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Unit 8 APES Notes
8.1.1 - Sources of Pollution
Topic - We will discuss point and nonpoint source pollution and the differences between those sources.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Identify differences between point and nonpoint sources of pollution.
Describe environmental concepts and processes.
A point source refers to a single, identifiable source of a pollutant, such as a smokestack or waste discharge pipe.
Nonpoint sources of pollution are diffused and can therefore be difficult to identify, such as pesticide spraying or urban runoff.
Categories of Water Pollution
Categories differentiate the sources of contamination in order to manage them effectively.
EPA sets water quality standards, and these classifications help determine protection strategies.
Ground and surface waters can be impacted by both point and nonpoint source pollution.
Point Source Pollution
Pollution that enters the environment from a single source and is clearly identified.
EX:
Wastewater treatment plants
Electronic or automobile Manufacturers
Paper or Pulp mills
Oil Refineries
Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)
Leaking underground gasoline storage tanks
Controlling Point Source Pollution
The Clean Water Act requires industries of point sources to get a permit from the state and/or EPA before they can discharge any effluent into a body of water.
The point source will also have to use effective technologies to treat the effluent before it can be discharged.
Nonpoint Source Pollution
Pollution that can not be traced back to a single point or property…not from a single pipe.
Contributions of contaminants come from many sources accumulating over a wide area and eventually reaching a level that impairs wwaterquality.
EX:
Agricultural and residential areas can have excess chemicals such as:
Fertilizers
Herbicides
Insecticides
Water from rain, snowmelt, and irrigation running off parking lots, roads, and lawns in urban/suburban areas can be a source of:
Oil
Grease
Toxic Chemicals
Sediment is one of the most significant nonpoint source pollutants in the United States.
Sediment (Soil particles made of sand, gravel, and clay) from improperly managed
Construction sites
Crop and Forest lands
Eroding stream banks
A different approach to management
Nonpoint sources are not regulated through permitting but managed through programs that encourage partnerships between private landowners and businesses with local and state governments working together.
Ideas to takeaway:
Point source pollution refers to a single source you can actually point to, such as a sewer pipe, factory discharge, or waste from a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO).
Nonpoint source pollution is an accumulation of contaminants from many sources over a wide area, not from a single source or property. Examples include sediments, fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste from agricultural, industrial, or urban runoff.
8.2.1 - Human Impacts on Ecosystems
Topic - We will examine how aquatic organisms such as coral reefs have a tolerance range for conditions like dissolved oxygen and pollutants.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with the work shown.
Organisms have a range of tolerance for various pollutants.
Organisms have an optimal range for each factor in which they can maintain homeostasis. Outside of this range, organisms may experience physiological stress, limited growth, reduced reproduction, and in extreme cases, death.
Coral reefs have been suffering damage due to a variety of factors, including increasing ocean temperatures, sediment runoff, and destructive fishing practices.
Organic dead zones are areas of low oxygen in the world’s oceans caused by increased nutrient pollution.
An oxygen sag curve is a plot of dissolved oxygen levels versus the distance from a source of pollution, usually excess nutrients and biological refuse.
Coral Reefs are Important Ecosystems
Critical ecosystems in the oceans cover less than 1% of the area but support 25% of marine species.
Animals that live symbiotically with algae that photosynthesize.
Destructive Fishing Practices
Bottom trawling scrapes nets along the ocean floor and breaks and crushes coral.
Marine debris like unattended nets, traps, and monofilament fishing lines can damage and injure reefs and reef-dependent organisms like young fish.
Overfishing removes fish, especially herbivores, which help maintain healthy algae populations in the reef ecosystem.
Cyanide fishing is when sodium cyanide is poured over an area to stun fish so they are easier to catch for the aquarium and restaurant trade, This poisons corals.
Sedimentation threatens coralSedimentationn, soil particles of rock, clay, and sand, can bury corals, blocking the sunlight needed by the symbiont so no photosynthesis can occur, again resulting in the death of the coral.
As ocean temperatures rise
High temperatures cause a process called coral bleaching to occur.
The coral expels the symbiont out of its cells, resulting in a loss of a food supply and the color from the chlorophyll pigment of the algae.
Dissolved oxygen is critical.
Range of tolerance applies to dissolved oxygen (DO) for species living in aquatic environments.
DO I usually measure in PPM?
Dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico
Excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphate from agricultural runoff promote the bloom of aquatic producers like algae. When they die, they are digested by oxygen-consuming microorganisms.
Dissolved oxygen levels decrease to dangerous levels and even death for most organisms.
Plotting dissolved Oxygen
An oxygen sag curve is a plot of dissolved oxygen levels versus distance from a source of pollution with excess nutrients.
Ideas to take away:
All organisms have a range of tolerance for environmental conditions like dissolved oxygen and temperature.
Physiological stress occurs as species approach the upper and lower limits of that range.
Corals are threatened by sedimentation, destructive fishing techniques, and increasing ocean temperatures.
Excess nutrients can result in conditions with low dissolved oxygen levels. These are known as dead zones,
An oxygen sag curve plots the relationship between distance from an input of pollution and dissolved oxygen levels in an aquatic system.
8.2.2 - Human Impacts on Ecosystems
Topic - We will discuss the impacts of oil spills and sedimentation on aquatic ecosystems and economies.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with the work shown.
Oil spills in marine waters cause organisms to die from the hydrocarbons in oil. The oil that floats on the surface of the water can coat the feathers of birds and fur of marine mammals. Some components of oil sink to the ocean floor, killing some bottom-dwelling organisms.
Oil that washes up on the beach can have economic consequences on the fishing and tourism industries.
Increased sediment in waterways can reduce light infiltration, which can affect primary producers and visual predators. Sediment can also settle, disrupting habitats.
Oil spills are always a risk.sk
Extracting and transporting petroleum has risks of spills. Accidental spills of all sizes can occur with oil tankers, pipelines, rail cars, and extraction sites.
One of the largest spills in the United States was from the 2010 explosion of the BP Deepwater Horizon drill rig in the Gulf of Mexico with over 180 million gallons of oil spilled.
