APES Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution

Point source pollution

A source you could point to, a single source

Non point source pollution

Pollution from various sources

Safe drinking water act vs clean water act

SDWA focuses on the health and quality of drinking water so that it is safe for the public to consume while the CWA focuses on protecting the quality of surface and ground water for various uses overall

Sediment pollution

Excessive amount of loose soil in bodies of water; can cause algal blooms due to the nutrients carried with sediments

Eutrophication

Too many nutrients in a body of water = excessive algae and plant growth → harms aquatic life via depleting oxygen

Dead zones/ hypoxia

Areas of oceans or lakes with extremely low oxygen levels where barely any life can thrive

Asphyxiation

Deprivation of oxygen

Neurotoxin: mercury, lead

Poisons acting on the nervous system

Wastewater/ sewage treatment

Processes removing contaminants from wastewater to make it safer for discharge or reuse

effluent

Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river/ sea

Sludge vs biosolids

General solid waste produced during wastewater treatment that is processed into bio solid in order to be used for land

Reclaimed water

Treated wastewater reused for various uses such as irrigation, agriculture, potable water supplies,etc…

BOD (biological oxygen demand)

Amount of oxygen that microorganisms in water need in order to decompose organic matter

Oxygen sag curve

A visual graph showing the change in dissolved oxygen concentrations in a body of water as it flows downstream from a point of pollution.

Mercury pollution

From both natural and human activities (mining/ fossil fuel combustion) and poses health concerns such as neurological defects, etc.

Methylmercury

Organic form of mercury that accumulates in the food chain (esp. predatory fish)

Wetlands vs estuaries

Estuaries are a form of wetland but are distinguished from their locations (where streams and rivers mix with ocean water (salt water))

Endocrine disruptors

Chemicals interfering with the bodies endocrine system (growth, development, reproduction)

Bioaccumulation vs bio magnification

Bioacc is the buildup of toxins within a single organism over time while biomag is the increase in toxins as they move up a food chain

Dysentery

intestine infection = extreme diarrhea with blood and mucus

Mesothelioma

Cancer of the mesothelial tissue (in the lung) → exposure to asbestos

Cholera

Acute diarrheal infection (watery diarrhea)

MERS

Respiratory illness caused by MERS-CoV virus → fever, nausea, vomit, diarrhea

SARS

Respiratory disease via SARS-CoV-1

Vectors

Organism that transmits infectious diseases from one host to another

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Waste management strats to minimize waste generation and maximize the use of materials before they are disposed of

Anthropogenic

human activity

Thermal pollution

Heat pollution (heating rivers due to deforestation etc.)

Nutrient pollution

Runoff from fertilizers like phosphorus and nitrogen = overload of nutrients or eutrophication = harmed aquatic ecosystem

Sediment pollution

Particles from soil, etc piling up at the bottom of lakes reducing sunlight and clogging gills of fish

POPs (persistent organic pollutants)

Chemicals persisting in the environment for long periods that can bioaccumulate in organisms

Integrated waste management

approach to managing waste reduce, reuse, recycle

MRF (material recovery facility)

A plant where recyclable materials are sorted and prepped for sale to manufactures

Sedimentation

Small rocks and soil often carrying numerous particles and nutrients

E-waste

Electronic waste (TVs)

Bioremediation vs phytoremediation

Both methods of cleaning up contaminated soil, water, and air via biological processes. Bio uses microbes like bacteria and fungi to break down or transform pollutants while phyto uses plants to absorb, degrade and stabilize these contaminants

CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980)

Program for cleaning up hazardous waste sites

RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act)

Federal law governing the disposal of solid and hazardous waste

Delaney Clause of the Federal Food and Drug Act

Prohibits the use of food additive found to cause cancer in humans and animals

Lethal dose (LD50)

The dose that could kill 50% of a pollutation

Municipal Solid Waste

Trash generated by households, businesses, etc.