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Air pollution is caused by many things, earth is very good at cleaning the air on its own, though through the years air pollution has gotten to a very bad point where earth can no longer clean all of the pollution we produce which has now started to have very bad effects on our environment such as causing acid rain, smog and a lot of health problems. There are a variety of things that cause air pollution like for example cars, airplanes and other engine vehicles.
All these engine vehicles release a great amount of pollution into the air which contains carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and gaseous oxide which all cause smog as seen in Los Angels which unfortunately cause a lot of respiratory health problems and holes in the ozone layer which is the layer that protects us form the harmful rays of the sun which means by these holes being created with all this air pollution we are exposing ourselves to the sun’s harmful rays which can also cause skin cancer.
There is also factories, office buildings, Home and power generating stations which burn fossil fuels and cause even more air pollution. The burning of oil and coal from fossil fuels also is a big contributor of smog all the air pollution released form these stories, office buildings, homes and power generating stations destroys plants, damages buildings and creates oxidation on iron. Radioactive fallout causes air pollution form the nuclear energy dispersed, which is dust.
Pesticides used to kill indoor and outdoor pests, insecticide use to kill insects and herbicides used to kill weeds also cause air pollution. Fertilizer dust used in many farms all farms I think which is supposed to help plants grow also causes air pollution. Mills and plants, include paper mills, chemical plants, iron mills, steel mills, cement plants and asphalt plants, release emissions into he air causing even more pollution.
Soil Pollution (Soil contamination) is caused when soil loses its structure and biological properties and chemical properties because of a lot of man-made chemicals and other natural changes in the soil environment soil pollution is more commonly developed in USA and the United Kingdom than in any other place which are believed to be a big contribution form chemicals such as fertilizers the salinity of the oil and environmental changes. Excessive use of chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers are one of the principle factors causing soil pollution.
The chemicals affect the soil by increasing its salinity and making it imperfect for crop bearing. They also affect the microorganisms presenting the soil causing the soil to lose its fertility and resulting in loss of minerals present in the soil thus causing soil pollution. There is also soil erosion, soil erosion occurs when topsoil moves from one place to another as a result of many natural and man-made factors such as wind, water, deforestation and farming which causes the soil to be unable to hold water and so then the soil becomes rendered unfit to produce crops.
There is also chemical runoff form industries and factories petroleum ND other oil leaks form vehicles and improper discharge of sewage wastes. Water Pollution is caused by Industry companies and business that produce Harmful chemicals and products that are often let the polluted water flow back into the rivers and streams like for example nuclear power plants are very harmful because it pumps radiated water into lakes and rivers which are near facilities. There is also solid waste which includes and are a major part of pollution to water are paper and plastics one of the most harmful waste to our water supply especially to our ocean.
Cleaning products such as detergents and household chemicals are growing in danger to the American water systems, which come from washing machines which are dumped down the drain, also there is Drainage systems on the highways this happens when rain falls on the highways and cleans oil and auto exhaust from the pavement and flushes them into the water system Here like in air water and soil pollution contributes Pesticides and fertilizer affects every single one of them causing pollution harming our planet our Only planet.
Point source pollution comes from a single source such as factory or wastewater treatment plan, also like when people dispose footings wrongly ND they end up in the rivers. Nonprofit source pollution does not have one specific source, this is contributed from an everyday life activities such as fertilizing a lawn of driving a car, pesticides, pet waste, motor oil, and household hazardous wastes all of these pollutants get either washed or dumped into the storm sewer flowing directly to a stream or lake without treatment.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CIFS) are a group of compounds that contain the elements chlorine, fluorine and carbon. At room temperatures, they are usually colorless gases or liquids which evaporate easily. They are nearly enervative and stable, non-toxic and non-flammable. CIFS are unlikely to have any direct impact on the environment in the immediate vicinity of their release. As Voss, they may be slightly involved in reactions to produce ground level ozone, which can cause damage to plants and materials on a local scale. At a global level however, releases of CIFS have serious environmental consequences.
Their long lifetimes in the atmosphere mean that some end up in the higher atmosphere (stratosphere) where they can destroy the ozone layer, thus reducing the protection it offers the earth from he sun’s harmful IV rays. CIFS also contribute to Global Warming (through “the Greenhouse Effect”). Although the amounts emitted are relatively small, they have a powerful warming effect (a very high “Global Warming Potential”). Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth’s carbon cycle (the natural circulation Of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, and animals).
Human activities are altering the carbon cycle??both by adding more CA to the atmosphere and by influencing the ability of natural sinks, like forests, to remove CA from the atmosphere. While CA emissions come from a variety of natural sources, human-related emissions are responsible for the increase that has occurred in the atmosphere. The main human activity that emits CA is the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for energy and transportation, although certain industrial processes and land-use changes also emit CA- pH- Pesticide runoff is the movement of water and any contaminants across the soil surface.