Another was the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska which spilled 11 million gallons of oil.
Both had devastating and long-lasting impacts on wildlife, ecosystems, and economies.
Oil spills impact wildlife.e
The oil that floats on the surface of the water can coat the feathers of birds, robbing them of both insulation and the ability to fly.
The fur of marine mammals like seals and sea otters can become saturated with oil, inhibiting their waterproofing and ability to maintain their body temperature.
They can ingest the hydrocarbons as they try to groom the oil from their fur, and like all organisms that ingest or inhale hydrocarbons, die from poisoning.
Entire food chains are impacted.d
Some components of oil sink to the ocean floor.
These oil blobs can stay at their bottom for a long time as they are not broken up by wave and wind action on the ocean surface.
Organisms living at the bottom are at risk of death through oil ingestion and submersion.
Coastal economies are also impacted.
Oil spills damage fisheries for years as the growth and development of all fish species and the plankton that support them are impacted.
With both the Exxon spill and the BP Deepwater Horizon spill, oil that washed up on beaches impacted tourism, real estate, and fishing industries.
With the Deepwater Horizon spill losses in the billions of dollars, weree felt in Mississippi,Louisianaa, Florida, and Alabama.
Sedimentation is a nonpoint source pollutant.
Sediment is particles of soil, clay, and sand that can be carried from the land to water sources.
Poorly managed construction sites, road building, tilling of farm fields, and overgrazing of riparian habitats can cause sedimentation.
Producers and Consumers are impacted.
Sediment suspended in the water column can affect primary producers (plants) because light infiltration is reduced. This impacts the ability of plants to photosynthesize and add oxygen to the water.
Predators that use vision as their primary sense for hunting are also impacted.
As the ediment settles, it can disrupt the eggs and larvae of aquatic species like fish, insects, and mollusks.
Ideas to take away:
Oil spills kill marine and aquatic animals and birds as they are poisoned by ingesting and inhaling toxic hydrocarbons.
With oil coating their feathers or fur, birds and mammals can lose their ability to survive.
Some oil sinks to the ocean floor killing bottom-dwelling organisms.
Oil-damaged beaches and shores can damage the tourism and fishing industries.
Sediments in water can reduce light for aquatic plants, inhibit visual predatoes, and smoter eggs and larvae of aquatic organisms.
8.2.3 - Human Impacts on Ecosystems
Topic - We will discuss the sources and impacts of heavy metals, mercury, and litter on aquatic environments.
Themes:
Human activites, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the impacts of human activities on aquatic ecosystems.
Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with work shown.
Heavy metals used for industry, especially mining and burning of fossil fuels, can reach the groundwater, impacting the drinking water supply.
When elemental sources of mercury enter aquatic environments, bacteria in the water convert it to highly toxic methylmercury.
Litter that reaches aquatic ecosystems, besides being unsightly can create intestinal blockage and choking hazards for wildlife and introduce toxic substances to the food chain.
Heavy metals in drinking water cause health issues
Heavy metals that can be found in drinking water include:
Lead
Arsenic
Cadmium
Mercury
Copper
Chromium
Mining companies often use acid to release metals from ore. This acid mine drainage can be a point source pollution for surface waters and groundwater. Other industries, like smelting, chamical production, wastewater, and fossil fuel combustion can also release heavy metals into the environment.
Heavy metals in drinking water can cause cancer, organ damage, and neurological issues.
Mercury Causes neurological damage
Mercury poisoning is most often through eating fish or other aquatic organisms.
Mercury can be used in many industrial processes and end up in wastewater. There it is converted by bacteria into methylmercury, which is toxic and will bioaccumulate in organisms and biomagnify in the food chain.
In addition to severe neurological damage, methylmercury can cause birth defects.
In the 1950’s, Minimata, Japan, was the site of mercury poisoning of voer 2,000 people and thousands of animals.
Plastic waste is a threat to wildlife
Plastic waste in waterways and the oceans has increased.
Ingestion of this litter has no nutritional value and can also block the digestive system, leading to painful starvation.
Litter can contribute toxins
Microplastics, tiny degraded plastic particles and fibers, can contribute toxins to the environment in two ways:
The release of endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA added to plastic polymers when they are produced.
Chemicals like pesticides cling to the tiny particles and are then ingested by plankton and other organisms.
Ideas to take away:
Heavy metals discarded as waste by industries can contaminate drinking water and cause health issues like cancer, organ damage, and neurological issues.
Bacteria converts mercury into methylmercury, a highly toxicchemical that biomagnifies in aquatic food chains.
Litter, especially plastic, can cause entanglement, starvation through intestinal blockage, and suffocation or choking of wildlife.
Toxic chemicals can enter the food chain as litter breaks down into mircoparticles and is ingested by organisms.
8.3.1 - Endocrine Disruptors
Topic - We will discuss chemicals known as endocrine disruptors and examine their effects on ecosystems.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe endocrine disruptors.
Describe the effects of endocrine disruptors on ecosystems.
Describe environmental concepts and processes.
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the endocrine system of animals.
Endocrine disruptors can lead to birth defects, developmental disorders, and gender imbalances in fish and other species.
Endocrine disruptors are a group of diverse chemicals
Synthetic chemicals used as:
Industrial solvents/lubricants and their byproducts
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs)
Dioxins
Plastics and Plastizers
Bisphenol A (BPA)
Phthalates
Pesticides and Fungicides
Pharmaceuticals
Natural chemicals in foods:
Phytoestrogens found in soy
Endocrine system function
Any chemical that interferes with the production, transport, metabolism, or function of hormones in bodies.
Hormones are associated with homeostasis, reproduction, and development. Hormones you might recognize:
Estrogen
Testerone
Insulin
Serotonin
Norepinephrine
Cell signalling is disrupted
Endocrine disruptors can mimic the structure of a signaling chemical that would normally bind with a cell receptor to trigger a cellular response.
Endocrine disruptors can also block the signal from reaching the receptor or block the transduction cascade.
