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Erosion of Soil Pollution of Air and Water
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science Natural Capital
Degradation Erosion of Soil Pollution of Air and Water A Supplement
to A Tale of Twin Towns: Natural Capital Degradation by Vandana A.
Gudi Department of Science Robert Morgan Educational Center, Miami,
FL Natural Capital Degradation
By Deforestation (Logging) Mining Burning of Fossil fuel Acid rain
Agriculture & Industrialization Eutrophication Human ignorance
Deforestation Deforestation: Harmful to the Environment
Causes soil erosion Results in decreased soil fertility Eroded soil
runoff may increase turbidity in the nearby water reservoirs
Extensive clearing of forests may change local climate Flooding
becomes common as there is no soil to retain water Logging
Advantages Renewable resource Jobs Disadvantages
Damages surrounding ecosystems Decreases biodiversity Decreases
recreational opportunities Mining: Nonrenewable (Mineral)
Resources
Extraction and processing of minerals causes Habitat destruction
Soil erosion Air & water pollution Solid waste generation Acid
Mine Drainage Acid Drainage Air Pollution Acid Rain due to Fossil
Fuel Consumption (Regional Problem)
Sources: Coal burning power plants Ore smelters Industrial plants
Harmful effects: Causes respiratory diseases Metal corrosion &
weathering of stone sculptures Haze Harmful to aquatic life
Pollutants: Sulfur dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, suspended particulates
Primary pollutants become secondary pollutants such as HNO3, H2SO4,
during transportation over several kilometers by prevailing winds
Dry deposition of particulates as SO4 & NO3 salts, away from
the source Acid Rain Formation Effects of Acid Rain Usually
mountain top ecosystems with thin soil cover and low amounts of Ca
and Mg salts (low buffering capacity) in the soil are vulnerable to
acid rain damage Acid Rain on Forests Acid rain when pH of rain is
< 5.1
Acids leach Ca & Mg salts from soils Soils lose their buffering
capacity Ca-deficiencies in plants growing in such soils can pass
to primary consumers. Ex. Birds lay eggs with brittle shells
Effects of Acid Rain cont.
Low pH releases highly toxic ions such as Al, Hg, Pb, and Cd from
insoluble compounds in soil. Absorption of these ions makes trees
weak. Weak trees become vulnerable to low temperatures, drought,
and to infection by insects and acid loving mosses. Types of
Sources of Water Pollution
Point Sources are easy to locate and control Discharge at specific
locations Ex. drain pipes, sewer lines Culprits: industries, sewage
treatment plants Non-Point Sources are dispersed and difficult to
pin point Ex. agricultural run off, run off from live stock feed
lots, lawns of suburban neighborhoods, construction sites, streets
and parking lots, acid rain etc. Major Sources of Water
Pollution
Agriculture: agricultural runoff, erosion from overgrazed land,
microorganisms from live stock, wastes from food processing
industries, excess salts from soils of irrigated crop land
Industries: wastes stored can leach to surface and/or ground water
Surface mining: disturbs earths surface, runoff of toxic chemicals
Pollution of Fresh Water Streams
As the water is flowing, moderate amounts of biodegradable wastes
and excess heat gets diluted easily in a stream It is a problem
when large amounts of pollutants contaminate the stream or The
water flow is reduced due to Drought, Damming or Diverted to
agriculture or industries Pollution of Fresh Water Reservoirs
Surface water reservoirs like lakes can easily get contaminated
with pollutants as water is mostly stagnant Additionally, there is
little vertical mixing among the stratified layers of a lake which
further inhibits the dilution of the pollutant Air pollutants
produced by industries and automobiles, agricultural run off, run
off from mining and construction sites, run off from streets and
lawns are the major sources leading to nutrient overload of lakes
Runoff Runoff from farm fields reaches sediment-laden stream in
southwestern Iowa Construction site runoff in Davidson, North
Carolina Eutrophication 2. When phytoplanktons & zooplanktons
die and sink to the bottom, aerobic decomposers metabolize them,
consuming almost all of the dissolved O2 in the water creating a
hypoxic zone where no aerobic organisms can live. 1. Nutrient rich
runoff from farmlands to surface water reservoirs allows
phytoplanktons to grow uncontrollably. So zooplanktons that feed on
them grow uncontrollably too. Relationship between Dissolved Oxygen
Levels and Water Quality
DO (ppm) at 200C Water Quality Good Slightly Polluted Moderately
Polluted Below 4.5 Heavily Polluted Below 4.0 Gravely Polluted
Miller T. G Living in the Environment, 14th edition, Brooks/Cole,
Page 492. How Ground Water Gets Polluted?
Leakage from underground septic tanks, industrial waste storage
tanks, chemical storage ponds, agricultural runoff can easily
contaminate water in an aquifer The plume of contaminated water may
reach a well which is used as a source of ground water for human
consumption and/or for agriculture Contaminated Ground Water is a
Serious Problem
Unlike surface water, ground water does not get diluted of
pollutants as it flows extremely slowly The decomposers responsible
to degrade contaminating organic matter are low in number due to
the lower amounts of dissolved oxygen in ground water The colder
temperatures of aquifers further slow down the rate of
decomposition Ground Water Contamination is Permanent on a Human
Time Scale
Ground water contaminated with biodegradable wastes cleanses itself
within hundreds to thousands of years Ground water contaminated
with non degradable wastes such as lead, arsenic, fluoride stays
like that permanently Sources of Ground Water Pollution Is the
Water Safe to Drink?
