MODULE 11 Living With Disasters

Content to be delivered;
1. Theory of Plate Tectonics

2. Natural Disasters

Intended Learning Outcomes

1.

2.

Uncover Your Prior Knowledge!

Direction:
Let’s Discover and Learn

Plate Tectonics Theory

Like any great theory, plate tectonics makes a tremendous amount of sense. The whole story fits
together so perfectly. Wegener had so much evidence that the continents had once been
joined. Seafloor spreading is a perfect mechanism for moving those continents. It's really too bad
that Alfred Wegener is not here to learn about the theory of plate tectonics. It seems certain that he
would be ecstatic!

The theory of plate tectonics is what brings together continental drift and seafloor spreading. Plates
are made of lithosphere topped with oceanic and/or continental crust. The plates are moved around
on Earth's surface by seafloor spreading. Convection in the mantle drives seafloor spreading.
Oceanic crust is created at mid-ocean ridges. The crust moves outward from the ridge over time.
The crust may eventually sink into the mantle and be destroyed. If a continent sits on a plate with a
mid-ocean ridge, the continent will be pushed along.

Plate Boundaries

Two plates meet at a plate boundary. There are three types of plate boundaries since there are
three ways that plates can meet. Plates can move away from each other. They can move toward
each other. Finally, they can slide past each other. The three types of plate boundaries are
divergent, convergent, and transform. They are described in the following three concepts.

Most geological activity takes place at plate boundaries. This activity

includes volcanoes, earthquakes, and mountain building. The activity occurs as plates interact. Giant
slabs of lithosphere moving around can create a lot of activity! The features seen at a plate
boundary are determined by the direction of plate motion and by the type of crust found at the
boundary.

What The Theory Explains

The theory of plate tectonics explains most of the features of Earth’s surface. It explains
why earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain ranges are where they are. It explains where to find
some mineral resources. Plate tectonics is the key that unlocks many of the mysteries of our
amazing planet. Plate tectonics theory explains why:

 Earth's geography has changed over time and continues to change today.

 some places are prone to earthquakes while others are not.

 certain regions may have deadly, mild, or no volcanic eruptions.

 mountain ranges are located where they are.

 many ore deposits are located where they are.

 living and fossil species of plants and animals are found where they are.

 some continental margins have a lot of geological activity, and some have none.

Plate tectonic motions affect Earth’s rock cycle, climate, and the evolution of life.
(Retrieved from https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-middle-school-earth-science-flexbook-
2.0/section/5.9/primary/lesson/theory-of-plate-tectonics-ms-es)

7 Most Dangerous Natural Disasters

1. Landslides
Landslides is a geological activity in which falling of rocks and soil occur down a slope of land.
Heavy rains, small earthquakes , volcano eruptions and of course the gravitational force are the
driving forces of landslide. The human activities like mining, construction and quarrying also cause
landsliding. The movement of soil away from the actual foundation, sudden decrease in ground
water level and cracking of ground are indication of landslides.

Main landslide prone areas

1. Places at slopes.
2. Hill side places.
3. Places where landslides exits in older times.
4. Islands.

2. Volcanic eruptions
Volcanoes are actually an opening from the inner part of Earth to the surface. Volcanic
eruption emerges ashes, hot lava and poisonous gases. The convergence and divergence of
tectonic plates under Earth which causes the formation of volcanoes. Mainly volc anoes are found
in mid Atlantic and pacific ridge.

A volcanic eruption happens when the pressure on magma chamber inside Earth increase and
push magma to surface through volcanic vents. Volcanic eruptions will destroy the surrounding
areas, aircrafts, also heaten up the atmosphere. Volcanic tremor, small earthquake near volcano,
ejection of steam and gases are the indication of volcanic eruptions.