Consequences included reproductive abnormalities, birth and developmental defects, or possible behavioral changes.
Widespread, persistent exposure
Some exposures can be from spills or leaching of improperly disposed of toxic waste.
Some exposures are more persistent as the chemicals are in the soil, water, and air as well as materials in our homes and workplaces.
Exposure in aquatic systems
Endocrine disruptor chemicals enter waterways and bioaccumulate in organisms and biomagnify in the food chain so that top-level consumers are most impacted.
People, predatory fish, and amphilbians that consume high number of prey with endocrine disruptors in their body tissue will accummulate high levels of the chemicals.
Evidence of Disruption
This is a tissue cross section of the gonads (testes) of a male smallmouth bass.
This sampple shows eggs, not sperm, presnt in the gonads.
In humans, low sperm counts have been recorded in communities with high pesticide use.
Evidence of disruption
Developmental abnormalities in amphilbians and fish in the wild have been recorded by investigators.
Ideas to takeaway:
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with hormone production and function.
Abnormalities in reproductive organs and cells as well as embryological development are consequences to exposure in aquatic organisms.
Endocrine disruptors bioaccumulate in organisms and then bio magnify in a food chain so top-level consumers are most impacted.
Synthetic endocrine disruptors are chemical used in plastics, industrial processes, pesticides, fungicides, and pharmaceuticals.
8.4.1 - Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves
Topic - We will define the characteristics of wetlands while exploring their ecological services.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the impacts of human activity on the wetlands and mangroves.
Describe potential responses or approaches to environmental problems.
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, either part of all of the time.
Wetlands provide a variety of ecological services including water purification, flood protection, water infiltration, and habitat.
Threats to wetlands and mangroves include commercial development, dam construction, overfishing, and pollutants from agriculture and industrial waste.
Wetlands
Wetlands are defined as having water covering the soil or is the surface of the soil for all, or most of, the year.
Coastal (or tidal) wetlands have fluctuating salinity and water levels as they are influenced by the tides.
Inland (or nontidal) wetlands are along rivers and floodplains, in depressions or low-lying areas near lakers and ponds and often have a seasonal nature to them.
Filtration improves water quality
Water can move slowly in wetlands, giving sediment, nutrients, and pollutants time to drop out of suspension in the water column to the bottom of the wetland.
Excess nutrients from leaking septic systems, agriculture runoff, and municipal sewage, can be taken up by plant roots for use in growth or urther broken down by microbes in the wetland soils.
Pollutants can stick to soil particles or be taken up by plants.
Much of the sediment, nutrient, and pollutant load is reduced as water moves out of wetlands because of this filtering capacity.
Flood control
Wetlands act like sponges, holding water in place and releasing it slowly.
By slowing the movement of water, flood heights are reduced along with their erosive powers.
Coastal shorelines are protected by stabilized.
Maintaining water flow during dry periods
Groundwater is recharged as water is held in wetland soils.
This also helps maintain surface water flows durinf dry seasons
Increased biological productivity
Wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet.
Shallow water and plenty of plants allow for diverse habitats for animals and birds.
Nutrient-rich soils enhance plant growth which in turn provides food for diverse and abundant species.
Ideas to take away:
Wetlands are areas that are covered by water, or have water near the surface of the soil for all, most of, the year.
Wetlands are incredibly rish and productive ecosystems.
Water purification through filtering, flood control and shoreline stabilization, and groundwater replenishment result from wetlands.
8.4.2 - Human Impacts on Wetlands and Mangroves
Topic - We will discuss sources and impacts of human-associated threats to wetlands and mangrove communities.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the impacts of human activity on wetlands and mangroves.
Describe potential responses or approaches to environmental problems.
Threats to wetlands and mangroves include commercial development, dam construction, overfishing, and pollutants from agriculture and industrial waste.
Mangroves are tidal wetlands
Wetlands are remarkably productive ecosystems and important to our world’s biological diversity.
Both inland and coastal wetlands can be impacted by human activities.
Mangroves are a particularly productive and valuable type of coastal wetland.
In addition to living in variety of saltwater conditions and providing shelter and food for a host of species, mangroves can absorb four times the carbon dioxide that upland forests can.
Threats to Wetlands
Development of commercial properties like restaurants, malls, airports, business offices, gas stations, etc. can all be damaging to wetlands.
Development can include filling in wetlands to build access roads, parking areas, or place utilities.
Construction can increase sedimentation, destory habitat, and redirect water flow.
In the United States, development in wetlands is highly regulated through the Wetlands Protection and Restoration Act. Many states and tribal governments also have regulations for wetland protection.
Dam constructionrestricts and reduces water flowing into wetlands by disconnecting rivers from their floodplains and wetland areas.
The natural downstream flow of sediments that create deltas and build up estuaries along coasts is reduced.
Migration of fish and other species can be impacted.
Overfishing is when people harvest fish faster than they can be replenished by reproduction in the population.
The size, age, and type of fish remaining can be altered by overfishing. This can create imbalance in the entire food web within a wetland area.
Animals and birds that eat fish can be greatly impacted and their role within the wetland system can be threatened. Some, like alligators, can be ecosystem engineers that impact the physical structure of habitats.
Excess nutrients and pollutants from agricultural and industrial operations can impact wetlands.
This is an example of a CAFO, concentrated animal feeding operation. These operations raise and house millions of animals.
This is a manure lagoon found at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
The heavy plastic lining and thick-waled embankment are to prevent leakage of nutrients and bacteria like e.coli.
Management of manure, as well as other agricultural practices like pesticide and insecticide use and soil management can help protect wetlands, surface and groundwater.
Ideas to take away:
Commercial development can damage wetlands by destroying habitat, altering water flow, and increasing sedimentation.
Dam construction disconnects wetlands from their water sources and prevents migration of species and te natural flow ediments for delta formation.
Agricultural and industrial activities can contribute excess nutrients and pollutants to wetlands.
Overfishing can shift the ages and types of fish remaining causing imbalance in the food web of wetland communities.
