Environmental Effects of Oil Spills:
1) polluting of shoreline- sticks to rocks and sand
2) effects on wild life such as birds , otters ,seals and fish, even clams
* Since oil floats it can be contained and removed if seas are calm.
WATER POLLUTION: Fresh water
water pollution: the introduction of chemical, physical, or biological agents into water that degrades the quality of the water and affects the organisms that depend on it.
Sources of Water Pollution:
1) industry
2) residential properties
3) agriculture
* After sewage is dumped in a stream, bacteria populations grow and quickly exhaust the available oxygen supply.
* Industry pollutes water by adding chemicals and releasing heavy metals into water.
Thermal Pollution- Addition of excessive amount of heat to a body of water which can kill fish and deplete oxygen levels.
* Residential homes pollute water by contributing animal droppings, garbage, lawn fertilizers and motor oil.
How Agriculture Can Cause Freshwater Pollution:
1) excess fertilizer and animal droppings run off into lakes and rivers
2) fertilizer and animal droppings contain nitrates and phosphates
3) nitrates and phosphates cause algae blooms
4) when algae dies microscopic decomposers break it down
5) as decomposers break down the algae, they consaume abundant amounts of oxygen in the water and deplete the dissolved oxygen levels.
6) Depleted oxygen levels then lead to aquatic deaths
Additionally, eroded topsoil and silt that runs off into water sources can harm food chains and clog fish gills.
How a water treatment facility works:
1) pumps bring water into the plant to be treated
2) water sit in sedimentation tanks for about 20 hours to let silt, sand, and other large particles to settle out
3) water is then stirred to eliminate odors and improve taste
4) chemicals such as ferric chloride, alum sulfate and lime are added to form particles called floc
5) floc helps to collect smaller pollutant still present and eventually settles out. Water is then filtered through salt and coal to remove the remaining solids.
6) chlorine is added for disinfecting. Other chemicals such as fluoride, lime, or zinc phosphate may also be added.
Water Quality Tests:
1) water hardness test- measures the concentration of of certain minerals in the water, particularly calcium and magnesium. Water hardness is a type of natural pollution caused by water flowing through certain types of rock.
2) Chloride test- measures the concentration of chlorides in water. Rivers running through mountainous regions and dissolving them can introduce chlorides.
3) Phosphate test- measures the concentration of phosphates in water. In rivers, streams, and lakes, phosphates in excessive concentrations stimulate the growth of algae, that is microscopic plants, which when they die and decay, deplete the water of dissolved oxygen through the action of decomposers, thereby suffocating other life forms, such as fish.
4) pH test- measures the degree of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance.
5) Relative stability test- provides a measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen in water.
WATER POLLUTION: Marine
� Top predators end up with the greatest amount of pollutants in their bodies since they consume numerous organisms at lower trophic levels, and the pollution consumed adds up as the top predators eat more and more.
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* Most garbage is hazardous but some provide artificial habitats.
Methods that beaches far from large human populations may become polluted:
1) river outflow
2) passing ships
3) intentional dumping
4) ocean currents
* Seals and other marine life are naturally attracted to floating objects. They see it, get caught, and cannot free themselves.
* Some sea turtles eat jellyfish . They mistake plastic for jellyfish and suffocate from the plastic or die from intestinal problems from swallowing it.
Marine Pollution Dangers:
1) chemicals
2) plastics
3) nets
4) six pack rings
ALWAYS CUT UP PLASTIC SIX PACK RINGS BEFORE DISCARDING THEM!!!