Most active volcanoes in the world

1. Erta ale, Ethiopia.

2. Mt. Merapi, Indonesia.
3. Mt. Yasur, Vanuatu.
4. Volcan de Colima, Mexico.
5. Mt. Erebus Antarctica.
6. Mt. Cleveland, Alaska.
7. Kilauea, Hawaii.
8. Sakurajima, Japan.
9. Mt. Stromboli, Italy.
10. Pacaya, Guatemala.
3. Tornadoes
Tornadoes are strong, violently rotating air storm initiate from clouds to surface of earth. Some
violent tornadoes achieve wind speed up to 300 miles per hour. Tornadoes are normally found in
condensation funnel shape, also holds several shape depending on pressure of air. The thunder
storms, mixing up of cold, moist air with hot air makes instability and violent tornadoes will form.

Tornadoes have enough power to destroy the entire city and uproot trees. Such violent storm
can be found within all continents except Antarctica. Tornado alley (region that covers North
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska) is the most tornado-prone area in the world.

Top most tornado prone areas in the world

1. Oklahoma, United States.

2. Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.
3. New Orleans, United States.
4. Atlanta, United States.
5. Florida, United States.

4. Lightning
Lightning is natural formation of electricity and flows through air like a flash. Due to the collision
between ice gained cloud formation of charges will take place at beneath of clouds, once charge
concentrate at any point on earth a sudden flow of electricity will pass. It can be
mountains, trees, animals or humans. Lightning have temperature up to 54000 degree
Fahrenheit, approximately six times hotter than surface of Sun.

There are 100 lightning strikes in every second on Earth that have enough power to destroy
everything within no time. The presence of dark clouds in the sky is the indication of lightning,
thunders also sounds this disaster. Lightning mainly hits in the areas where instability of
environment, variation of temperate or pressure occurs.

5. Tsunamis
Tsunamis or tidal waves formed due to the Earthquakes, volcanic eruption or other form of
disturbance in oceans. Tsunami tides have heights of hundreds of meters and large wavelength.
Such tidal waves will travel thousands of miles and mainly hits coastal areas. Tsunamis have
greater speed at deep water in ocean. The speed decreases as it approaches coastal areas but
have greater height. The retrieval of waves is the main indication of Tsunamis.

Top most Tsunami prone countries in the world

1. Albania.
2. Chile.
 3. China.
4. East Timor.
5. Japan.
6. India.
7. Indonesia.
8. Maldives.
9. Mexico.
10. Sri Lanka.

6. Hurricanes
Hurricanes are powerful rapidly rotating storm system mainly hit over tropical seas. Hurricanes
are also called as typhoon, cyclone collectively known as tropical cyclones. Hurricanes will spread
across 600 miles rotate inward and upward at 70 to 200 miles per hour speed.

Hurricanes are formed where ocean water with temperate above 80 degree F and wind blows in
same direction that of upward force. The evaporation from sea water also increases the force of
hurricane. But no such hurricanes hit lands with same power as it gained from source, have
enough power to generate heavy rain, high waves an strong winds.

7. Earthquakes
Earthquakes are one of the most dangerous disasters ever faced by the human. Earth’s
surface holds number of plates called tectonic. Such plates have rough edges and they always
keep moving and slide over each other.

As the tectonic plate surface have faults the gets stuck while sliding and remaining parts keeps
moving. Whenever the force of these plates overcomes the friction the energy gets released in
the form of seismic waves and shakes the outer world.ere are thousands of earthquakes happens
across the world everyday. But most of them are too small to be detect and some have the power
to destroy everything.

 Seismometers is the instrument used to measure the seismic waves produced by

earthquakes. The intensity or magnitude earthquakes are measured by ritcher scales,
magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes are very weak in nature, magnitude 7 or higher have
power to destroy the entire city.
 Scientists can’t predict the Earthquakes, when it comes or where it hits.

Top most earthquake prone cities in the world

1. Kathmandu, Nepal.
2. Istanbul, Turkey.
3. Delhi, India.
4. Quito, Ecuador.
5. Manila. Philippines.
6. Islamabad, Pakistan.
7. San Salvador, Salvador.
8. Mexico City, Mexico.
 9. Izmir, Turkey.
10. Jakarta, Indonesia.