8.5.1 - Eutrophication
Topic - We will discuss the human activities that lead to eutrophication of our surface waters.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Explain the environmental effects of excessive use of fertilizers and detergents on aquatic ecosystems.
Explain how environmental concepts and processes represented visually relate to braoder environmental issues.
Eutrophication occurs when a body of water is enriched in nutrients.
Anthropogenic causes of eutrophication are agricultural runoff and wastewater release.
Compared to eutrophic waterways, oligotrophic waterways have very low amounts of nutrients, stable algae populations, and high dissolved oxygen.
Every summer, Lake Erie sees massive algae blooms
Eutrophication is when a waterway receives excess nutrients.
Toxic algae can threaten the drinking water of 11 million people in southwest Ohio and impact tourism, fishing, and recreation.
Algae blooms are not limited to Lake Erie.
In most cases, eutrophication is caused by the excess nutrient nitrogen from agricultural or urban runoffbut also from phosphate in detergents.
Sources of cultural eutrophication
Materials are washed by rain, melting snow, and irrigation into streams, ponds, and lakes.
Excess fertilizers from farm fields
Sewage from wastewater treatment
Nitrogen from animal manure
Phosphate from detergents
Aquatic plants and algae thrive
With this overabundance of nutrients, plants, algae, and cyanobacteria (sometimes called blue-green algae) grow rapidly!
A eutrophic waterway is one that has high levels of algae as a result of excess nutrients.
An oligotrophic waterway have very low amounts of nutrients.
Eutrophic
High nutrient levels
High plant and algae populations
Low dissolved oxygen
Oligotrophic
Low nutrient levels
Stable plant and algae populations
High dissolved oxygen
Ideas to take away:
Excessive use of fertilizers and detergents can increase nutrient levels in aquatic systems.
Eutrophic describes a body of water that is enriched with excess nutrients and the evidence is usually seen by algae and plant blooms.
Oligotrophic describes a body of water with very low nutrient levels and stable algae pollution as well as high dissolved oxygen levels.
8.5.2 - Eutrophication
Topic - We will explore the processses that decrease dissolved oxygen levels, which can be deadly to aquatic organisms.
Themes:
Human activities, including that use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Explain the environmental effects of excessive use of fertilizer and detergents on aquatic ecosystems.
Explain how environmental concepts and processes represented visually relate to broader environmental issues.
The increase in nutrients in eutrophic aquatic environments causes an algae bloom. WHen the algal bloom dies, microbes digest the algae, along with the oxygen in the water, leading to a decrease in the dissolved oxygen levels in the water. The lack of oxygen can result in large die-offs of fish and other aquatic organisms.
Hypoxic waterways are those bodies of water that are low in dissolved oxygen.
Stable aquatic system
An aquatic system with a stabe amount of algae, aquatic plants, and fish.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) is high
Eutrophic aquatic system
A storm event washes excess fertilizer into the aquatic system. The algae grow and reproduce creating a bloom.
Hypoxis aquatic system
As the algae die they sink to the bottom where oxygen-consuming microbes digest the dead cells. Oxygen is rapidly consumed reducing it to dangerously low levels.
Low oxygen levels can result in die-offs of fish and other animals.
Aquatic organisms that can’t tolerate low oxygen levels will leave. If they can’t leave, they die. This adds more waste to be digested by oxygen-consuming microbes.
Hypoxia creates dead zones
Organic dead zones are areas of low oxygen in the world’s oceans and lakes caused by increased nutrient pollution.
An oxygen sag curve is a plot of dissolved oxygen levels versus the distance from a source of pollution, usually excess nutrients and biological refuse.
Ideas to take away:
Eutrophication occurs through a series of steps:
Excess nutrients from fertilizers and detergents cause algae to rapidly reproduce, or create a bloom.
As the algae die and fall to the bottom of the pond or stream, oxygen-consuming microbes digest the dead cells reducing dissolve oxygen levels.
Reudced dissolved oxygen can lead to die-offs of fish and other aquatic organism.
Hypoxic waterways have low dissolved oxygen levels.
8.6.1 - Thermal Pollution
Topic - We will discuss sources and impacts of thermal pollution
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the effects of thermal pollution on aquatic ecosystems.
Explain environmental concepts, processes, or models in applied contexts.
Thermal pollution occurs when heat released into the water produces negative effects to the organisms in that ecosystem.
Variations in water temperature affect the concentration of dissolved oxygen because warm water does not contain as much oxygen as cold water.
Sources of thermal pollution
When heated water is discharged into bodies of water, it is considered thermal pollution.
Power and industrial plants draw in water to cool machinery or products. They then discharge the heated water back into a water source.
Source of thermal pollution:
Other sources include:
Soil erosion
Deforestation/shade reduction
Discharge from wasterwater treatment
Urban runoff
Impacts of thermal pollution
Warm water does not hold as much dissolved oxygen as colder water.
Slight variations in temperature can impact survival of eggs and larvae of fish and aquatic insects that have narrow ranges of tolerance.
Die-offs can occur when dissolved oxygen levels are too low.
Feeding, breeding, and migration behaviors can also be altered.
Habitat shifts
Take a closer look at this power plant near Tampa, Florida.
Thermal refuge
During winter months, when the ocean temperature can dip below 70F, manatees seek out these warm waterdischarge areas as aplace to feed and rest for the season.
Historically, manatees used natural springs to overwinter. These have disappeared due to development and agriculture pressures.
How is it that the lower dissolved oxygen levels aren’t an issue for the manatees?
Ideas to take away:
Thermal pollution occurs when heat is released into water and negatively impacts aquatic organisms.
Cool water contains more dissolved oxygen than warm water.
When dissolved oxygen levels drop, it can lead to die-offs in aquatic organisms.
8.7.1 - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Topic - We will define what a persistent organic pollutant is, then discuss common types of persistent organic pollutants.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the effect of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on ecosystems.
Explain enviromental concepts and processes.
