Below are the sources of land pollution:
1. Deforestation and soil erosion: Deforestation carried out to create dry
lands is one of the major concerns. Land that is once converted into a dry or
barren land, can never be made fertile again, whatever the magnitude of
measures to redeem it are. Land conversion, meaning the alteration or
modification of the original properties of the land to make it use-worthy for a
specific purpose is another major cause. This hampers the land immensely.
Also there is a constant waste of land. Unused available land over the years
turns barren; this land then cannot be used. So in search of more land,
potent land is hunted and its indigenous state is compromised with.
2. Agricultural activities: With growing human population, demand for food
has increased considerably. Farmers often use highly toxic fertilizers and
pesticides to get rid off insects, fungi and bacteria from their crops. However
with the overuse of these chemicals, they result in contamination and
poisoning of soil.
3. Mining activities: During extraction and mining activities, several land
spaces are created beneath the surface. We constant hear about land caving
in; this is nothing but natures way of filling the spaces left out after mining
or extraction activity.
4. Overcrowded landfills: Each household produces tonnes of garbage each
year. Garbage like aluminum, plastic, paper, cloth, wood is collected and sent
to the local recycling unit. Items that cannot be recycled become a part of
the landfills that hampers the beauty of the city and cause land pollution.
5. Industrialization: Due to increase in demand for food, shelter and house,
more goods are produced. This resulted in creation of more waste that needs
to be disposed of. To meet the demand of the growing population, more

industries were developed which led to deforestation. Research and


development paved the way for modern fertilizers and chemicals that were
highly toxic and led to soil contamination.
6. Construction activities: Due to urbanization, large amount of construction
activities are taking place which has resulted in large waste articles like
wood, metal, bricks, plastic that can be seen by naked eyes outside any
building or office which is under construction.
7. Nuclear waste: Nuclear plants can produce huge amount of energy
through nuclear fission and fusion. The left over radioactive material contains
harmful and toxic chemicals that can affect human health. They are dumped
beneath the earth to avoid any casualty.
8. Sewage treatment: Large amount of solid waste is leftover once the
sewage has been treated. The leftover material is sent to landfill site which
end up in polluting the environment.
Effects of Land Pollution
1. Soil pollution: Soil pollution is another form of land pollution, where the
upper layer of the soil is damaged. This is caused by the overuse of chemical
fertilizers, soil erosion caused by running water and other pest control
measures; this leads to loss of fertile land for agriculture, forest cover, fodder
patches for grazing etc.
2. Change in climate patterns: The effects of land pollution are very
hazardous and can lead to the loss of ecosystems. When land is polluted, it
directly or indirectly affects the climate patterns.
3. Environmental Impact: When deforestation is committed, the tree cover is
compromised on. This leads to a steep imbalance in the rain cycle. A
disturbed rain cycle affects a lot of factors. To begin with, the green cover is
reduced. Trees and plants help balance the atmosphere, without them we are
subjected to various concerns like Global warming, the greenhouse effect,
irregular rainfall and flash floods among other imbalances.
4. Effect on human health: The land when contaminated with toxic chemicals
and pesticides lead to problem of skin cancer and human respiratory system.
The toxic chemicals can reach our body through foods and vegetables that
we eat as they are grown in polluted soil.

5. Cause Air pollution: Landfills across the city keep on growing due to
increase in waste and are later burned which leads to air pollution. They
become home for rodents, mice etc which in turn transmit diseases.

6. Distraction for Tourist: The city loses its attraction as tourist destination as
landfills do not look good when you move around the city. It leads to loss of
revenue for the state government.
7. Effect on wildlife: The animal kingdom has suffered mostly in the past
decades. They face a serious threat with regards to loss of habitat and
natural environment. The constant human activity on land, is leaving it
polluted; forcing these species to move further away and adapt to new
regions or die trying to adjust. Several species are pushed to the verge of
extinction, due to no homeland.
Other issues that we face include increased temperature, unseasonal
weather activity, acid rains etc. The discharge of chemicals on land, makes
it dangerous for the ecosystem too. These chemicals are consumed by the
animals and plants and thereby make their way in the ecosystem. This
process is called bio magnification and is a serious threat to the ecology.
Natural disasters
Typhoon
A typhoon is a violent tropical cyclone, in meteorological term, which is a low
pressure system occurring in tropical oceans. The winds above the ground
circulate around the center counterclockwise for a typhoon occurring in the
northern hemisphere and clockwise for that occurring in the southern
hemisphere.
Flood
an overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its normal confines,
especially over what is normally dry land.
Cause of flood
A flood is caused by a combination of heavy rainfall causing river / oceans to
over flow their banks, and can happen at any time of the year, not just in the
winter.
Effects of flooding