(Retrieved from https://themysteriousworld.com/most-dangerous-natural-disasters/)

Engaging Activity

Activity 1
(Divergent Thinking)

Direction:

Let’s Try It!

I.

References

https://themysteriousworld.com/most-dangerous-natural-disasters/

https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-middle-school-earth-science-flexbook-
2.0/section/5.9/primary/lesson/theory-of-plate-tectonics-ms-es
MODULE 12 Environmental
Geography

Content to be delivered;
1. Depletion of Natural Resources

2. Environmental Pollution

Intended Learning Outcomes

1.

2.

Uncover Your Prior Knowledge!

Direction:
Let’s Discover and Learn

Resource depletion

Humans are depleting the earth’s resources at an ever-increasing rate. This is the product of an
increasing global population multiplied by an ever-increasing level of consumption per person. More
people on the planet leads to more:

 Sewerage and stock effluent

 Fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides
 Fossil fuels extracted and burned
 Oil leaked and spilled
 Land deforested and developed
 Soil eroded and degraded
 Minerals mined
 Waste and toxic byproducts of manufacturing
All of these things deplete or degrade the earth’s natural resources. It is estimated that
humanities’ ecological footprint (a measure of consumption) is one and a half times the
earth’s capacity to sustainably provide the resources to meet that demand. The shortfall between
the supply of resources and the demand for them is being met through the depletion (or
degradation) of natural capital – things like fresh water, soil, forest land, wetlands and biodiversity.

Water

Water is critical to all life. Too little clean water can have enormous negative impacts. Water quality
and conservation are acute issues that must be addressed.

Water quality

Water pollution is caused by a change in it’s composition due to human activity. The three major
sources of water pollution are municipal, industrial and agricultural.

The hydrological cycle is the cycle where water evaporates from the sea and is precipitated on land
– rain, hail and snow – and is stored in the ground as groundwater (which is ultimately discharged
into waterways) or if it cannot be absorbed it returns to the sea through run-off.

Much of the pollution discharged – deliberately or accidentally – onto the land or directly into
waterways will ultimately finds it’s way to the sea where it will affect marine ecosystems.

All discharges if they can’t be stopped must be treated or otherwise managed properly.

Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels are by far the largest source of energy in modern economies – coal and gas for electricity
generation; and petrol, diesel and kerosene-type fuels for land, sea and air transport.

Some two-thirds of the world’s electricity is generated by coal-fired power plants, and coal is
responsible for more than a quarter of global CO2 emissions. Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel in terms of
greenhouse gas emissions. For instance about 0.92kg of CO2 is typically released for every kilowatt
hour of electricity produced in a coal-fired electricity generation station. Gas is a comparatively less
carbon intensive fuel – about 0.52kg of CO2 is typically released for every kilowatt hour of electricity
produced in a gas-fired station.
Unfortunately, we are not reducing our dependence on coal. In fact, coal emissions are set to
increase hugely because of a tidal wave of new coal-fired power plants in the pipeline. In November
2012 World Resources Institute reported that 1,199 new coal-fired plants with a total installed
capacity of 1,401,268 megawatts (MW) are being proposed globally. If all of these projects are built,
it would add new coal power capacity that is almost four times the current capacity of all coal-fired
plants in the United States.

Burning petrol and diesel for transport also releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere. About 2.3kg of CO2 is released when a litre of petrol is burned and about 2.7kg for each
litre of diesel.

Peak oil

Unfortunately, from a climate change point of view, there are enough reserves of coal to last for
hundreds of years. However it is believed we have reached, or are near, peak oil production at
which point the amount of oil produced will decline as reserves become depleted. Read more about
Peak Oil»

Land use and soil

Land use and land management practices have a major impact on natural resources including water,
soil, nutrients, plants and animals. Land use information can be used to develop solutions for
natural resource management issues such as salinity and water quality. For instance, water bodies in
a region that has been deforested or having erosion will have different water quality than those in
areas that are forested.

Two of the biggest issues relating to land-use are:

Contamination
Soil contamination is the human-induced deposition of harmful substances which are not a product
of natural accumulation or soil formation. Many human activities, ranging from mining activities,
industrial and agricultural production to road transport, result in pollution that can accumulate in
the soil or result in biological and chemical reactions in the soil.