Persistent proganic pollutants (POPs) do not easily break down in the environment because they are synthetic, carbon-based molecules (such as DDT and PCBs)
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can be toxic to organisms because they are soluble in fat, which allows them to accumulate in organisms’ fatty tissues.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can travel over long distances via wind and water before being redeposited.
What are persistent organic pollutants?
Persistent
Organic
Often in rings, with chlorine attached to outside of ring
Synthetic
Nonpolar
DDT
Dicloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane
Insecticide
Colorless crystal
Baned for use in United States
PCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Industrial fluid
Yellow liquid
Banned for use in United States
8.7.2 - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Topic - We will discuss the impacts of persistent organic pollutants on non-target organisms.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the effect of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on ecosystems.
Explain environmental concepts and processes.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) do not easily break down in the environment because they are synthetic, carbon-based molecules (such as DDT and PCBs)
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can be toxic to organisms because they are soluble in fat, which allows them to accumulate in organisms’ fatty tissues.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can travel over long distances via wind and water before being redeposited.
POPs contaminate water and soil
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
CERCLA - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
Stockholm Convention
POPs have long-term effects
They contaminate both water and soil for long periods of time.
They are fat-soluble:
Accumulate over time
Local use of POPs can have a global impact.
8.8.1 - Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Topic - We will explore the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification, then identify common substances that can bioaccumulate.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
Identify a testable hypothesis or scientific question for an investigation.
Bioaccumulation is the selective absorption and concentration of elements or compounds by cells in a living organism, most commonly fat-soluble compounds.
Biomagnification is the increase in concentration of substances per unit of body tissue that occurs in successively higer trophic levels of a food chain or in a food web.
DDT, mercury, and PCBs are substances that bioaccumulate and have significant environmental impacts.
Persistence, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification
Substance likw DDT, mercury and PCBs are persistent
Thesse substances bioaccumulate in fatty tissue.
Consumption along a food chain/food web increases the concentration of the substance in the fatty tissues of organisms at each successive trophic level.
Apex predators suffer the greatest effects ofv these substances because bioaccumulation has concentrated the substance in their fatty tissues.
8.8.2 - Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Topic - We will discuss the impacts bioaccumulation and biomagnification have on the environment and on human health.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resource, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe the effects of bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
Identify a testable hypothesis or scientific question for an investigation.
Some effects that can occur in an ecosystem when a persistent substance is biomagnified in a food chain include eggshell thinning and developmental deformities in top carnivores of the higher trophic levels.
Humans also experience harmful effect from biomagnification, including issues with the reproductive, nervous, and circulatory systems.
Biomagnification has consequences
Organisms at the top of a food chain suffer the greatest effects of toxic substances that bioaccumulate in the body
Biomagnification
Examples of toxic substances - POPs like DDT and PCBs, heavy metal like mercury and lead
Apex predators (ex - raptors):
Developmental deformities
Eggshell thinning, specifically from DDT
Humans:
Learning disabilities, kidney/liver dysfunction, damage to reproductive/circulatory/nervous systems, birth defects
8.8.3 - Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Topic - We will apply content knowledge of bioaccumulation and biomagnification to a free-response question.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resource, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
Identify a testable hypothesis or scientific question for an investigation.
Bioaccumulation is the selective absorption and concentration of elements or compounds by cells in a living organism, most commonly fat-soluble compounds.
Biomagnification is the increase in concentration of substances per unit of body tissue that occurs in successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or in a food web.
DDT, mercury, and PCBs are substances that bioaccumulate and have significant environmental impacts.
Human also experience harmful effects from biomagnification, including issues with the reproductive, nervous, and circulatory systems.
Putting it all together
Bioaccumulation.biomagnification as it applies to
Persitence
Fat-solubility
Food chains/food webs and apex predators
Human consumption of natural resources
Anthropogenic pollution
Detail specific consequences of bioaccumulation/biomagnification
Identify a specific chemical and where the chemical came from
Describe how it got into the environment
Describe how its concentration increased to a level that is harmful to human health
Specificaly describe effects on human health
8.9.1 -Solid Waste Disposal
Topic - We will identify different types of solid waste and discuss management of solid waste via sanitary landfills.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, an biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe solid waste disposal methods.
Use data and evidence to support a potential solution.
Solid waste is any discarded material that is not a liquid or gas. It is generated in domestic, industrial, business, and agriculture sectors.
Solid waste is most often disposed of in landfills. Landfills can contaminate groundwater and release harmful gases.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, is composed of discarded electronic devices including televisions, cell phones, and computers.
A sanitary municipal landfill consists of a bottom liner (plastic or clay), a storm water collection system, a cap, and a methane collection system.
Open Landfill
Odor
Poor containment of solid waste and leachate
Flammable
Animal disturbances
Low aesthetic value
Sanitary Landfill
Liner (clay, plastic)
Garbage
Leachate and methane (CH4) collection/monitoring systems
When full; cap and continuous monitoring
Solid waste management
Solid waste comes from many sources; domestic, industrial, business, agricultural
Solid waste comes in a variety of categories:
E-waste
Solid waste most often goes to landfills
Sanitary municipal landfill:
Bottom liner (clay or plastic)
Storm watercollection system
Leachate collection system
Ethane collection system
Cap when full, with monitoring ongoing
Anaerobic decomposition produces methane
8.9.2 -Solid Waste Disposal
Topic - We will discuss alternative methods of soid waste management
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe solid waste disposal methods.
Use data and evidence to support a potential solution
Solid waste can be disposed of through incineration, where is burned at high temperatures. This method significantly reduces the volume of solid waste, but releases air pollutants.
Some items are not accepted in sanitary landfills and may be disposed of illegally, leading to environmental problems, One example is used rubber tires, which when left in piles can become breeding grounds for mosquitos that can spread diseases.
Some countries dispose of their waste by dumping it in the ocean. This practice, along with other sources of plastic, has ed to large floating islands of trash in the oceans. Additionally, wildlife can become entangled in the waste, as well as ingest it.