Floods can have devastating consequences and can have effects on the
economy, environment and people.
Problems caused by floods Economic
During floods (especially flash floods), roads, bridges, farms, houses and
automobiles are destroyed. People become homeless. Additionally, the

government deploys firemen, police and other emergency apparatuses to


help the affected. All these come at a heavy cost to people and the
government. It usually takes years for affected communities to be re-built
and business to come back to normalcy.
Problems caused by floods Environment
The environment also suffers when floods happen. Chemicals and other
hazardous substances end up in the water and eventually contaminate the
water bodies that floods end up in. In 2011, a huge tsunami hit Japan, and
sea water flooded a part of the coastline. The flooding caused massive
leakage in nuclear plants and has since caused high radiation in that area.
Authorities in Japan fear that Fukushima radiation levels are 18 times higher
than even thought.
Additionally, flooding causes kills animals, and others insects are introduced
to affected areas, distorting the natural balance of the ecosystem.
How does flash flood affect animals problems caused by floods People and
animals
Many people and animals have died in flash floods. Many more are injured
and others made homeless. Water supply and electricity are disrupted and
people struggle and suffer as a result. In addition to this, flooding brings a lot
of diseases and infections including military fever, pneumonic plague,
dermatopathia and dysentery. Sometimes insects and snakes make their
ways to the area and cause a lot of havoc.
Volcanic eruptions
A volcanic eruption occurs when hot materials are thrown out of a volcano.
Lava, rocks, dust, ash and gas compounds are some of the materials.
The effects of volcanic eruptions
Unlike other natural disasters such as floods, wild fires and earthquakes,
volcanoes can have some positive effects, even though they can be very
disastrous.
Let us see some negative effects of volcanoes:
Eruptions occurring close to human settlements may spill and destroy lives
and property. People often have to be evacuated.
Ash discharged very high into the stratosphere can have negative
consequences on the ozone layer. Read more about that here.
Volcano fact Landscapes and natural sceneries can be destroyed.

Ash and mud can mix with rain and melting snow, forming lahars. Lahars are
mudflows flowing at very fast pace.
Some positive effects of volcanoes include:
Different types of erupting volcanoes provide extraordinary scenery, so
beautiful and natural that they attract tourists to the area, bringing in some
economic value.
Places close to volcanic activities tend to have higher potential for
geothermal energy, which can be an advantage to the towns and cities.
some ash and lava breakdown become soils that are rich in nutrients, and
become good areas for crop planting activities.
Mass Wasting
The downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under.
Types of mass wasting
Flow - The debris is moving downslope as a viscous fluid. A
mudflow is a flowing mixture of debris and water, usually moving down a
channel.
Slump - involves movement along a curved surface, the upper part moving
downward while the lower part moves outward.
Slide - A descending rock mass remaining relatively coherent, moving along
one or more well defined surfaces. A rock slide is the rapid sliding of a mass
of bed rock along an inclined surface of weakness. such as bedding plane or
a major fracture. In contrast, a rock avalanche is a very rapidly moving,
turbulent mass of broken-up bed rock.
Fall - occurs when material free-falls or bounces down a cliff.
Controlling Factors in Mass Wasting
Water - When debris is saturated with water (as from a heavy rain or melting
snow), it becomes heavier and is more likely to flow downslope. Interestingly
when a small amount of water in soil forms a thin film around each grain the
surface tension of the water holds the grains together. It is surface tension
which makes wet beach near the surf zone relatively hard and strong. In
contrast, dry sand further up the beach has little strength because the
surface film is gone. Likewise, when sand become saturated (water fills all
the pore space), the surface tension no longer acts and the grains may be
forced apart by the water. In this latter case, the grains can slide easily and,
so, the sand or soil become very weak can easily slide down a slope.
Local relief - Steeper relief always speeds mass wasting.

Thickness of debris - Great thicknesses of debris favor downslope movement.


Creep - is a very slow, continuous, downslope movement of soil or
unconsolidated debris.
Earthflow - debris moves downslope as a viscous fluid.
Solifluction - is the flow of water-saturated debris over impermeable material.
The impermeable material causes the cover to become saturated so that
surface tension bonds between grains are removed.
Permafrost - is ground that remains frozen for many years. This type of
ground is impermeable the is commonly associated with solifluction in Arctic
areas.
Triggering of Mass-wasting- Several types of events can trigger mass wasting
including earthquake shocks, slope modification by erosion or man-made
cuts, exceptional precipitation, and volcanic eruptions.
Climate change
Is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that
change lasts for an extended period of time (i.e., decades to millions of
years).

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen