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2.Intensive farming
Excessive use of land for intensive farming decreases the space
and resources available for other species.
Farmers use inorganic fertilisers which contain nitrates,
phosphates and potassium ions to improve crop yields.
Nitrate and ammonium ions are highly soluble, they do not
remain in the soil for long and quickly leached into the
surrounding rivers and lakes.
This leads to eutrophication.
POLLUTION
Pollution can be defined as any undesirable change in the physical,
chemical or biological characteristics of the natural environment.
It is result of harmful substances or energy released through human
activities.
1) Air Pollution
Burning of fossil fuels is the main source of air pollution.
Sulphur dioxide -Burning of fossil -Irritates the eyes. -Use low sulphur
-Pungent, fuels, particularly -Damages respiratory passages. content fuels.
colourless gas. in heat and -Causes bronchitis. -Clean up
-Formed when -Causes wheezing, a shortness of
power emissions from
sulphuric breath and coughing.
generation power stations
compunds reacts -Causes asthmatic attacks.
with oxygen during facilities. and factories with
-Combines with rainwater to form
combustion, -Volcanic gases scrubbers.
acid rain.
-Large industrial
boilers
-Factories
Fine particulate -Incomplete -Irritate the eyes, nose and lungs. -More efficient
matter, smoke combustion of -Damage the respiratory passages burning of fuels in
and haze. fossil fuels,e.g. and lungs. well-designed
-A complex mixture bonfires & oopen -Haze can cause conjunctives, furnaces.
of very fine liquid burning. sore throats, influenza, asthma -Stop open
droplets or solid -Motorised and bronchitis. burning.
particles in the air. vehicles. -Haze leads to reduced visibility
-Smoke contains and light intensity.
-Quarries,
tiny carbon -Both lower the photosynthetic
sawmills and
particles=soot.
asbestos rate of plants which subsequently
-Haze is formed
when smoke,dirt factories. reduces crop yields.
and particulate
matter combine
with water vapour
in the atmosphere.
-When there is no
wind, smoke may
be trapped by fog
to form smog.
Lead -When fuels are -Retards mental development and -Reduces the use
Lead added to burnt. damages the liver. of fossil fuels.
petrol to prevent -Vehicle exhausts -Results in coma or death.
the inefficient fumes.
burning of the
petrol-air mixture.
Carbon dioxide -Open burning -Leads to greenhouse effect and -Reduce the use of
An acidic, -Combustion of global warming. fossil fuels
colourless and fossil fuels. -Climatic changes.
odourless gas. -Temperature increases.
Acid rain
(II) Effects:
(a) Agricultural:
1. The soil becomes very acidic and unsuitable for the cultivation of
crops.
(d) Buildings:
1. Metal railings and bridges corrode.
(III) Solutions:
Acid rain can be reduced by:
1. Cleaning up emissions from vehicle exhausts through the use of
catalytic converters. The pollutants react with one another in the
catalytic converters to produce less harmful products.
2) Water Pollution
Sources Components Effects Solutions
Causes by
a) Leaching of inorganic fertilisers, especially nitrates and phosphates,
from agricultural lands
b) Input of untreated sewage as well as discharge from sewage
treatment plants
c) Run-off of animal waste from pastures and farmlands into lakes, rivers
or ponds.
Process of eutrophication
1) Run-off of excess nutrients into water encourage rapid growth of
algae, results in a population explosion known as an algae bloom.
2) At night, high respiration rate of the algae results in a high demand
for oxygen.
3) Excessive growth of algae restricts the penetration of light into the
water. The rate of photosynthesis of aquatic plants reduced and further
reduced the supply of oxygen in water.
4) The algae grow faster than their consumers. Most of algal population
dies without being consumed.
5) Decomposing microorganisms especially aerobic bacteria used up
the oxygen in deeper water at a fast rate. (Depletion of oxygen)
6) Untreated sewage or animal wastes from farm that contain high
concentration of organic matter encourage the rapid growth of aerobic
bacteria.
7) The aerobic bacteria use up oxygen faster than it can be replenished.
An increase in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) results in a severe
depletion of oxygen.
8) Low level of oxygen concentration kills larger aerobic aquatic
organisms and organisms that require higher oxygen levels (freshwater
shrimps and mayfly nymphs)
9) If the oxygen levels continues to drop and water become completely
deoxygenated, anaerobic bacteria will grow and release toxic gases (eg.
hydrogen sulphide), causing the death of aquatic organisms.
10) During the growth of algae, certain blue green bacteria also produce
toxins.
11) At night BOD levels, organisms that are more tolerant of lower
concentration of dissolved oxygen (eg. leeches, Tubifex worms, and sludge
worms) may appears and multiply.
3)
Thermal Pollution
In thermal pollution, the temperature of a body of water is unintentionally
raised as a
result of human activities
1. Causes:
Hot water is discharged into nearby lake and river from the effluent of
industrial processes and cooling tower of electrical power station,
which use water as a cooling agent.
The excess heat that is released into the environment leads to thermal
pollution.
2. Effects:
Thermal pollution causes the temperature in a body of water to rise
above the normal value.
Water temperature can affect the level of dissolved oxygen.
As the temperature of the water increases, oxygen becomes less
insoluble in water.
If the temperature increase persists over a longer period, this may
result in permanent changes in the species composition of the aquatic
ecosystem.
1. Ways to prevent:
Control the amount of hot water discharged into still or slow - moving
rivers.
Control the amount of hot water discharged from industrial plants and
power station to the surrounding lakes and rivers.
4) Noise Pollution
1. Causes:
Noises from cars, motorcycles, aeroplanes, construction sites,
agriculture and industrial machinery.
Noise level of residential areas should not exceed 55 decibels (dB).
2. Effects:
Prolonged exposure to noise level at or above 80 decibels can lead to
deafness.
High level of noise can contribute to the development and aggravation
of stress related problems such as high blood pressure, coronary
disease, ulcers, depression and headache.
Loud noise can cause an arousal response in which a series of reactions
occurs in the body.
Adrenaline is released into the bloodstream. A persons heartbeat,
blood pressure and respiration rate are likely to increase.
The blood vessels constrict and the muscles become tense.
Constant exposure to noise can contribute to a deterioration in health.
9.2 The
Greenhouse Effect and
the Thinning of Ozone
Layer
Effects:
1. Occurrence of floods
As the average temperature rises, the polar ice caps and glaciers melt.
This increases the sea level causing low-lying areas to be flooded.
2. Climate changes
Global warming leads to changes in wind directions and distribution of
rainfall. As a result, agricultural activities are affected.
Global warming causes weather patterns to change. This affects the
distribution of species which may lead to the extinction of species in
certain region.
3. Occurrence of droughts
Global warming increases the frequency of droughts.
The land becomes dry and infertile. This leads to a drop yields.
4. Spread of diseases
With warmer climates, pests and vectors may spread to new areas.
The warmer conditions lead to an expansion of territories for disease-
carrying vectors, resulting an increase in the outbreak of diseases.
The
b) Use of Technology
catalytic converters (clean up exhaust emissions & convert
harmful gasses)
use unleaded petrol
treat sewage treatment plants
treat toxic waste produced in factories
use microorganisms to clean up the environment
develop hydrogen-basedfuel-cell vehicles
use technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions
use methods to reduce & capture methane emissions,a by-
product of cattle & other livestock waste & uses better
controls on nitrous oxide emissions from nitrogen
fertilizers.