Soil erosion

Soil erosion is one form of soil degradation along with soil compaction, low organic matter, loss
of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation, and soil acidity problems. These other
forms of soil degradation, serious in themselves, usually contribute to accelerated soil erosion.

Soil erosion is a naturally occurring process on all land. The agents of soil erosion are water and
wind, each contributing a significant amount of soil loss each year in Ontario.

Soil erosion may be a slow process that continues relatively unnoticed, or it may occur at an
alarming rate causing serious loss of topsoil. The loss of soil from farmland may be reflected in
reduced crop production potential, lower surface water quality and damaged drainage networks.

Effects

Sheet and Rill Erosion

Sheet erosion is soil movement from raindrop splash resulting in the breakdown of soil surface
structure and surface runoff; it occurs rather uniformly over the slope and may go unnoticed until
most of the productive topsoil has been lost. Rill erosion results when surface runoff
concentrates forming small yet well-defined channels (Figure 1). These channels are called rills
when they are small enough to not interfere with field machinery operations. The same eroded
channels are known as gullies when they become a nuisance factor in normal tillage.
Flash flood

A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas - washes, rivers and streams. It
is caused by heavy rain associated with a thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm. Flash floods
can also occur after the collapse of an ice dam, or a human structure, such as a dam, for example,
the Johnstown Flood of 1889. Flash floods are distinguished from a regular flood by a timescale
less than six hours.[1]

Causes

Flash flooding occurs when the ground becomes saturated with water that has fallen too quickly
to be absorbed. The runoff collects in low-lying areas and rapidly flows downhill. Flash floods
most often occur in normally dry areas that have recently received precipitation, but may be seen
anywhere downstream from the source of the precipitation - even dozens of miles from the
source. In areas on or near volcanic mountains, flash floods have also occurred after eruptions,
when glaciers have been melted by the intense heat.

landslide

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | Copyright

landslide rapid slipping of a mass of earth or rock from a higher elevation to a lower level under the influence of
gravity and water lubrication. More specifically, rockslides are the rapid downhill movement of large masses of
rock with little or no hydraulic flow, similar to an avalanche . Water-saturated soil or clay on a slope may slide
downhill over a period of several hours. Earthflows of this type are usually not serious threats to life because of
their slow movement, yet they can cause blockage of roads and do extensive damage to property. Mudflows
are more spectacular streams of mud that pour down canyons in mountainous regions during major rainstorms
where there is little vegetation to protect hillsides from erosion. The runoff from the storm and mud becomes a
thin slurry that funnels down the canyons until it thickens and stops.
eutrophication
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | Copyright

eutrophication , aging of a lake by biological enrichment of its water. In a young lake the water is cold and clear,
supporting little life. With time, streams draining into the lake introduce nutrients such as nitrogen and
phosphorus, which encourage the growth of aquatic organisms. As the lake's fertility increases, plant and
animal life burgeons, and organic remains begin to be deposited on the lake bottom. Over the centuries, as silt
and organic debris pile up, the lake grows shallower and warmer, with warm-water organisms supplanting
those that thrive in a cold environment. Marsh plants take root in the shallows and begin to fill in the original
lake basin. Eventually the lake gives way to bog , finally disappearing into land. Depending on climate, size of
the lake, and other factors, the natural aging of a lake may span thousands of years.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Term Project for Biochemical Engineering Completed by Linda S. Magenis

Elementary Background Material

Biochemical Oxygen Demand is a common, environmental procedure for determining the extent
to which oxygen within a sample can support microbial life. The following tutorial explores the
theory and basics of performing this test when one has little or no prior experience. This method
is popular in many environmental laboratories analyzing waste water, compost, sludge, and soil
samples. Although methods for each matrix are similar, this tutorial focuses on the method
associated with only waste water effluents.

The BOD5 test

BOD measures the rate of oxygen uptake by micro-organisms in a sample of water at a

temperature of 20°C and over an elapsed period of five days in the dark.

There are two recognized methods for the measurement of BOD.

Two methods:dilution n manometric method

Do mind map pollution>>>types of pol.

air pollution
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | Copyright

air pollution contamination of the air by noxious gases and minute particles of solid and liquid matter
(particulates) in concentrations that endanger health. The major sources of air pollution are transportation
engines, power and heat generation, industrial processes, and the burning of solid waste .

Sources of Air Pollution

The combustion of gasoline and other hydrocarbon fuels in automobiles , trucks, and jet airplanes produces
several primary pollutants: nitrogen oxides, gaseous hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, as well as large
quantities of particulates, chiefly lead. In the presence of sunlight, nitrogen oxides combine with hydrocarbons
to form a secondary class of pollutants, the photochemical oxidants, among them ozone and the eye-stinging
peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN). Nitrogen oxides also react with oxygen in the air to form nitrogen dioxide, a foul-
smelling brown

effects of air pollution on health

Air pollution is responsible for major health effects.  Every year, the health of countless people is
ruined or endangered by air pollution.

Many different chemicals in the air affect the human body in negative ways.  Just how sick
people will get depends on what chemicals they are exposed to, in what concentrations, and for
how long.

Studies have estimated that the number of people killed annually in the US alone could be over
50,000.

Older people are highly vulnerable to diseases induced by air pollution.  Those with heart or lung
disorders are under additional risk.  Children and infants are also at serious risk.

Because people are exposed to so many potentially dangerous pollutants, it is often hard to know
exactly which pollutants are responsible for causing sickness.  Also, because a mixture of
different pollutants can intensify sickness, it is often difficult to isolate those pollutants that are at
fault.

Many diseases could be caused by air pollution without their becoming apparent for a long time. 
Diseases such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease may all eventually appear in people
exposed to air pollution.

Image of formation of rain…

Water pollution

Comprising over 70% of the Earth�s surface, water is undoubtedly the most precious natural resource
that exists on our planet.  Without the seemingly invaluable compound comprised of hydrogen and
oxygen, life on Earth would be non-existent: it is essential for everything on our planet to grow and
prosper.  Although we as humans recognize this fact, we disregard it by polluting our rivers, lakes, and
oceans. Subsequently, we are slowly but surely harming our planet to the point where organisms
are dying at a very alarming rate.  In addition to innocent organisms dying off, our drinking water has
become greatly affected as is our ability to use water for recreational purposes.  In order to combat
water pollution, we must understand the problems and become part of the solution.

Effects

Effects of Untreated Human Waste

Normally, human waste goes through various treatment plants to become

uncontaminated, but during a heavy rain storm, human waste can back up and overflow
into rivers or the water supplies. This waste can also cause disease and it can rob the
waetr of oxygen which kills the wildlife that lives in the water.

Effects of Factory Pollution

Many factories have pipes that drain chemicals into rivers or streams. These chemicals
can damage aquatic life as they are carried downstream. Furthermore, the added
chemicals can warm the river, which decreases the amount of oxygen that the fish need
to live.

Causes of a.pol.

Organic water pollutants are:

 Food processing waste, including pathogens

 Insecticides and herbicides, a huge range of organohalide and other
chemicals
 Tree and brush debris from logging operations
 Bacteria from sewage or livestock operations
 Petroleum hydrocarbons like diesel, gasoline, jet fuels, fuel oils,
motor oils
 Volatile organic compounds like industrial solvents

Inorganic water pollutants are:

 pre-production industrial raw resin pellets

  heavy metals including acid mine drainage
 chemical waste as industrial by-products
 acidity due to industrial discharges like sulphur dioxide
 silt in surface runoff due to logging, slash and burn practices,
construction sites or land clearing sites
 fertilizers in runoff from agriculture including nitrates and phosphates

Other agents

 The combustion of coal leads to the release of mercury in the

atmosphere. This enters the rivers, lakes and groundwater. This is
very hazardous for pregnant women and infants.
 Cattle and pig rearing causes a significant amount of nutrient-filled
waste. Virulent pfiesteria toxin collects in the water masses.
 Fertilizers having a large quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus cause
a high biological oxygen demand in the water. As oxygen is depleted,
only anaerobic life-forms prosper.
 Human settlement along the banks of rivers causes human, animal
and industrial waste to be discharged into it. In the developed world,
sewage treatment plants are used to treat waste. However, in
developing nations, the rivers are similar to open sewers.

Thermal pollution

Thermal pollution is the rise or fall in the temperature of a natural body of water caused by
human influence. A common cause of thermal pollution is the use of water as a coolant by power
plants and industrial manufacturers. Elevated water temperatures decreases oxygen levels (which
can kill fish) and affects ecosystem composition, such as invasion by new thermophilic species.
Urban runoff may also elevate temperature in surface waters.

Thermal pollution can also be caused by the release of very cold water from the base of
reservoirs into warmer rivers.