Research task on Ozone Depletion, Water Pollution and Greenhouse Gases

Water Pollution

Human environmental impacts and anthropogenic environmental impacts include changes that are caused directly or indirectly in biophysical habitats and ecosystems, biodiversity and natural resources. (Geographic) The word that describes human activities is “H.I.P.P.O”, which basically stands for:

Habitat loss, resulting in its biodiversity being replaced or destroyed when natural habitats can no longer support the species present. Topics include fossil fuel mining, erosion, river dredging, bottom trawling, and urbanization, wetland clearing, and mowing. (Everythingconnects) An invasive species may be any kind of living organism — an amphibian (such as cane toad), plant, insect, fish, fungus, bacteria, or even an organism's seeds or eggs — that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm. (Federation) Pollution, also known as environmental pollution, the introduction into the atmosphere of any material (solid, liquid or gas) or any form of energy (such as wind, noise or radioactivity) at a rate faster than it can be transmitted, consumed, decomposed, recycled or stored in a harmless manner. Air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution are the main types of pollution, generally categorized by environment. Common pollutant forms such as noise pollution, light pollution and plastic pollution are also of concern to modern society.. (Britannica)

Human population, in human biology, the whole number of people occupying an area (such as a country or world) and continuously being altered by increases (births and immigrants) and losses (deaths and emigrants). (Britannica, Britannica) Over-harvesting depletes natural resources that animals need for survival. Depleting the numbers of certain species also effects the genetic diversity in an ecosystem. (Cearahkindallbiodiversity). Today, new methods of harvest and capture contribute to overharvesting and overexploitation. Overharvesting stems from several factors, including an exponential increase in the human population, expanding markets, increasing demand, and improved access and techniques for capture. (Libretexts) After providing some of the information about human activities that impact the environment, today I’m going to choose one of these impacts and research about the details, problems, and solutions related with it.

So now, we’re going to talk about pollution, which is the introduction to the atmosphere of any material or any form of energy at a rate faster than it can be distributed, dissolved, decomposed, recycled or stored in a harmless manner. There are 3 different types of pollution, which are: Land pollution, Water pollution, and Air pollution. But we’re going to focus mostly on water pollution. Pollution of water occurs when toxic substances enter water bodies such as ponds, streams, seas, and so on, dissolve in them, remain suspended in the air, or lay on the bed. This degrades the water quality. Not only does this spell disaster for aquatic ecosystems, but chemicals also enter and hit the groundwater that could end up in our homes as contaminated water that we use in our daily activities, including drinking. (W.W.F)

What could be the causes of water pollution? Pollution from water may come from a variety of sources. Via legal and illegal discharges from factories, for example, or inadequate water treatment plants, pollutants may reach water directly. Water supplies can be contaminated by spills or leaks from oil pipelines and hydraulic fracturing operations. Wind, storms, and littering can also send debris into waterways, particularly plastic waste. (Geographic, National Geographic) There are plenty of effects related, but I’m going to talk about one of them, which is eutrophication that is caused by using fertilizers in Agri-culture:

Fertilizer, natural or artificial material that includes chemical elements that promote plant growth and productivity. Fertilizers boost the soil's natural fertility and substitute previous crops with chemical elements extracted from the soil. (Britannica, Britannica) The use as fertilizers of manure and composts is likely nearly as old as farming. Current chemical fertilizers contain one or more of the three main plant nutritional elements: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The elements arsenic, magnesium and calcium are of secondary importance. (Britannica, Britannica) Due to the increased availability of one or more limiting growth factors required for photosynthesis, such as sunlight, carbon dioxide and nutrient fertilizers, eutrophication is characterized by excessive plant and algal development. Over the years, eutrophication occurs naturally as lakes mature and is filled with sediments. Nevertheless, human activities have increased the level and degree of eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems through both point-source discharges and non-point charges of reducing nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus (Fertilizers/Agriculture), with dramatic consequences for sources of drinking water, fisheries and recreational water bodies. (TheNatureEducation)