Alternative methods of solid waste management
Incineration
Pro: Reduces waste, can be used as energy source
Con: solid waste still emains, air pollutants released
Illegal terrestrial dumping
Pro: does not take up large space, convenient
Con: Unregulated methane/leachate emissions of pollutants associated with specific duped items disease
Dumping in ocean
Pro: conviet, no drawbaks associated with landfills
Con: impacts marine ecosystems and organisms
8.9.3 -Solid Waste Disposal
Topic - We will discuss the effects of solid waste disposal methods
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological for ecosystems.
Describe the effects of solid waste disposal methods.
Use of data and evidence to support a potential solution.
Solid waste is most often disposed of in landfills. Landfills can contaminate groundwater and release harmful gases.
Factors in landfill decomposition include the composition of the trash and conditions needed for microbial decomposition of the waste.
Solid waste can also be disposed of through incineration, where waste is burned at high temperatures. This method significantly reduces the volume of solid waste, but releases ir pollutants.
Electronic waste, or e-waste, is composed of discarded electronic devices including televisions, cell phones, and computers.
E-waste contains persistent pollutants
Example: Mercury, lead
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
CERCLA - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
Incineration can produce air pollution
Clean Air Act
Poorly managed solid waste con impact the environment
Unregulated methane and leachate production can impact groundwater and the atmosphere.
Tires act as breeding grounds for mosquitos, a vector of disease.
Solid waste in the ocean can impact marine life:
Solid waste in marine environments can be deliberately or accidentally dumped
Physical entanglement
Mistaken for food, damaging digestive system
Bioaccumulation/biomagnification of some toxins - ingested plastic can play a part in this process
8.10.1 - Waste Reduction Methods
Topic - We will discuss the removal of materials from the solid waste stream via reuse, recycling, and composting, then identify potential drawbacks to these methods.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe changes to current practices that could reduce the amount of generated waste and their associated benefits and drawbacks.
Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with work shown.
Recycling is a process by which certain solid waste materials are processed and converted into new products.
Recycling is one way to reduce the current global demand on minerals, but this process is energy-intensive and can be costly.
Composting is the process of organic matter such as food scraps, paper, and yard waste decomposing. The product of this decomposition can be used as fertilizer. Drawbacks to composting include odor and rodents.
E-Waste
Contains hazardous chemicals like heavy metals (Lead, mercury)
Can leach into soil and groundwater
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
CERCLA - Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
Recycle waste before it goes to a landfill
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Recycling takes many substances out of the waste stream
Paper, wood, lawn waste, glass, metal, etc.
Reduces need to mine minerals
Costly to pick up, further sort, truly recycle
Fees and fines can incentivize recycling
Composting produces topsoil
Can be done individually or large-scale
Can include household scraps, yard waste, agricultural residues
Not all household scraps can be composted
Can produce odor and attract vermin if not properly maintained.
E-waste
Contains hazardous materials like mercury and lead, so removing it from waste stream is beneficial.
Heavy metals have human health impacts.
Relevent laws - RCRA and CERCLA, Clean water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act
8.10.2 - Waste Reduction Methods
Topic - We will discuss strategies that mitigrate the impact of landfills on the environment.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe changes to current practices tat could reduce the amount of generated waste and their associated benefits and drawbacks.
Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with work shown.
Landfill mitigation strategies range from burning waste for energy to resotring habitat on former landfills for use as parks.
The combustion of gases produced from decomposition of organic material in landfills can be used to turn turbines and generate electricity. This process reduces landfill volume.
Methane Recovery
Liner (Clay, plastic)
Garbage
Leachate and methane (CH4) collection.monitoring systems
When full: cap and continuous monitoring
Landfill mitigation strategies
Waste to energy plant:
Sort waste -> some goes to recycling, rest goes to incinerator -> waste is burned -> water boils -> steam turns turbine -> turbine turns generator -> electricity
Reduces amount of waste in landfill
Some waste still produced: ash, hazardous waste, air pollution
Methane gas capture and use:
Decomposition reduces volume of waste in landfill
Gas can be burned to create electricity
Some gas can still escape: greenhouse gas
Gas is low-quality, requires refining
Cap full landfill to use as park, golf course, recreational area, etc.
Improves aesthetics of area, can be a source of revenue
Still requires monitoring
8.10.3 - Waste Reduction Methods
Topic - We will apply content knowledge of waste reduction methods to a free-response question.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resource, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe changes to current practices that could reduce the amount of generated waste and their associated benefits and drawbacks.
Apply appropriate mathematical relationships to solve a problem, with work shown.
E-waste can be reduced by recycling and reuse. E-waste may contain hazardous chemicals, including heavy metals such as lead and mercury, which can leach from landfills into groundwater if they are not disposed of properly.
There are consequences to poorly-managed solid waste
Nonrecycled hazardous waste can pollute surrounding soil and water, even in a landfill.
Heavy metals toxin: lead, mercury
Reduce/reuse/recycle programs can take solid waste out of the waste strem.
Dimensional analysis is a key component of math in AP environmental Science.
8.11.1 - Sewage Treatment
Topic - We will discuss the primary process of sewage treatment, including primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe best practices in sewage treatment.
Describe characteristics of an environmental concept, process, or model represented visually.
Primary treatment of ewage id the physical removal of large objects, often through the use of screens and grates, followed by the settling of solid waste in the bottom of a tank.
Secondary treatment is a biological process in which bacteria break down organic matter into carbon dioxide and inorganic sludge, which settles in the bottom of a tank. The tank is aerated to increase the rate at which the bacteria break down the organic matter.
Tertiary treatment is th use of ecological or chemical processes to remove any pollutants left in the water after primary and secondary treatment.
Prior to discharge, the treated water is exposed to one or more disinfectants (usually chlorine, ozone, or UV light) to kill bacteria.
