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Project On PollutioN
Project On PollutioN
In the past, visitors to Big Bend National Park in the U.S. state
of Texas could see 290 kilometers (180 miles) across
the vast landscape. Now, coal-burning power plants in Texas
and the neighboring state of Chihuahua, Mexico have spewed
so much pollution into the air that visitors to Big Bend can
sometimes see only 50 kilometers (30 miles).
Acid rain also wears away marble and other kinds of stone. It
has erased the words on gravestones and damaged many
historic buildings and monuments. The Taj Mahal, in Agra,
India, was once gleaming white. Years of exposure to acid rain
has left it pale.
Water Pollution
Garbage also fouls the ocean. Many plastic bottles and other
pieces of trash are thrown overboard from boats. The wind
blows trash out to sea. Ocean currents carry plastics and
other floating trash to certain places on the globe, where it
cannot escape. The largest of these areas, called the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch, is in a remote part of the Pacific
Ocean. According to some estimates, this garbage patch is the
size of Texas. The trash is a threat to fish and seabirds, which
mistake the plastic for food. Many of the plastics are covered
with chemical pollutants.
Land Pollution
Many of the same pollutants that foul the water also harm the
land. Mining sometimes leaves the soil contaminated with
dangerous chemicals.
Reducing Pollution
Still, many gains have been made. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River,
in the U.S. state of Ohio, was so clogged with oil and trash that
it caught on fire. The fire helped spur the Clean Water Act of
1972. This law limited what pollutants could be released into
water and set standards for how clean water should be. Today,
the Cuyahoga River is much cleaner. Fish have returned to
regions of the river where they once could not survive.
Light Pollution
Light pollution is the excess amount of light in the night sky.
Light pollution, also called photopollution, is almost always
found in urban areas. Light pollution can disrupt ecosystems
by confusing the distinction between night and day. Nocturnal
animals, those that are active at night, may venture out during
the day, while diurnal animals, which are active during daylight
hours, may remain active well into the night. Feeding and sleep
patterns may be confused. Light pollution also indicates an
excess use of energy.