As per World Health Organization, about one in every seven people
does not have access to clean drinking water About 1.6 million
people die prematurely every year due to contaminated water or
unhygienic conditions due to lack of water Pollutants in Drinking
Water are Harmful to Human Health
High levels of naturally occurring fluoride(F-) in drinking water
may lead to crippling backbone disease, neck damage and is
responsible for many dental problems NO3 ions from agricultural run
off can contaminate ground water. NO2 ions in the digestive system
react with these NO3 ions in the water after human consumption to
form organic intermediates which can be carcinogenic These NO3 ions
when in blood interfere with oxygen circulation especially in
infants causing blue baby syndrome Arsenic(As) enters drinking
water when a well is drilled in the rock naturally rich in it. Long
term exposure to As may lead to various cancers Solutions to
Groundwater Pollution
Prevention is better Limit the use of polluting chemicals in the
environment, find alternates Quick detection system for leakage of
underground storage tanks and pipe lines No dumping of hazardous
wastes in landfill, make people aware of recycling centers
Solutions: Bioremediation Pump up the polluted water to clean up,
then return to aquifer (may not be cost efficient) Prevention is
better than cure! How to Keep Ground Water Safe?
Reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by planting native trees
Increase use of greywater (treated waste water from homes and
office buildings) Use ecologically friendly methods to treat sewage
(black water) Minimize industrial air pollution Educate public
about refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle How to prevent water
pollution
How to prevent water pollution? Water pollution can be prevented by
educating the public on the following issues: Why the use of
synthetic, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides should be reduced
and the use of green fertilizer or manure should be increased How
to compost the kitchen organic waste Never to dump household
chemicals such as oil (frying oil or car oil), paint thinners,
paints, pesticides, unwanted medicines etc. onto the ground or down
the drain Never to apply pesticides or synthetic fertilizers near a
water reservoir How to grow your own vegetables or encourage public
to buy organic food to support organic food industry Reference
Miller T. G Living in the Environment, 14th edition. Brooks/Cole.
Chapter 11. Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: Managing and
Protecting Ecosystems. Human impact on ecosystems, managing and
sustaining forests, tree harvests, deforestation, logging in U.S.
National Forests, etc. Pages Chapter 15. Water Resources. Supply,
renewal and use of various water resources, withdrawing ground
water, depletion of ground water, reducing wastage of purified
water, etc. Pages Chapter 16. Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral
Resources. Surface and subsurface mining, different types of
surface mining, environmental impact of surface mining etc. Pages
Chapter 20. Air Pollution. Primary and secondary pollutants, local
and regional effects of air pollution, acid deposition, effects of
acid deposition, etc. Pages Chapter 22: Water Pollution. Sources of
water pollution, point and nonpoint sources, pollution of streams,
lakes and ground water, solution, etc. Pages Image Credits Slide 3
Description: Deforestation in the Usambara Mountains in Lushoto
District, Tanga Region, Tanzania. Author: Mohsin Karmali
Link:Clearance: CC BY 2.5 Slide 5 Description: Logging; Zrywka
drewna 776 Author: Przykuta Link:Clearance: CC BY-SA 3.0 Slide 6
Description: Mining; Schaufelradbagger (Vorraumbagger) im Tagebau
Welzo Author: JaySef Link:Clearance: CC BY-SA 3.0 Slide 7
Description: Diagram of acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain Mine
Author: Believed to be U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the
Interior/USGS, U.S. Geological Survey. Link:Clearance:Slide 8
Description: Acid mine drainage causes severe environmental
problems in the Rio Tinto, Spain. Author: Carol Stoker, NASA
Link:Clearance: This file is in the public domain because it was
solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that NASA
material is not protected by copyright unless noted. Image Credits
cont. Slide 10 Description: Acid rain formation diagram. Author:
Unspecified, EPA Link:
https://blog.epa.gov/acidrain/2010/04/what-is-acid-rain/ Clearance:
United States Environmental Protection Agency Slide 11 Description:
Photo showing the effects of acid rain, woods, Jizera Mountains,
Czech Republic. Author: Nipik Link:Clearance: Released to the
public domain by the author. Slide 18 (left) Description: Photo of
agriculture runoff. Author: Photo by Lynn Betts, USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service. Link:Clearance: This image is a
work of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, part of the
United States Department of Agriculture, taken or made as part of
an employee's official duties, and accordingly in the public
domain. Slide 18 (right) Description: Photo of construction site
runoff. Author: Brett VA Link:Clearance: CC BY-SA 3.0 Slide 20
Description: Photo of Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, contaminated by
Lemna minor (duckweed) due to nutrient pollution. Author: The
Photographer Link:Clearance: Released to the public domain by the
author. Slide 25 Description: Diagram showing sources of ground
water pollution. Author: Chris Wardle of the British Geological
Survey. Link:Clearance: Diagram courtesy of the UK Groundwater
Forum; permission is freely granted for use in academic and
non-commercial publications
(http://www.groundwateruk.org/Image-Gallery.aspx).