Environmental Science - Soil and Water Pollution
composition, pore size, amount of organic matter
4 factors affecting how fast pollution spreads?
o - organic matter a - topsoil b - subsoil c - parent material
4 horizons of soil
clay, silt, sand, and loam
4 main types of soil
mineral particles, organic matter, water, air
4 major components of soil
gasoline, oil, and salt pollute rivers and lakes - nonpoint pollutions
Describe how runoff from roads can harm the environment? Is this point or non-point pollution?
land - radioactive waste dump water - plant discharges, sewage
Give land and two water pollution examples (point-source)
land - microbes water - debris, runoff used on crops
Give one land and two water pollution examples
volatile compounds created by polluted earth go into the atmosphere
How can land pollution become air pollution?
water running over polluted soil
How can land pollution become water pollution?
If a septic tank is too close to a hill or well, wastewater can flow to the well.
How can septic tanks lead to pollution?
removing pollutants from freshwater through natural cleanup processes
How can we fix water pollution?
-factories can recycle water -farmers can use runoff water for irrigation -farmers can plant fields of grass that filter out pollutants before they reach the water
How can we prevent water pollution?
fertilizers speed up eutrophication
How does agricultural runoff contribute to eutrophication?
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide released into the air turns into acid rain.
How does smog and exhaust increase water pollution?
1. planting vegetation in areas prone to erosion 2. household chemical disposal 3. proper use of chemical killers
How to prevent soil pollution?
1. Kind of material 2. How much material 3. C:N ratio 4. Kind of soil 5. Growing conditions 6. How long the material has been there 7. Immediate danger to people and animals
Seven factors you need to know for remediation
cancer and tissue problems
What are some of the consequences of soil pollution?
human waste, industrial waste, and chemical runoff
What are the three main sources of pollution?
biochemical oxygen demand
What does BOD stand for?
DDT is a pesticide. DDT thins the eggshells of birds. The two animals we talked about were the bald eagle and the crane.
What is DDT? How does it impact the environment? What are two animals we discussed that were harmed by DDT?
Human waste is sewage and if the sewers overflow, it can pollute surface water.
What is human waste pollution and how does it harm the environment?
cleaning the soil - excavation, washing, changing properties of contaminants
What is remediation and what are some remediation processes?
acid rain
What major water pollutant does smog contribute to?
plants, animals, and humans are affected by lack of nutrients
Why is it important to prevent land pollution?
pollutant
any substance that can harm the environment
soil pollution
contamination of soil by harmful pollutants
pollution
contamination of the environment by harmful substances
soil
critical to life - made up of water, air, mineral particles, and organic matter
industrial waste pollution
fog and smoke that comes from factories and goes into the atmosphere and turns into acid rain
heat pollution
hot water from factories that once released into streams kills fish and other living things
open dumping, fly dumping, midnight dumping
names for illegally dumping trash
point source pollution
pollution that comes from a specific origin
nonpoint pollution
pollution that doesn't have a specific origin
agricultural runoff
runoff and irrigation water carry away pollutants from farm fields such as pesticides and fertilizers