Water Pollution

How many colonies of fecal coliform bacteria are allowed per 100mL of drinking water?

0 colonies/100 mL

How many colonies of fecal coliform bacteria are allowed per 100mL of swimming water?

200 colonies/100 mL

What is B.O.D?

Biological Oxygen Demand. The amount of oxygen needed to decompose a given amount of organic material.

What is DO?

Dissolved Oxygen. Concentration of dissolved oxygen in water that fish use to breath.

What is the major culprit of Thermal Pollution?

Power Plants

How does Thermal Pollution kill aquatic life?

Excessive heat through thermal shock. Warm water can also dissolve less O2, leading to low DO.

What is Concentration?

Amount of Solute (Dissolved) : Amount of Solvent (Dissolving)

What is Turbidity?

Clarity of water in terms of sediment pollution.

How is Turbidity bad for the environment?

Reduces Photosynthesis = disruption of food web, Water treatment plants work harder to treat water, and smothers macroinvertebrates like crawfish.

What is Point Pollution?

Specific location from which pollution is released

What is Nonpoint Pollution?

Broad area of pollution release.

What is the Oxygen Sag Curve?

The decrease of DO downstream due to an input of BOD from a pollution source.

What is the process of Cultural Eutrophication?

Prevention Strategies

Cleanup Strageties

How is groundwater polluted?

Can groundwater be cleaned?

What are monitoring wells?

What are the tide colors indicating cultural eutrophication?

What is a hypoxic zone?

Dredge spoils?

Ocean Garbage Patches?

Environmental problems caused by ocean garbage patches?

Exxon Valdez

BP Horizon

Effects of Oil Spills?

coats waterfowl feathers and disrupts buoyancy, disrupts mammal’s temperature regulation, smothers bottom dwellers, fishing industry suffers from fewer fish, recreation industry suffers from widespread oil pollution.

How to clean up Oil Spills?

Mechanically, skim and absorb. Chemically, dispersant with water. Fire, burn off. Naturally, time with wind, waves, and bacteria. Biologically, bioremediation through bacteria.

Oil Pollution Act of 1990

Required money for clean up and U.S. oil tankers must be double hulled.

What is Ocean Acidification?

CO2 released in the environment through humans, dissolves in the ocean and lowers pH. Damages coral and interferes with shell calcium.