It occurs when irrigation, rain or snow melt adds water to a surface faster than it can enter the soil. Water running off the land towards annals, streams, rivers and lakes can also move chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers. Pesticides may be moving with the runoff water if dissolved in the water or adsorbed to eroding soil particles. How much a pesticide will move from the area where it was applied depends on a complex interaction of pesticide and soil properties with weather conditions and site characteristics.
Thermal pollution is the act of altering the temperature of a natural Water body, which may be a river, lake or ocean environment. This condition chiefly arises from the waste heat generated by an industrial recess such as certain power generation plants. The concept is most frequently discussed in the context of elevating natural water temperature, but may also be caused by the release of cooler water from the base of reservoirs into warmer rivers. Elevated river temperatures can also arise from deforestation or arbitration that can reduce stream shading.
Thermal pollution is one parameter of the broader subject of water pollution. There can be significant environmental consequences of thermal pollution with respect to surface receiving waters such as rivers and lakes; in particular, crease in biodiversity and creation of an environment hospitable to alien aquatic species may occur. Regulation of thermal pollution has been more elusive than for other forms of water pollution, although straightforward mitigation measures are available, especially in the case of elevated temperature discharges.
Metallic ions- Heavy metal pollution can arise from many sources but most commonly arises from the purification of metals, the smelting of copper and the preparation of nuclear fuels. Electroplating is the primary source of chromium and cadmium. Through precipitation of their compounds or by ion exchange into soils and mud, heavy metal pollutants can localize and lay dormant. Unlike organic pollutants, heavy metals do not decay and thus pose a different kind of challenge for remediation. Currently, plants or microorganisms are tentatively used to remove some heavy metals such as mercury. Lands which exhibit hyper accumulation can be used to remove heavy metals from soils by concentrating them in their bio matter. Some treatment of mining tailings has occurred where the vegetation is then incinerated to recover the heavy metals. One of the largest problems associated with the persistence of heavy metals is the potential for accumulation and bio magna fixation causing heavier exposure for some organisms than is present in the environment alone. Coastal fish (such as the smooth taffies) and seabirds (such as the Atlantic Puffin) are often monitored for the presence of such contaminants.
Nuclear Waste The creation of huge quantities of long-lived radioactive waste is the most formidable problem facing the nuclear power industry today. The difficulty of waste disposal was not considered to be a big problem during the time when power plants were first introduced; it was assumed that waste could be recycled or buried. Unfortunately, finding safe ways of storing radioactive wastes so that they do not leak radiation into the environment has proved to be a much more difficult task than anticipated. Radioactivity occurs when unstable nuclei of atoms decay and emit particles.
These particles may have high energy and can have bad effects on living tissue. There are many types of radiation. The planet’s water cycle is the main way radiation gets spread about the environment. When radioactive waste mixes with Water, it is ferried through this water cycle. Radionuclide’s in water are absorbed by surrounding agitation and ingested by local marine and animal life. Radiation can also be in the air and can get deposited on people, plants, animals, and soil. People can inhale or ingest radionuclide’s in air, drinking water, or food.
Depending on the half-life of the radiation, it could stay in a person for much longer than a lifetime. The half-life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to one half of its original amount. Some materials have half-lives of more than 1 ,OHO years! How temperature inversions impact weather conditions If you have ever noticed the change in temperature as you go to a higher elevation, such as driving up a mountain road to the summit, then you have probably noticed that it is much cooler at the top.
This is the norm throughout the world, explaining why snow often caps mountains while the land thousands of feet below doesn’t have any accumulation. But you may not know that these typical atmospheric conditions arena ‘t always in place. When the temperatures reverse, it is known as a temperature inversion, and it can have varying effects on the conditions where you are. The sun’s radiant energy is mostly converted to heat at the earth’s surface level, and that heat ends to warm the air closest to the ground first.
The warm air rises and cools as it disperses in the atmosphere. Sometimes, usually on clear nights with calm winds, the surface temperature drops rapidly when the sun goes down. Since the air doesn’t conduct heat very well, the surface gets cool while some of the air above remains warm. This is a temperature inversion. Hazy Skies One of the most noticeable effects of a temperature inversion is on air quality. During the winter, temperature inversions are stronger and more common. This is generally when air quality suffers most as a result of imperative inversions.
The warm air on top of the cool air acts as a lid, trapping pollution such as car emissions and smoke from fireplaces close to the ground. This results in hazy skies and poor air quality. Cloud Formations Temperature inversions are also responsible for certain cloud formations. When clouds form just below the inversion in the sky, they spread out and have a very flat smooth appearance. These clouds are often seen over cool ocean waters where temperature inversions are common. Thunderstorm Prevention While a temperature inversion sounds like something that might cake the atmosphere unstable, it actually has the opposite effect.