Erosion
Soil erosion is the removal of soil by wind and water. This natural process is intensified by human
activities, such as deforestation for agricultural purposes, changes in hydrological conditions,
overgrazing and other inappropriate agricultural activities. Erosion can lead to soil degradation and
eventually complete destruction.

Land use for agriculture

Agriculture uses soils and water as a resource for food production, and at the same time impacts on
these resources. The extent and causes of the environmental impacts of agriculture, notably by farm
and crop type, vary significantly. Nevertheless, the continuing search for efficiency, lower costs and
increased scale of production is resulting in substantial pressures on the environment, landscapes
and biodiversity, particularly in the most intensively farmed areas. At the same time, agriculture
remains essential to the maintenance of many cultural landscapes.

Agricultural production throughout New Zealand continues to rely on non-farm resources such as
inorganic fertilisers and pesticides. However, there has been a decline in the use of these resources
and, particularly in eastern Europe, a reduction in the pressure on the environment.

Recent shifts to environmentally-friendly production systems are apparent, for example, organic
production and conservation tillage systems.
In terms of resource conservation, the most important impacts of arable and livestock production
are those relating to soil erosion and nutrient leaching, respectively. Soil erosion increases with the
share of arable land of total land use, mitigated by physical background factors (slope, soil type,
rainfall patterns) and farming practices.

Nutrient leaching is caused where the application of livestock manure and mineral fertilisers
exceeds the nutrient demand of crops.

While agriculture can exert significant pressure on the environment, it is itself subject to negative
environmental impacts linked to air pollution and urban development.

Soil sealing by transport or housing infrastructure also eliminates hundreds of hectares of

agricultural land every year.

Mining & mineral resources

The term “minerals” refers to a variety of materials found in the earth. It includes metals such as
iron, copper, and gold; industrial minerals, like lime and gypsum; construction materials such as
sand and stone; and fuels, such as coal and uranium.

Mining by definition is an extractive industry, often with huge environmental and social impacts that
persist long after the mine has closed. For example acid drainage (where sulphuric acid is created
from rain falling on exposed tailings) is an especially long-lived problem.

The fact is that modern society is totally dependent on the products of mining–from cellphones, to
ipods, to plows, cars and even roads. The challenge is further complicated given that many mining
areas overlap with ancestral domains, forests and biodiversity-rich habitats.

In 2000, mines around the world extracted some 900 million tons of metal—and left behind some 6
billion tons of waste ore. This figure does not include the overburden earth moved to reach the
ores. There is no reliable way to dispose of billions of tons of materials discreetly. Catastrophic spills
of mine wastes in recent years have resulted in enormous fish kills, soil and water pollution, and
damage to human health.

The human cost

Hundreds of thousands of people have been uprooted in order to make way for mine projects.
Many others have had to forsake traditional occupations and endure the effects of living beside a
mine that poisons their water supplies or near a smelter that pollutes the air they breathe.

Each year 14,000 mine workers are killed at accidents on the job, and many more are exposed to
chemicals or particulates that increase their risks of respiratory disorders and certain kinds of
cancers.

Inefficiency
Mining is highly inefficient. Based on figures from the late 1990s mining consumed close to 10% of
world energy, it is responsible for 13% of sulphur dioxide emissions and it is estimated that it
threatens nearly 40% of the world’s undeveloped tracts of forest. Yet it directly accounts for 0.5% of
employment and 0.9% of GDP.

(Retrieved from https://www.econation.co.nz/resource-depletion/)

Environmental Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are
called pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human
activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water,
and land.

Many things that are useful to people produce pollution. Cars spew pollutants from
their exhaust pipes. Burning coal to create electricity pollutes the air. Industries and
homes generate garbage and sewage that can pollute the land and water. Pesticides—
chemical poisons used to kill weeds and insects—seep into waterways and harm wildlife.

