FST 171 Assignment 2

Name: Kathlyn Micah P. Mongas . Section: J .

Date Submitted: October 12, 2022 .

Week 3: Water Pollution

1. All types of water pollution are actually interconnected, but the ones that are highly
interconnected are oxygen depletion pollution, nutrient pollution, suspended matter
pollution, and chemical pollution. Oxygen depletion pollution is a result of the lack of
available dissolved oxygen in the water for aquatic animals to survive and thrive. The
depletion of dissolved oxygen in the water can be caused by many factors, most of
which can be attributed to the other mentioned types of water pollution. Nutrient
pollution can cause the overgrowth of aquatic flora, which results in a decreased
amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, such as what we can see during algal
blooms. While algal blooms can naturally occur, there are times when harmful algal
blooms take place due to the increased nutrient content of the water due to nutrient
pollution from fertilizers and other substances. Suspended matter pollution also
directly causes oxygen depletion, as the suspended matter in water can result in higher
temperatures due to the particulate matter absorbing extra heat from the sun. This
increase in temperature can cause dissolved oxygen levels to drop. Chemical pollution
works in a similar way to nutrient pollution, with some chemicals encouraging the
overgrowth of aquatic flora, and some reacting with the oxygen in the water to form
other compounds, resulting in reduced dissolved oxygen levels in the water.

2. It is harder to control and monitor the non-point sources of water pollution, especially
if the source is from cities or large settlements. For point sources, you would be able
to immediately tell the source of the pollution, hence, it would be much easier to
control and monitor compared to the non-point sources where the direct sources
cannot be immediately determined. If an occurrence of water pollution can be traced
back to a city, it would be near impossible to determine which building in the city is
the source of the pollution, hence, it is more challenging.

3. Bioaccumulation is the process in which toxic substances build up in the body of a

single organism while biomagnification is the process in which toxic substances are
passed from one trophic level of the food chain to higher levels. While both are
harmful, biomagnification may have a greater impact on humans. Biomagnification
 works in such a way that the more toxic substances a producer contains, the more
toxic substances the first-level consumers would contain from the ingestion of the
producer. This also goes for second-level consumers and tertiary-level consumers.
Hence, those that are at the top of the food chain, including humans, are more at risk
to consume prey that contain a higher level of toxic substances and would be greatly
detrimental to their health.

Week 4: Air Pollution

1. Among the sources of air pollution discussed, the three main causes of air pollution in
the Philippines would be landfill disposal practices, transportation, and volcanic
activities. Landfill disposal practices and technologies in the Philippines are way
behind the developed countries. After the garbages are unloaded into landfills, no
further treatments or disposal practices, aside from those that pick apart metals or
plastics that can still be recycled or sold, are being done. The accumulation of solid
waste in landfills results in huge amounts of methane and other greenhouse gases
being released into the atmosphere, thereby, adding to air pollution. Transportation is
also a huge contributor to air pollution, especially with the huge volume of private
cars that emit smoke containing harmful gaseous substances that contribute to air
pollution and global warming on a larger scale. And finally, volcanic activities in the
country also greatly contribute to air pollution. The Philippines is part of the Pacific
Ring of Fire, which refers to areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean observed with
higher volcanic activity compared to other parts of the world. Just recently, the
eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas resulted in the suspension of particulate matter
and other harmful gases in the atmosphere in the areas near the eruption site, as well
as farther areas that the suspended matter was able to reach. This resulted in the
formation of vog, a type of air pollution caused by volcanoes. Aside from eruption,
some volcanoes have been observed to periodically emit gases and particulate matter
into the atmosphere, resulting in air pollution.

2. The food industry is one of the largest industries across the globe because after all,
food is a necessity for our survival. Food production practices contribute to air
pollution a lot, like during cooking when fuel must be burned to produce heat, which
results in emissions that pollute the air with carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and
other toxic and non-toxic gases. According to foodprint.org, agriculture is a large
 contributor to the production of greenhouse gases, and in turn, contributes to climate
change. An example of this is the production of meat from farms, which has been
discovered to leave a high carbon footprint, meaning that more energy is needed for
the production of such products and at the same time, leaves behind a lot of
pollutants, like methane and carbon dioxide. Aside from farming and raising
livestock, deforestation is also one of the key problems involved in food production
that contribute to air pollution. More often than not, deforestation occurs to clear large
areas of land for farming or other industrial uses, and the trees that were cut down are
not replaced, therefore, lessening the amount of forest cover in an area and greatly
reducing the capacity to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
On the other hand, air pollution also greatly affects food production. An
example of this is the occurrence of acid rain, which can damage many crops and
affect livestock raising. Acid rain is a result of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
accumulating in the atmosphere and mixing in with clouds, forming rain that is acidic
in nature. These pollutant gases can indeed come from food production facilities. Air
pollution also affects the quality and safety of livestock and crops, especially if
pollutants from the air leach back into the ground and the grass upon which cattle
graze. If pollutants are able to enter the system of livestock and crops, humans that
depend on them may also ingest the contaminants and the accumulation of such
pollutants can eventually lead to health issues. Air pollution also contributes greatly to
climate change, which in turn, affects the production of crops.
In short, both food production and air pollution can affect each other and can
cause adversities to human, animal, and plant lives. Recent intervention programs and
studies have been practiced in many areas across the globe to try and address the
pollution problem and the impending doom of the environment due to climate change.

References:
https://www.noaa.gov/what-is-harmful-algal-bloom
https://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-quality/tur
bidity-total-suspended-solids-water-clarity/
https://cimi.org/blog/bioaccumulation-and-biomagnification-increasingly-concentrate
d-problems/
https://www.bworldonline.com/editors-picks/2019/06/30/239416/a-solution-to-metro-
manilas-garbage-problem/
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1150560
https://foodprint.org/issues/how-our-food-system-affects-climate-change/
https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain