Energy resources and environmental pollution (lesson 1) Flashcards
What is pollution
Release of materials or energy
Usually caused by human activities
What are the factors that affect the behavior of pollutants in the environment
Mobility - how fast they travel State of matter - Solid/liquid/gas Chemical form - element Timescale of action Direct or indirect
What are pollutant factors controlled by
Properties of the pollutants
The features of the environment
What is primary and secondary pollutants
Primary - Released by human activities (CO2)
Secondary - Produced by the interaction of other materials released by human activities
Direct and Indirect Examples of pollutants
Direct - Acid rain damages leaf cuticles
Indirect - CFCs release chlorine =causes ozone depletion = more UV light = DNA damage
Point and diffuse
Point - released by a small number of easily identifiable sources
Diffuse - Released by a very large number of small sources
Toxicity
How poisonous a material is
Specificity
The differing toxicity of a substance to different types of organisms
Persistence
How long it takes for the pollutant to chemically breakdown
Biodegradability
The process of being broken down by biological processes
Mobility
How easily a material moves in the environment
Solubility
The ease at which the molecules of material seperate and become dispersed in a liquid
Bioaccumulation
The process by which pollutants are absorbed and stored within living organisms
Biomagnification
Pollutants become more concentrated along the food chain
Synerigsm
The interaction between the effects of different substances that exaggerate the overall effect