All living things—from one-celled microbes to blue whales—depend on Earth’s supply of air and
water. When these resources are polluted, all forms of life are threatened.

Pollution is a global problem. Although urban areas are usually more polluted than the countryside,
pollution can spread to remote places where no people live. For example, pesticides and other
chemicals have been found in the Antarctic ice sheet. In the middle of the northern Pacific Ocean, a
huge collection of microscopic plastic particles forms what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch.

Air and water currents carry pollution. Ocean currents and migrating fish carry marine pollutants far
and wide. Winds can pick up radioactive material accidentally released from a nuclear reactor and
scatter it around the world. Smoke from a factory in one country drifts into another country.

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).

The three major types of pollution are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution.

Air Pollution

Sometimes, air pollution is visible. A person can see dark smoke pour from the exhaust pipes of
large trucks or factories, for example. More often, however, air pollution is invisible.

Polluted air can be dangerous, even if the pollutants are invisible. It can make people’s eyes burn
and make them have difficulty breathing. It can also increase the risk of lung cancer.

Sometimes, air pollution kills quickly. In 1984, an accident at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India,
released a deadly gas into the air. At least 8,000 people died within days. Hundreds of thousands
more were permanently injured.

Natural disasters can also cause air pollution to increase quickly. When volcanoes erupt,
they eject volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere. Volcanic ash can discolor the sky for months.
After the eruption of the Indonesian volcano of Krakatoa in 1883, ash darkened the sky around the
world. The dimmer sky caused fewer crops to be harvested as far away as Europe and North
America. For years, meteorologists tracked what was known as the “equatorial smoke stream.” In
fact, this smoke stream was a jet stream, a wind high in Earth’s atmosphere that Krakatoa’s air
pollution made visible.

Volcanic gases, such as sulfur dioxide, can kill nearby residents and make the soil infertile for years.
Mount Vesuvius, a volcano in Italy, famously erupted in 79, killing hundreds of residents of the
nearby towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Most victims of Vesuvius were not killed
by lava or landslides caused by the eruption. They were choked, or asphyxiated, by deadly volcanic
gases.

In 1986, a toxic cloud developed over Lake Nyos, Cameroon. Lake Nyos sits in the crater of a
volcano. Though the volcano did not erupt, it did eject volcanic gases into the lake. The heated gases
passed through the water of the lake and collected as a cloud that descended the slopes of the
volcano and into nearby valleys. As the toxic cloud moved across the landscape, it killed birds and
other organisms in their natural habitat. This air pollution also killed thousands of cattle and as
many as 1,700 people.

Most air pollution is not natural, however. It comes from burning fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural
gas. When gasoline is burned to power cars and trucks, it produces carbon monoxide, a colorless,
odorless gas. The gas is harmful in high concentrations, or amounts. City traffic produces highly
concentrated carbon monoxide.

Cars and factories produce other common pollutants, including nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide,
and hydrocarbons. These chemicals react with sunlight to produce smog, a thick fog or haze of air
pollution. The smog is so thick in Linfen, China, that people can seldom see the sun. Smog can be
brown or grayish blue, depending on which pollutants are in it.

Smog makes breathing difficult, especially for children and older adults. Some cities that suffer from
extreme smog issue air pollution warnings. The government of Hong Kong, for example, will warn
people not to go outside or engage in strenuous physical activity (such as running or swimming)
when smog is very thick.

When air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide mix with moisture, they change
into acids. They then fall back to earth as acid rain. Wind often carries acid rain far from the
pollution source. Pollutants produced by factories and power plants in Spain can fall as acid rain in
Norway.

Acid rain can kill all the trees in a forest. It can also devastate lakes, streams, and other waterways.
When lakes become acidic, fish can’t survive. In Sweden, acid rain created thousands of “dead
lakes,” where fish no longer live.

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.

Governments have tried to prevent acid rain by limiting the amount of pollutants released into the
air. In Europe and North America, they have had some success, but acid rain remains a major
problem in the developing world, especially Asia.

