1. Pollution
Acid Rain, Global Warming, Toxic Waste Dumps, Landfills, Air/Pollution, Eutrophication, Habitat/Biodiversity redution, Biological Magnification, Radiation poisoning

2. What is pollution?
Pollution is the unwanted alteration of natural chemical processes in an ecosystem as a direct or indirect result of human activity.

3. Pollutants Pollutants can be divided in two categories:
Biodegradable- chemicals that break down by biological activity
Non-biodegradable- chemicals that cannot break down into harmless forms
Both types of pollutants can inflict serious damage on an ecosystem, but does not necessarily result in the death of a system.

4. Pollution and fertilizers
Fertilizers are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium- chemicals that will increase the growth of most plants.
There is always a portion of the fertilizer that washes off the land and makes its way into local watercourses- at this point the fertilizer becomes a pollutant.
The effect of fertilizing a body of water on growth rates and chemical cycles is called eutrophication, and is generally the result of increasing the availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in the system.
The pollution can result when water carries dissolved fertilizer running off the land, or it can be caused by soil erosion, human sewage or industrial activities.

5. Soil Erosion
Wearing away of soil by water, wind, and human activities.
Plant roots hold soil in place- they protect the soil from the degradation caused by runoff water and winds.
Cutting trees near lakes should be avoided because they retain water.

6. Habitat reduction
When we use land for our uses then other plants and animals can’t use this space to make their home. We reduce both the number of different species (biodiversity)
And the actual number of each species (biomass).
This disrupts the food chain and important scientific discoveries.

7. Our energy can cause pollution
Type of energy
How does this effect habitats?
Hydro
Fossil Fuels
Wind
Solar
Nuclear
Flooding land reduces habitats . Cause erosion.
Air pollution from burning reduce habitats.
Mining dirty and reduces habitats
Wind farms take up a lot of space and reduce habitats.
No effect (small scale)
Radioactive waste can affect biodiversity. Heats lakes.

8. Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis- plants use solar energy to capture carbon dioxide suspended in the atmosphere or dissolved in water. Carbon dioxide is then transformed into glucose. Glucose is a complex molecule used as an energy source.
Respiration- as all living organisms under go respiration, part of the carbon taken in returns back in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
In a eutrophic lake, the dissolved oxygen concentration falls to zero
As oxygen depletion becomes increasingly severe, fish species die out.

9. Our Energy can cause Pollution
Type of energy
How does it unbalance the Carbon cycle?
Hydro
Fossil fuel
Wind
Solar
Nuclear
Flooding land causes plants to rot and produce extra CO2.
burning coal and oil adds CO2. to the air causing Global warming
No effect on carbon cycle
No effect

10. Phosphorus Cycle
Erosion- in nature phosphorus is mainly found in rocks. As the se rocks under go erosion due to the action of wind and rain, a small quantity of phosphorus is released in the form of phosphates.
Plants rapidly absorb phosphates which is necessary for their growth. Herbivores take in phosphates by eating plants, and carnivores take in phosphates by eating herbivores or other animals.
Phosphates taken in by living things return to the soil. All animals excrete phosphates in their feces and urine. The decomposition of dead plant and animal matter also release phosphates.
The natural cycle of phosphorus is destabilized by human activities. The use of fertilizers in agriculture, soaps containing phosphates contribute to the excess of phosphorus in rivers and lakes which accelerates the growth of algae which leads to the process of eutrophocation.

11. Our energy can cause pollution
Type of energy
How does it unbalance the Phosphorus cycle?
Hydro
Fossil Fuel
Wind
Solar
Nuclear
Flooding land causes more phosphorus to return to the water causing Eutrophication
No effect

12. Nitrogen Cycle
Bacteria from the soil or water capture nitrogen in the atmosphere and convert in into ammonia.
Other bacteria convert ammonia into nitrites and then nitrates.
Plants absorb nitrogen from the soil. Animals absorb nitrogen by eating plants and herbivores.
Decomposers break down organic matter which contain nitrogen into ammonia.
Certain bacteria convert nitrates into free nitrogen which is returned in the atmosphere.

13. Our energy can cause pollution
Type of energy
How does it unbalance the Nitrogen cycle?
Hydro
Fossil fuel
Wind
Solar
Nuclear
Flooded land rots plants increases Nitrogen in water causing eutrophication.
Burning coal and oil add NOx to the air making acid rain. Returns N to the soil. Eutrophication
No effect

14. Water Cycle

15. Our energy can cause pollution
Type of energy
How does it unbalance the water cycle?
Hydro
Fossil fuel
Wind
Solar
Nuclear
No effect
Emissions of CO2 cause Acid rain
Heats up the water in rivers and lakes by cooling fuel rods

16. Biological magnification
Non-biodegradable pollutants are stored in the bodies of an organism and passed on up the food chain in a process called biological magnification.
A predator absorbs all the stored pollutants in the prey that it eats and each meal provides a dose of toxin.
If the predator falls prey to a larger carnivore, the entire dose of toxicity is taken to the next level of the food chain.
The concentration of toxin is amplified at each link in the food chain.

17. Our energy can cause Pollution
Type of energy
How does it unbalance the food chain?
Hydro
Fossil fuel
Wind
Solar
Nuclear
Flooding causes minerals(Pb, Hg) to leach out of the soil and poison the food chain.
No effect
Radioactive waste can cause mutations in living things.

18. Make a big table Put a tick in the box if the form of energy disrupts a cycle
Energy type
Re-newable $
Cost
Prox-imity
Habi-tat
Reduction C
cycle P N
Water
Biological
Magnification
Hydro
Yes
Low
Fossil
Fuel No
High
Near
City
Wind
Windy
Solar
Sunny
Nuclear