Sewage treatment plant
Primary treatment:
Physical processes
Secondary treatment:
Biological processes
Teriary treatment and disinfection:
Ecological/chemical processes
Primary Treatment:
Removal of:
Sticks
Rocks
Rags
Toys
Other Large Objects
Secondary Treatment:
Bacteria perform aerobic decomposition to break down organic matter
Aeration
Tertiary treatment and disinfection
Removes final impurities and pollutants like nitrogen/phosphorus-based chemicals
Disinfection uses:
Chlorine
Ozone
UV light
Water Quality is monitored at all stages
Clean Water Act
Safe Drinking Water Act
Sewage treatment follows a series of steps
Primary treatment
Physical process: screens and grates
Removes large objects
Secondary treatment
Biological process: bacteria break down organic matter via aerobic decomposition
Products: Carbon dioxide and sludge
Tertiary treatment
Ecological/chemical processes
Removes removing pollutants, nitrogen/phosphorus compounds
Disinfection
Kills bacteria
Ozone, chlorine, or UV light
All steps monitored
Clean water act, safe drinking water act
8.11.2 - Sewage Treatment
Topic - We will apply content knowledge of sewage treatment to a free-response question.
Themes:
Human activities, including the use of resources, have physical, chemical, and biological consequences for ecosystems.
Describe best practices in sewage treatment.
Describe characteristics of an environmental concept, process, or model represented visually.
Primary treatment of sewage is the physical removal of large objects, often through the use of screens and grates, followed by the settling of solid waste in the bottom of a tank.
Secondary treatment is a biological process in which bacteria break down organic matter into carbon dioxide and inorganic sludge, which settles in the bottom of a tank. The tank is aerated to increase the rate at which the bacteria break down the organic matter.
Tertiary treatment is the use of ecological or chemical processes to remove any pollutants left in the water after primary and secondary treatment.
Prior to discharge, the treated water is exposed to one or more disinfectants (usually chlorine, ozone, or UV light) to kill bacteria.
Sewage treatment produces waste
Solids removed during primary and secondary treatment must be disposed of
Landfills:
Take up space
Potential groundwater contamination
Methane produced during anaerobic decomposition can escape
Pollution produced by transportation
Agricultural land:
Potential for bacterial infection of humans/animals that eat crops
Potential groundwater/soil/plant contamination
Potential for biomagnification of pollutants
Potential for eutrophication of pollutants
Potential for eutrophication in nearby waterways
8.12.1 - Lethal Dose 50% (LD50)
Topic - We will define lethal dose 50% (LD50) then explain how it differs between substances.
Themes:
Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms, including humans.
Define lethal dose 50% (LD50).
Determine an approach or method aligned with the problem to be solved.
Lethal dose 50% (LD50) is the dose of a chemical that is lethal to 50% o the population of a particular species.
Everything has a LD50
Lethal dose 50%:
Amount of a substance that is lethal to 50% of a population of animals.
Common unit: mg substance/kg body mass.
Data is extrapolated to predict effects on humans.
LD50 allows for toxins to be compared
Amount of chemical that is lethal to 50% of a population.
Measured by unit of body mass so comparisons can be exact.
Effects extrapolated to humans.
Helps to explain outcomes of biomagnification.
8.13.1 - Dose Response Curve
Topic - We will define dose response curves then interpret data given on a dose response curve.
Themes:
Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms, including humans.
Evaluate does response curves.
Explain what the data implies or illustrates about environmental issues.
A dose response curve describes the effect on an organism or morality rate in the population based in the does of a particular toxin or drug.
Dose response curve
Show data collected while testing effect a toxin/drug has on a given population.
LD50 can be determined from graph.
Threshold dose can be determined from graph.
Effects of toxin/drug on humans can be extrapolated from graph.
Dose response curves show trends
Specific data points can be determined: threshold dose, LD50 dose.
Overall shape of curve can be interpreted.
Dose response curves can be compared between substances.
8.14.1 - Pollution and Human Health
Topic - We will discuss how pollutants can contribute to human health issues.
Themes:
Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms.
Identify sources of human health issues that are linked to pollution.
Describe an aspect of a research method, design, or measure used.
It can be difficult to establish a cause and effect between pollutants and human health issues because humans experience exposure to a variety of chemicals and pollutant.
Dysentery is caused by untreated sewage in streams and rivers.
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer caused mainly by exposure to asbestos.
Respiratory problems and overall lung function can be impacted by elevated levels of tropospheric ozone.
Diverse exposures
It can be difficult to establish a cause and effect between pollutants and human health issues because humans experience exposure to a variety of chemicals and pollutants:
Food
Water
Air
Building materials and household items
There are health issues, however, that are clearly linked with certain environmental conditions or exposures.
Dysentery
Dysentery is inflammation of the intestines caused by bacteria or parasites. People can experience bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramping.
Dysentery is caused by untreated sewage in streams and rivers. Contamination can be detected by sampling for fecal coliform in water sources.
Mesothelioma
Exposure to asbestos, a type of insulation material, can result in this type of cancer.
Asbestos is a natural mineral made of tiny glass-like fibers that are easily inhaled. Over time, this inflammation damages the cells lining the lungs, heart, and abdomen.
Tropospheric ozone causes respiratory issues
Ground level ozone is a secondary air pollutant that is formed from volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and sunlight.
EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI) can help communities notify people, especially those already at risk of respiratory conditions like asthma, when air quality is a threat to health.
Lung function can be compromised
Ozone can constrict the muscles in our airways. This traps air in the alveoli of the lungs causing shortness of breath.
Ozone can also inflame and damage airways while also making lungs more susceptible to infections.
Ideas to take away:
Humans are exposed to many chemicals and pollutants and at varying levels, so it is not always easy to show a direct cause and effect relationship, although they do exist.
Dysentery is characterized by bloody diarrhea and is caused by bacteria in untreated sewage in water sources.
Asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a cancer mainly in the lungs, but can include the linings of the heart and abdomen.
Ground level ozone can inflame and damage people’s airways and lungs.
8.15.1 - Pathogens and Infectious Diseases
Topic - We will examine factors that promote the occurrence and movement of pathogens and infectious diseases.
Themes:
Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms.
Explain human pathogens and their cycling through the environment.
Describe relationships between different characteristics of environmental concepts, processes, or models represented visually: in theoretical contexts, in applied contexts.