Greenhouse gases are another source of air pollution. Greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide and methane occur naturally in the atmosphere. In fact, they are necessary for life on Earth.
They absorb sunlight reflected from Earth, preventing it from escaping into space. By trapping heat
in the atmosphere, they keep Earth warm enough for people to live. This is called the greenhouse
effect.

But human activities such as burning fossil fuels and destroying forests have increased the amount
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This has increased the greenhouse effect, and
average temperatures across the globe are rising. The decade that began in the year 2000 was the
warmest on record. This increase in worldwide average temperatures, caused in part by human
activity, is called global warming.

Global warming is causing ice sheets and glaciers to melt. The melting ice is causing sea levels to rise
at a rate of 2 millimeters (0.09 inches) per year. The rising seas will eventually flood low-
lying coastal regions. Entire nations, such as the islands of Maldives, are threatened by this climate
change.

Global warming also contributes to the phenomenon of ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is
the process of ocean waters absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Fewer organisms
can survive in warmer, less salty waters. The ocean food web is threatened as plants and animals
such as coral fail to adapt to more acidic oceans.

Scientists have predicted that global warming will cause an increase in severe storms. It will also
cause more droughts in some regions and more flooding in others.

The change in average temperatures is already shrinking some habitats, the regions where plants
and animals naturally live. Polar bears hunt seals from sea ice in the Arctic. The melting ice is forcing
polar bears to travel farther to find food, and their numbers are shrinking.

People and governments can respond quickly and effectively to reduce air pollution. Chemicals
called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are a dangerous form of air pollution that governments worked to
reduce in the 1980s and 1990s. CFCs are found in gases that cool refrigerators, in foam products,
and in aerosol cans.

CFCs damage the ozone layer, a region in Earth’s upper atmosphere. The ozone layer protects Earth
by absorbing much of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. When people are exposed to more
ultraviolet radiation, they are more likely to develop skin cancer, eye diseases, and other illnesses.

In the 1980s, scientists noticed that the ozone layer over Antarctica was thinning. This is often called
the “ozone hole.” No one lives permanently in Antarctica. But Australia, the home of more than 22
million people, lies at the edge of the hole. In the 1990s, the Australian government began an effort
to warn people of the dangers of too much sun. Many countries, including the United States, now
severely limit the production of CFCs.

Water Pollution

Some polluted water looks muddy, smells bad, and has garbage floating in it. Some polluted water
looks clean, but is filled with harmful chemicals you can’t see or smell.

Polluted water is unsafe for drinking and swimming. Some people who drink polluted water are
exposed to hazardous chemicals that may make them sick years later. Others consume bacteria and
other tiny aquatic organisms that cause disease. The United Nations estimates that 4,000 children
die every day from drinking dirty water.

Sometimes, polluted water harms people indirectly. They get sick because the fish that live in
polluted water are unsafe to eat. They have too many pollutants in their flesh.

There are some natural sources of water pollution. Oil and natural gas, for example, can leak into
oceans and lakes from natural underground sources. These sites are called petroleum seeps. The
world’s largest petroleum seep is the Coal Oil Point Seep, off the coast of the U.S. state of California.
The Coal Oil Point Seep releases so much oil that tar balls wash up on nearby beaches. Tar balls are
small, sticky pieces of pollution that eventually decompose in the ocean.

Human activity also contributes to water pollution. Chemicals and oils from factories are sometimes
dumped or seep into waterways. These chemicals are called runoff. Chemicals in runoff can create a
toxic environment for aquatic life. Runoff can also help create a fertile environment
for cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria reproduce rapidly, creating a harmful
algal bloom (HAB). Harmful algal blooms prevent organisms such as plants and fish from living in the
ocean. They are associated with “dead zones” in the world’s lakes and rivers, places where little life
exists below surface water.

Mining and drilling can also contribute to water pollution. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a major
contributor to pollution of rivers and streams near coal mines. Acid helps miners remove coal from
the surrounding rocks. The acid is washed into streams and rivers, where it reacts with rocks
and sand. It releases chemical sulfur from the rocks and sand, creating a river rich in sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid is toxic to plants, fish, and other aquatic organisms. Sulfuric acid is also toxic to people,
making rivers polluted by AMD dangerous sources of water for drinking and hygiene.