Aquaculture scientists and pond managers, for example, often deliberately eutrophy water bodies by applying fertilizers to improve primary productivity and increase the density and biomass of recreationally and economically important fish through bottom-up effects on higher trophic levels. (TheNatureEducation) The documented consequences of environmental eutrophication include blue-green algae blooms (i.e., cyanobacteria), contaminated drinking water sources, deterioration of leisure opportunities, and hypoxia. In the U.S. alone, the estimated cost of eutrophication-mediated damage is about $2.2 billion annually. (TheNatureEducation) Cultural eutrophication's most noticeable consequence is the production of dense noxious, foul-smelling phytoplankton blooms that reduce water clarity and harm water quality. Algal blooms restrict the absorption of light, minimize growth and cause plant losses in coastal areas while also increasing the effectiveness of predators who need light to pursue and capture prey. In addition, eutrophication-related high photosynthesis rates can deplete dissolved inorganic carbon and increase pH during the day to extreme levels. (TheNatureEducation)

There are many solutions for eutrophication:

Composting (Main Solution): Eutrophication is mainly due to the use of nitrate and phosphate fertilizers. In an attempt to address the issue, composting can be used as a solution. Composting is the method of transforming organic matter, such as crop residues and rotting crops, into compost waste. Due to the high concentration of nitrates and phosphates in water bodies that feed the algae and other bacteria, the nutrients in the compost manure are inadequate. The plants break down and synthesize all the essential elements by compost fertilizer, thus not inducing the cycle of eutrophication. This method of control of eutrophication is called nutrient limitation.(ConserveEnergy)

• Ultrasonic Irradiation (Option)

The world actively finds new ways to solve some of the environmental problems. Another such procedure is the use of ultrasonic irradiation when it comes to eutrophication, which has been used as an alternative to algal blooming control and handling. The approach works by creating cavitations creating free radicals which destroy algae cells. Nonetheless, work is underway to determine the significance of its use in resolving the eutrophication problem. (ConserveEnergy)

Now let’s talk about the effect of composting on the following factors:

Environmental

Advantage

Helps in soils and sequesters to preserve carbon dioxide. Compost replenishes and revitalizes degraded farm soils by incorporating, in addition to emission reductions, trace minerals and organic material, reducing soil erosion and helping to prevent storm water runoff. Recycling is a way to effectively reduce greenhouse gases.

Disadvantage

Composting improves plant nutrient production and converts raw organic matter into stable humus, which is important for long-term soil fertility. Nevertheless, finished compost does not contain all the nutrients that went into the heap as raw materials. There may be significant nutrient losses if your compost pile is not carefully managed and secured. Nitrogen is most readily lost during composting as it dissipates as ammonia into the air, while rain leaches from the heap many other nutrients. Nutrient losses can be as high as 42% for nitrogen, 62% for coal and 6.5% for potassium.

Economical

Advantage

The damages caused by eutrophication costs about 2.2 billion U.S dollars, and if we apply the solutions (Composting, and Ultrasonic Irradiation) will reduce the amount of rate of damage, which reduces the cost to repair.

Disadvantage

Composting is incredibly laborious when you consider the quantity required to fertilize a large garden. In his novel, 'four season harvest' gardening expert Eliot Coleman recommends an annual1-inch compost layer for established garden soil in the early years of soil fertility building and a 1/4-to 1/2-inch base. On a 30-by-30-foot plot, one inch of compost is around 2.8 cubic yards or almost two full truck loads with a regular short-bed pickup. The amount of fresh organic matter required to make this compost would be two to three times higher. You can find it difficult to pick, spin and carry this much composting material.

As conclusion, after looking at the human activities that affect biodiversity and ecosystems (H.I.P.P.O), and talking about pollution and its types, and specifying the problems related and finding the solutions for it, we can conclude that we humans have to realize the corruption we are causing to the environment, such as pollution, over harvesting, and etc. Which also leads to the harm of plants and creature, and by applying these solutions, we can reduce the harm/damage we are causing towards the environment, and biodiversity.