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CHAPTER 13

Human and environment

Human and environment


Outline Pollution Acid precipitation Nuclear power Carbon dioxide and global warming The ozone hole Destruction of the tropical forests Environmental science The future of agriculture

Pollution
water pollution occurs when body of water is affected due to the addition of large amounts of materials when it is unfit for its intended use, water is considered polluted. two types of water pollutants exist; point source and non-point source point sources - occur when harmful substances are emitted directly into a body of water (Exxon Valdez oil spill illustrates a point source water pollution).

Pollution
non-point source - pollutants enter indirectly through environmental changes (fertilizer from a field, carried into a stream by rain, run-off which effect aquatic life) non-point sources are much more difficult to control pollution arising from non-point sources accounts for a majority of the contaminants in streams and lakes. causes of pollution including sewage and fertilizers contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates

Pollution
in excess levels, nutrients over stimulate the growth of aquatic plants and algae excessive growth consequently clogs our waterways, use up dissolved oxygen as they decompose, and block light to deeper waters. this, in turn, proves very harmful to aquatic organisms as it affects the respiration ability or fish and other invertebrates that reside in water.

Pollution
also caused when silt and other suspended solids, such as soil, wash off plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas, and eroded river banks when it rains. under natural conditions, lakes, rivers, undergo an aging process that slowly fills in the water body with sediment and organic matter (Eutrophication). when sediments enter various bodies of water, fish respiration becomes impaired, plant productivity and water depth become reduced, and aquatic organisms and their environments become suffocated.

Pollution
organic material enters waterways in many different forms as sewage, as leaves and grass clippings, or as runoff from livestock feedlots and pastures. when natural bacteria and protozoan in the water break down this organic material, they begin to use up the oxygen dissolved in the water. many fish and bottom-dwelling animals cannot survive when levels of dissolved oxygen drop below two to five parts per million, it will kills aquatic organisms and led to disruptions in the food chain.

Pollution
waterbone chemical pollution entering rivers and streams cause tremendous amounts of destruction. pathogens are another type of pollution that prove very harmful they can cause many illnesses that range from typhoid and dysentery to minor respiratory and skin diseases pathogens include such organisms as bacteria, viruses, and protozoan through microscopic, these pollutants have a tremendous effect evidenced by their ability to cause sickness.

Acid precipitation
acidic pollutants can be deposited from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface in wet and dry forms the term acid precipitation is used to describe wet forms of acid pollution that can be found in rain, sleet, snow, fog, and cloud vapor an acid can be defined as any substance that when dissolved in water dissociates to yield corrosive hydrogen ions the acidity of substance dissolved in water is measured in terms of pH (< pH 7=acid, > pH 7=alkaline)

Acid precipitation
precipitation normally has a pH between 5.0 to 5.6 because of natural atmospheric reactions involving carbon dioxide for comparison, distilled water, pure of any other substances, would have a pH of 7.0 precipitation is considered to be acidic when its pH falls below 5.6 (which is 25 times more acidic than pure distilled water) some sites in eastern North America have precipitation events with pHs as low as 2.3 or about 1000 times more acidic than natural.

Nuclear power
world's worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl in the former USSR (now Ukraine). Chernobyl nuclear power plant located 80 miles north of Kiev the chain reaction in the reactor became out of control creating explosions and a fireball which blew off the reactor's heavy steel and concrete lid. killed more than 30 people immediately, and as a result of the high radiation levels in the surrounding 20-mile radius, 135,00 people had to be evacuated

Nuclear power
Health effects i. increase in thyroid cancer. ii. increases in other cancers iii. psychological consequences such as anxiety, depression, helplessness and despair leading to, social withdrawal and loss of hope for the future. iv. other disorders attributable to mental stress

CO2 and global warming


increase in the average temperature of the earths atmosphere and oceans result of a greenhouse effect caused by man-made increases in CO2 and other greenhouse gases average global temperature has risen 0.6 0.2 C since the late 19th century temperatures may increase by 1.4 to 5.8 C between 1990 and 2100 result in other climate change such as rises in sea level led to floods, droughts, heat waves, hurricanes, change agricultural yields, contribute to biological extinctions

The ozone hole


ozone (O3) shields Earth's life from the harmful effects of the sun's UV radiation effects of decreased in concentration of ozone layer: i. skin cancer, uv radiation can destroy acids in DNA ii. cataracts and sun burning iii. suppression of immune systems in organisms. iv. adverse impact on crops and animals. v. reduction in the growth of phytoplankton

The ozone hole


ozone is created naturally in the stratosphere by the combining of atomic oxygen (O) with molecular oxygen (O2), activated by sunlight. ozone is destroyed naturally by the absorption of ultraviolet radiation, O3 + UV >>> O2 + O, and by the collision of ozone with other atmospheric atoms and molecules. O3 + O >>> 2O2 O3 + O3 >>> 3O2

The ozone hole


destruction agent was human-made CFCs CFCs i. first produced as replacement to the toxic refrigerant ammonia ii. used as propellant in spray cans, electronics cleaners, sterilant for hospital equipment, and to produce the bubbles in styrofoam. iii. cheap and are very stable compounds 1987, Montreal Protocol was agreed to reduce and eliminate the use of CFCs nationwide

The ozone hole


uv from the sun causes decomposition of CFCs and the release of chlorine (Cl). CCl3F >>> Cl + CCl2F chlorine attacks the molecules of ozone chemically converting them into oxygen molecules. Cl + O3 >>> ClO + O2 ClO + O >>> Cl + O2 single chlorine atom removes about 100,000 ozone molecules, chlorine is removed from the stratosphere by two chemical reactions: ClO + NO2 >>> ClONO2 CH4 + Cl >>> HCl + CH3

The ozone hole

Destruction of tropical forest


major threat to the rainforest is the logging companies that come in and clear land to harvest big trees another threat is farming and cattle ranching. People chop down the trees to clear areas, but the soil is not third reason the forests are destroyed is for gold and silver mining the worst destruction is in Brazil, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia, there is also widespread destruction in other parts of South America and Mexico.

Destruction of tropical forest


The National Wildlife Federation in 1993 listed ten reasons why we should save the rainforests: i. people have no right to destroy the rainforests for their own purposes. ii. destroying the forests may change the world's weather patterns. iii. the loss of the forests are causing serious problems such as soil erosion and water pollution. iv. wood products in which the rest of the world depends may soon become scarce and more expensive.

Destruction of tropical forest


v. loss of the rainforest may affect migrating birds common in North America . vi. cultures of the forests are losing their native lands. vii. lost of plants that could help scientists develop new crops, medicines, and other products viii.rainforests are unique where strange which inspires many people ix. destroying the forests will destroy 50% of all plant and animals species in the world forever. x. a lot more research can be done about organism in the forests that could provide people with many beneficial products

Environmental science
environmental scientists attempt to find solutions to environmental problems solving environmental problems: i. assessment ii. risk analysis iii. public education iv. political action v. follow-through we also need to preserving no replaceable resources such as topsoil, groundwater and biodiversity

The future of agriculture


is a tough challenge to produce enough food to feed our expanding population agriculturists attempt to varies food plants (rice, wheat, corn) by identifying new species, especially one that can grow well in trophics and subtrophics to find a new crop is not an easy job for the meantime, the most promising strategy is to improve the productivity of the crop through genetic engineering and hi-tech cultivation

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