Aquatic & Terrestrial Pollution Notes

Learning Objective: Identify differences between point and nonpoint sources of pollution.
Point Source Pollution:
- Defined as a single, identifiable source of a pollutant.
- Examples:
- Coal Power Plant: Emissions like CO2, NOx, SO2, and PM from smokestacks.
- CAFO Runoff: Animal waste containing ammonia (N), fecal coliform bacteria.
- Oil Spills: Such as the BP Oil spill, releasing hydrocarbons and benzene.
Nonpoint Source Pollution:
- Diffused sources, difficult to trace to a single point.
- Examples:
- Urban runoff (motor oil, nitrate fertilizer, road salt).
- Pesticides sprayed on agricultural fields, washed off into water bodies.

Learning Objective: Describe the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
Key Points:
- Organisms have a range of tolerance for pollutants; exceeding this can cause physiological stress and death.
- Coral Reefs: Threatened by temperature changes, sediment runoff, and destructive fishing practices.
- Oil Spills: Hydrocarbons from oil can coat marine life, reducing survival rates, and economic impacts on the fishing and tourism sectors.

Endocrine Disruptors: Chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system, often leading to developmental issues and gender imbalances in species like fish.
Sources:
- Heavy metals like mercury from industrial processes.
- Human medications that enter waterways, impacting wildlife.

Learning Objective: Describe impacts of human activity on wetlands and mangroves.
Wetlands provide ecological services like water purification, flood protection, and habitats.
Threats to these ecosystems:
- Pollution (nutrients, pesticides), commercial development, water diversion, and climate change.

Learning Objective: Explain environmental effects of excessive use of fertilizers on aquatic ecosystems.
Eutrophication Process: Nutrient enrichment (primarily N & P) leads to algal blooms, which die and decompose, consuming dissolved oxygen and creating hypoxic zones.

Learning Objective: Describe effects of thermal pollution on aquatic ecosystems.
Warm water holds less dissolved oxygen, affecting aquatic life.
Main sources include power plants and urban runoff.

Learning Objective: Describe effects of POPs on ecosystems.
POPs do not easily break down and can bioaccumulate in the fatty tissues of animals, leading to toxic effects (e.g., reproductive issues).

Learning Objective: Describe bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
Bioaccumulation: Increase in concentration of pollutants in a single organism.
Biomagnification: Increase in concentration of pollutants at higher trophic levels in a food chain (e.g., DDT, mercury).

Learning Objective: Describe solid waste disposal methods and their effects.
Common methods: landfilling, incineration. Landfills can contaminate groundwater and produce harmful gases; e-waste poses additional challenges due to hazardous materials.

Learning Objective: Describe changes that could reduce waste generation.
The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Recycling reduces demand for raw materials but is energy-intensive. Composting turns organic waste into useful fertilizer but can attract pests.

Learning Objective: Describe best practices in sewage treatment.
Three main treatment stages:
- Primary: Physical removal of debris.
- Secondary: Biological breakdown of organic matter.
- Tertiary: Further pollutant removal with chemicals or ecological processes.

Learning Objective: Define LD50 and evaluate dose-response curves.
LD50 is the lethal dose for 50% of a population. Dose-response curves illustrate the relationship between toxin dosage and the observed effect, typically an S-shaped curve.

Learning Objective: Identify sources of human health issues linked to pollution.
Example diseases related to pollution: Dysentery (contaminated water), Mesothelioma (asbestos), respiratory issues from ozone exposure.

Learning Objective: Explain human pathogens and their cycling through the environment.
Infectious diseases can spread through various routes; poverty-stricken regions are particularly vulnerable due to poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.