Pollution Flashcards
came from the latin word ‘pollutus’ which means made foul, unclean, or dirty
pollution
refers to any unwanted change in the environment caused by the introduction of harmful materials or the production of harmful conditions
pollution
Refers to unwanted changes in the physical, biological, and chemical state of a resource which may degrade the environment or can cause harmful effects to humans and other organisms
pollution
Is the loss of the intrinsic physical, chemical, and/or biological qualities of the resource which result in the diminution or annihilation of important ecosystem functions
pollution
Different types of pollution which include
air
water
land
noise
substances that cause pollution
pollutants
refers to a single source of which can be easily determined such as a sewage pipe or a smokestacks from a factory
point source
Easier to control and be prevented as compared to its counterpart source because the problem is often widely dispersed over a region
point source
non-point source that cannot be easily identified such as photochemical smog which may came from vehicular fumes or agricultural runoff containing pesticides
area source
can lead to war between nations because it is said that this resource is what oil was to the 20th
water shortages
refers to contamination of water bodies, referring to changes in water quality or introduction of substances causing problems to humans and other organisms or making water undesirable for intended use
water pollution
pollutants that come maybe through pipes, or sewer lines leading to a surface bodies of water such as rivers
point sources
pollutants that may include run-off chemicals from cropland or agricultural farms
nonpoint or area sources
property of water wherein extensive hydrogen bonding means water can absorb a lot of heat before changing state
thermal
Makes water an excellent coolant (e.g. sweat) and medium for metabolic reactions (absorb heat from exothermic reactions
thermal
property of water wherein dipolarity means water will stick to other water molecules via
H-bonds
cohesive
Water has a high surface tension, allowing small organisms to move on its surface
cohesive
property of water that makes it stick to surfaces that are polar or charged
adhesive
Water can move via capillary action against gravity (e.g. water moving up the xylem via transpiration)
adhesive
property of water that make it dissolve molecules that are polar or charged
solvent
Water is a good transport medium (e.g. the blood system can transport soluble materials in its plasma)
solvent
property of water that make it less dense as a solid than as a liquid (maximum density ~4oC)
density
Ice floating on water (prevents oceans from freezing as ice layer prevents exposure to cold temperature)
density
property of water that makes it visible
transparency