Temperature inversions can keep thunderstorms from forming. Most thunderstorms happen during hot and humid weather at the surface, but they are unable to strengthen if the tops of the storms are unable to rise and retain their heat energy. When the typical temperatures are applied to the atmosphere with cooler temperatures at higher altitudes, it actually forms an unstable air layer that Global warming is caused from warm Waters and more hurricanes. Pollution is a cause of global warming causing the air to be warmer.
When the air is warmer it Will melt the polar ice caps much quicker leaving more land covered by water The greenhouse effect actually comes from a combination of two problems: air pollution and massive tree-cutting. The earth really does need the greenhouse effect to regulate its temperature. The greenhouse effect can best be explained by describing what happens in a greenhouse in a greenhouse, heat from the sun enters the glass. The heat in the form of infra-red light bounces and heads back up towards the glass. The glass then allows only some of this heat to escape, but reflects back another oration.
This heat remains bouncing within the greenhouse. In the case of planet Earth, there is no glass, but there is an atmosphere which retains heat or releases heat. In the prehistoric times, the Earth had no problems, since the composition of the atmosphere remained RELATIVELY constant, so heat was released or retained in a regular manner. However, with humans came technology, technology to build big polluting machines. These machines, in the burning of fossil fuels quickly added carbon monoxide and dioxide to the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide readily retains heat.
With more carbon dioxide n the atmosphere, more heat is kept in the Earth, and a warming trend begins. If the Earth’s temperature just rises a few degrees, the polar ice caps could melt, causing flooding of coastal cities, many of which are currently major economic and political centers of the world. To fix this, we need to reduce the emissions of pollution. Now this wouldn’t be quite so bad because of trees. However, the trees are rapidly disappearing. Plants, including trees, as part Of the process Of photosynthesis, take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
Taking in the carbon dioxide would help solve the excess CA problem. The trees which would help us with this problem lie in forests, because of the sheer number that are located there. However, these forests are rapidly being cut down. They are cut dioxide, to ensure that planetary temperatures remain stable down for many reasons, such as for wood for building and furniture, or for paper products, or even just too clear space for housing or for livestock grazing. Nevertheless, our chance at fixing our greenhouse effect problem is being cut down.
This is why we must use recycled goods; to keep trees available for fixing the carbon dioxide problem we have already made. At the same time we must reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide, to ensure that planetary temperatures remain stable Ozone layer- Even minor problems of ozone depletion can have major effects. Every time even a small amount of the ozone layer is lost, more ultraviolet light from the sun can reach the Earth. Every time 1 % of the ozone layer is depleted, 2% more LLC-B is able to reach the surface of the planet.
XIV-B increase is one of the most harmful consent ounces of ozone depletion because it can cause skin cancer. The increased cancer levels caused by exposure to this ultraviolet light could be enormous. The EPA estimates that 60 million Americans born by the year 2075 will get skin cancer because of ozone depletion. About one million of these people will die. In addition to cancer, some research shows that a decreased ozone layer will increase rates of malaria and other infectious diseases. According to the EPA, 17 million more cases of cataracts can also be expected.
The environment will also be negatively affected by ozone depletion. The life cycles of plants will change, disrupting the food chain. Effects on animals will also be severe, and are very difficult to foresee. Oceans will be hit hard as well. The most basic microscopic organisms such as plankton may not be able to survive. If that happened, it would mean that all of the other animals that are above plankton in the food chain would also die out. Other ecosystems such as forests and deserts will also be harmed. The planet’s climate could also be affected by depletion of the ozone layer.
Wind patterns could change, resulting in climatic changes throughout the world. Effects of aquatic viability Toxic contamination, Transportation, Pathogen Contamination, Habitat loss & alteration, Floating debris in the ocean, Changes in living resources, Wildlife population decline Negative Impact on Aquatic Different views on existence of global warming: Many of the critics of the consensus view on global warming have disagreed, in whole or part, with the scientific consensus regarding other issues, particularly those relating to environmental risks, such as ozone depletion, EDT, and passive smoking.
Chris Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science, has argued that the appearance of overlapping groups of skeptical scientists, commentators and think tanks in seemingly unrelated controversies results from an organized attempt to replace scientific analysis with political ideology. Mooney says that the promotion of doubt regarding issues that are politically, but not scientifically, controversial became increasingly prevalent under the Bush Administration, which, he says, regularly distorted and/or suppressed scientific research to further its own political aims.
Some critics of the scientific consensus on global warming have argued that these issues should not be linked and that reference to them constitutes an unjustified ad hominid attack.