Oil spills are another source of water pollution. In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil
rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing oil to gush from the ocean floor. In the following months,
hundreds of millions of gallons of oil spewed into the gulf waters. The spill produced large plumes of
oil under the sea and an oil slick on the surface as large as 24,000 square kilometers (9,100 square
miles). The oil slick coated wetlands in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi,
killing marsh plants and aquatic organisms such as crabs and fish. Birds, such as pelicans, became
coated in oil and were unable to fly or access food. More than 2 million animals died as a result of
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Buried chemical waste can also pollute water supplies. For many years, people disposed of chemical
wastes carelessly, not realizing its dangers. In the 1970s, people living in the Love Canal area in
Niagara Falls, New York, suffered from extremely high rates of cancer and birth defects. It was
discovered that a chemical waste dump had poisoned the area’s water. In 1978, 800 families living
in Love Canal had to abandon their homes.

If not disposed of properly, radioactive waste from nuclear power plants can escape into the
environment. Radioactive waste can harm living things and pollute the water.

Sewage that has not been properly treated is a common source of water pollution. Many cities
around the world have poor sewage systems and sewage treatment plants. Delhi, the capital of
India, is home to more than 21 million people. More than half the sewage and other waste
produced in the city are dumped into the Yamuna River. This pollution makes the river dangerous to
use as a source of water for drinking or hygiene. It also reduces the river’s fishery, resulting in less
food for the local community.

A major source of water pollution is fertilizer used in agriculture. Fertilizer is material added to soil
to make plants grow larger and faster. Fertilizers usually contain large amounts of the
elements nitrogen and phosphorus, which help plants grow. Rainwater washes fertilizer into
streams and lakes. There, the nitrogen and phosphorus cause cyanobacteria to form harmful algal
blooms.

Rain washes other pollutants into streams and lakes. It picks up animal waste from cattle ranches.
Cars drip oil onto the street, and rain carries it into storm drains, which lead to waterways such as
rivers and seas. Rain sometimes washes chemical pesticides off of plants and into streams.
Pesticides can also seep into groundwater, the water beneath the surface of the Earth.

Heat can pollute water. Power plants, for example, produce a huge amount of heat. Power plants
are often located on rivers so they can use the water as a coolant. Cool water circulates through the
plant, absorbing heat. The heated water is then returned to the river. Aquatic creatures are
sensitive to changes in temperature. Some fish, for example, can only live in cold water. Warmer
river temperatures prevent fish eggs from hatching. Warmer river water also contributes to harmful
algal blooms.

Another type of water pollution is simple garbage. The Citarum River in Indonesia, for example, has
so much garbage floating in it that you cannot see the water. Floating trash makes the river difficult
to fish in. Aquatic animals such as fish and turtles mistake trash, such as plastic bags, for food.
Plastic bags and twine can kill many ocean creatures. Chemical pollutants in trash can also pollute
the water, making it toxic for fish and people who use the river as a source of drinking water. The
fish that are caught in a polluted river often have high levels of chemical toxins in their flesh. People
absorb these toxins as they eat the fish.

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.

Pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural fields are blown by the wind. They can harm plants,
animals, and sometimes people. Some fruits and vegetables absorb the pesticides that help them
grow. When people consume the fruits and vegetables, the pesticides enter their bodies. Some
pesticides can cause cancer and other diseases.

A pesticide called DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was once commonly used to kill insects,
especially mosquitoes. In many parts of the world, mosquitoes carry a disease called malaria, which
kills a million people every year. Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Muller was awarded the Nobel
Prize for his understanding of how DDT can control insects and other pests. DDT is responsible for
reducing malaria in places such as Taiwan and Sri Lanka.

