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Man's Effect on the Environment 1) SOURCES OF POLLUTION Freshwater Environments: Man pollutes freshwater all over the world in many ways there is much waste and pollution that ends up in rivers. One of the main hazards is called eutrophication, this process becomes enriched with artificial nutrients from fertilisers which run off into the rivers and upset the natural nutrient cycle of the river, lake or pond. The water turns green because of the algae which when they die multiple using up all the oxygen. Similar consequences occur if raw sewage is pumped into a river. Chemical waste from factories dump their un wanted waste into rivers, lakes or ponds as well.
One major component that effects the water wildlife is the insecticide DDT which damages animal tissue and is dangerous to humans, this can be passed along the food chain. Marine Environments: 80 % of the waste which is pumped into the sea each year is produced by dredging, 10 % is industrial waste and 10 % is sewage. Some of the consequences due to this are: - presence of toxic substances and the rapid uptake of contaminants by marine organisms to name but a few. Oil spillages either by tankers or offshore ridges cause devastating effects on the local environments. Oil is extremely dense which means it floats on top of the water and can kill fish and birds, ruin beaches but nothing as yet has been invented to deal with this major problem. Dangerous metals such as mercury, arsenic and lead are also dumped into the sea.
All of these examples have the ability to kill and damage the environment around it. Agricultural Environments: Unwanted plants or insects are nowadays killed with by herbicides and insecticides, in this case chemical rather than biological are used. Pesticides have the ability to damage the local environment, while herbicides may kill wild flowers as well as weeds and insecticides may kill Kris Charik R 10 D harmful pests but it can also kill butterflies and moths. Some of these chemicals are even dangerous to humans as well. 2) FIVE MAJOR POLLUTANTS: SULPHUR DIOXIDE Sulphur Dioxide comes from both car and factory emissions. Sulphur Dioxide is a poisonous gas which can kill plants and is the main gas that is involved in Acid Rain. Oil Oil can be spilt into our oceans by tankers and from Oil rigs themselves.
It is denser than water and therefore floats on it and is taken to shore by the sea. At this point the oil can seriously damage the beach and it's wildlife eg fish. The detergents that have been invented sometimes cause more damage than the oil itself but nowadays they use less destructive. Lead Lead is found in cars exhausts and some plants. It can cause brain damage and various mental disabilities. Lead free petrol are now used world wide.
Fertilisers Eutrophication from fertilisers running off the fields and into rivers and lakes causes abnormal plant growth. It causes bad these, odours and algae and other things like precipitation of calcium carbonate. Treatment in aerobic or anaerobic lagoons can control it. Kris Charik R 10 D Nitrous Oxides This comes from factories which burn fossil fuels and from car emissions as well.
When reacted with sunlight, mature and oxidants it produces sulphuric and nitric acids. These then get mixed up with the water cycle and fall to earth as Acid Rain. Catalytic Converters are used in cars now to reduce the amount of harmful emissions given off. You can also use cleaner power such as Hydro and Nuclear which would also reduce the amount of harmful emissions given off. 3) ATMOSPHERE POLLUTION: Global warming: Green house gases include: Carbon Dioxide released from Combustion fossil fuels, Methane produced from ruminants- released from gut into atmosphere and CFC's from aerosol cans. These gases which are infrared radiation are reflected toward's the earth's surface, this hot air becomes trapped in our troposphere creating global warming. Because of global warming: - High winds heavier rains Polar ice caps melting and causing sea levels to rise.
Water evaporates from fertile area - crop losses Extended range of pests Although there are a lot of bad points the only good one is the fact that the rate of photosynthesis is increasing due to more carbon Dioxide and higher temperatures. Ozone Depletion: the ozone absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation which causes sunburn, skin cancer, cataracts and damage to DNA. Human effect on our planet effecting ozone levels CFC's-decreases amounts of our high level ozone layer eg used in aerosols. Fossil fuel increases low level ozone as the nitrogen produced reacts with oxygen.
Low-level ozone causes problems by acting as a greenhouse gas which causes smog which in turn causes throat, eye and lung irritations and decreases crops by damaging mesophyll in leaves. Kris Charik R 10 D Acid Rain: This is caused by releasing such gases as Sulphur and nitrogen, unburned hydrocarbon fuels and oxides into the atmosphere. The major problems caused by acid rain are as follows: - Soils becoming acidic causing leaching and in habitation of decay. Food chains disrupted due to water in rivers and lakes collecting excessive amounts of minerals which kills living organisms eg fish. Starvation of forest trees due to leaching of ions. Catalytic converters are used on cars to reduce emissions and therefore cutting down acid rain.
You can also use hydro and nuclear power to cut down the number of harmful emissions which factories pump into the atmosphere. 4) RECYCLING PROCESSES: Compost: is the collection of organic plant material which are left to decay in compost heaps normally found in gardens or farms. The decayed material is full of nutrients and can be used on soils to increase their nutrient content of Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus to make soil more fertile. Organic fertilisers: is the avoidance of using synthetically produced fertilisers in the process of growing plants or crops. This is involved with recycling as crop residues, animal manure, ...
Free research essays on topics related to: reduce the amount, harmful emissions, fossil fuels, sulphur dioxide, acid rain
Research essay sample on Reduce The Amount Sulphur Dioxide