Pathogens adapt to take advantage of new opportunities to infect and spread through human populations.
Specific pathogens can occur in many environments regardless of the appearance of sanitary conditions.
As equatorial-type climate zones spread north and south into what are currently subtropical and temperate climates, zones, pathogens, infectious diseases, and any associated vectors are spreading into these areas where the disease has not previously been known to occur.
Pathogens cause disease
Any organism can produce a disease:
Viruses
Bacteria
Protozoans
Worms
Fungi
We call them germs or infectious agents.
Pathogens can occur in many environments regardless of the appearance of sanitary conditions.
Pathogens adapt
Pathogens can infect and spread through human populations.
As out climate shifts, opportunities for movement of pathogens are created.
As equatorial-type climate zones spread north and south from the equator, pathogens and the vectors that carry them are showing up in places they’ve never been before.
Vectors can spread pathogens
In this case, the mosquito is a vector that carries the pathogen to areas where it might never have been prevalent before.
A vector is an organism that can transmit dieases between humans and between animals and humans.
Pathogens cycle through environments
Pathogens can spread in many ways:
Airborne particles
Skin contact
Bodily fluids
Contact with feces
Touching surfaces that an infected person has touched
Bite of vector like mosquito or tick
Ideas to take away:
Pathogens adapt to new conditions, allowing spread and infection to occur through human populations.
Pathoogens can occur in environments, regardless of the appearance of sanitary conditions.
Shifts in climate are resulting in deaes associated with equatorial regions turning up for the first time in subtropical and temperate climate zones.
8.15.2 - Pathogens and Infectious Diseases
Topic - We will discuss conditions that lead to viral and bacterial infections that can spread via contaminated water and human contact.
Themes:
Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms.
Explain human pathogens and their cycling through the environment.
Describe relationships between different characteristics of environmental concepts, processes, or models represented visually: in theoretical contexts, in applied contexts.
Cholera is a bacteria disease contracted from infected water.
Poverty-stricken, low-income areas often sanitary waste disposal and have contaminated drinking water supplies, leading to havens and opportunities for the spread of infectious diseases.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that typically attacks the lungs. It is spread by breathing in the bacteria from the bodily fluids of an infected person.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a form of pneumonia. It is transferred by inhaling or touching ifected fluids.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory illness that is transferred from animals to humans.
Contaminated water can transmit disease
Poverty-stricken areas often lack sanitary waste disposal, leading to contaminated drinking water and the easy spread of infectious diseases.
Cholera is a bacterial disease contracted from infected water.
Severe diarrhea and dehydration can result in death if left untreated.
Airborne droplets can transmit disease
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria and attacks the lungs.
Droplets from the coughs and sneezes from an infected person transmit the disease through the air, where others breathe in the pathogen.
Airborne droplets and aerosols transmit disease
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) are respiratory diseases caused by coronaviruses. These viruses are identified as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.
This disease COVID-19 is also caused by a coronavirus and is idenitified as SARS-CoV-2.
Severe respiratory distress and pneumonia can be caused by these viruses as they spread from person to person.
Pathogen spillover
When a disease originates in animals and then spreads to humans, it is called a spillover event.
SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV originated in bats and then spread to animals that were closer to people, like civets and camels.
Like these other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 is thought to also have originated in bats, and investigations continue to learn more about its transmission.
Ideas to take away:
Bacteria that causes cholera can be spread through contaminated water sources.
Wastewater treatment can prevent this spread.
Bacteria that causes tuberculosis can be spread through inhaling the airborne droplets of those people already with the respiratory disease.
Coronaviruses that cause SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 are spread through airborne droplets and aerosols from people already infected.
Spillover events are when viruses, like coronaviruses, jump from their animal host to humans.
8.15.3 - Pathogens and Infectious Diseases
Topic - We will explore infectious diseases associated with the bite of mosquitoes or other vectors.
Themes:
Pollutants can have both direct and indirect impacts on the health of organisms.
Explain human pathogens and their cycling through the environment.
Describe relationships between different characteristics of environmental concepts, processes, or models represented visually: in theoretical contexts, in applied contexts.
Plague is a disease carried by organisms infected with the plague bacteria. It is transferred to humans via the bite of an infected organism or through contect with contaminated fluids or tissues.
Zika is a virus caused by bites from infected mosquitoes. It can be transmitted through sexual contact.
West Nile Virus is transmitted to humans via btes from infected mosquitoes.
Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by bites from infected mosquitoes. It is most often found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Plague is caused by bacteria
People contract the sylvatic plague from the bacteria Yersinia pestic after being bit by an infected flea.
Fleas that carry the disease are often found on mammals, particularly rodents.
Antibiotics allow us to control the plague in humans. In wildlife, it can still be a problem. Here, a National Park Service veterinarian is checking a prairie dog for fleas.
Mosquitoes are vectors
Mosquitoes are a common vector of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause disease.
Zika
The Zika virus can be spread to humans b infected mosquitoes.
People can also contract the virus from sexual contact with an infected person.
For most people, the disease symptoms are mild.
If pregnant women are infected, however, the virus can cause a severe birth defect called microcephaly and other severe fetal brain deformities.
West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus was first found in the United States in the late 1990s and has spread from the east coast to acros the country.
The virus spreads to humans and other animals, like horses, through mosquito bites.
Most people have few and mild symptoms from the virus such as fever, rash, and fatigue.
In severe cases, the virus can cause encephalitic, meningitis, and other issues of the central nervous system.
Malaria
Malaria is caused by Plamodium, a single-celled parasite. There are 5 species that cause malaria.
It is transmitted through mosquito bites.
The parasite infetcs your redblood cells and causes them to burst. If left untreated, people can develop severe complications and die.
Hundreds of millions of people, many children, die each year due to malaria. This disease is found mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ideas to take away:
Plague can be spread by the bites from fleas that live on rodents.
Zika and West Nile Virus are viruses spread by mosquitoes and can cause issues with the central nerous system.
Also spread by mosquitoes, malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite that infects redblood cells.
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