In 1962, American biologist Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring, which discussed the
dangers of DDT. She argued that it could contribute to cancer in humans. She also explained how it
was destroying bird eggs, which caused the number of bald eagles, brown pelicans, and ospreys to
drop. In 1972, the United States banned the use of DDT. Many other countries also banned it. But
DDT didn’t disappear entirely. Today, many governments support the use of DDT because it remains
the most effective way to combat malaria.

Trash is another form of land pollution. Around the world, paper, cans, glass jars, plastic products,
and junked cars and appliances mar the landscape. Litter makes it difficult for plants and other
producers in the food web to create nutrients. Animals can die if they mistakenly eat plastic.

Garbage often contains dangerous pollutants such as oils, chemicals, and ink. These pollutants
can leech into the soil and harm plants, animals, and people.

Inefficient garbage collection systems contribute to land pollution. Often, the garbage is picked up
and brought to a dump, or landfill. Garbage is buried in landfills. Sometimes, communities produce
so much garbage that their landfills are filling up. They are running out of places to dump their trash.

A massive landfill near Quezon City, Philippines, was the site of a land pollution tragedy in 2000.
Hundreds of people lived on the slopes of the Quezon City landfill. These people made their living
from recycling and selling items found in the landfill. However, the landfill was not secure. Heavy
rains caused a trash landslide, killing 218 people.

Sometimes, landfills are not completely sealed off from the land around them. Pollutants from the
landfill leak into the earth in which they are buried. Plants that grow in the earth may be
contaminated, and the herbivores that eat the plants also become contaminated. So do
the predators that consume the herbivores. This process, where a chemical builds up in each level of
the food web, is called bioaccumulation.
Pollutants leaked from landfills also leak into local groundwater supplies. There, the aquatic food
web (from microscopic algae to fish to predators such as sharks or eagles) can suffer from
bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals.

Some communities do not have adequate garbage collection systems, and trash lines the side of
roads. In other places, garbage washes up on beaches. Kamilo Beach, in the U.S. state of Hawaii, is
littered with plastic bags and bottles carried in by the tide. The trash is dangerous to ocean life and
reduces economic activity in the area. Tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry. Polluted beaches
discourage tourists from investing in the area’s hotels, restaurants, and recreational activities.

Some cities incinerate, or burn, their garbage. Incinerating trash gets rid of it, but it can release
dangerous heavy metals and chemicals into the air. So while trash incinerators can help with the
problem of land pollution, they sometimes add to the problem of air pollution.

Reducing Pollution

Around the world, people and governments are making efforts to combat pollution. Recycling, for
instance, is becoming more common. In recycling, trash is processed so its useful materials can be
used again. Glass, aluminum cans, and many types of plastic can be melted and reused. Paper can
be broken down and turned into new paper.

Recycling reduces the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills, incinerators, and waterways.
Austria and Switzerland have the highest recycling rates. These nations recycle between 50 and 60
percent of their garbage. The United States recycles about 30 percent of its garbage.

Governments can combat pollution by passing laws that limit the amount and types of chemicals
factories and agribusinesses are allowed to use. The smoke from coal-burning power plants can be
filtered. People and businesses that illegally dump pollutants into the land, water, and air can
be fined for millions of dollars. Some government programs, such as the Superfund program in the
United States, can force polluters to clean up the sites they polluted.

International agreements can also reduce pollution. The Kyoto Protocol, a United Nations
agreement to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, has been signed by 191 countries. The United
States, the world’s second-largest producer of greenhouse gases, did not sign the agreement. Other
countries, such as China, the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases, have not met their
goals.

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.

But even as some rivers are becoming cleaner, others are becoming more polluted. As countries
around the world become wealthier, some forms of pollution increase. Countries with growing
economies usually need more power plants, which produce more pollutants.

Reducing pollution requires environmental, political, and economic leadership. Developed nations
must work to reduce and recycle their materials, while developing nations must work to strengthen
their economies without destroying the environment. Developed and developing countries must
work together toward the common goal of protecting the environment for future use.

(Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/pollution/)

Engaging Activity

Activity 1
(Divergent Thinking)

Direction:
Let’s Try It!

I.

References

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/pollution/
https://www.econation.co.nz/resource-depletion/