The Effects of Air, Water and Soil

Pollution on Biodiversity
Air, water and soil pollution have very negative effects on biodiversity -- the
number of species in a region. Intensive cattle rearing, agriculture and industry
are some human activities responsible for the production of pollutants. Pollution
affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, disrupting the life cycle of animals,
plants and other species. Air, water and soil pollution causes biodiversity decline,
phytoplankton blooms and an increase in extinction rates.

Biodiversity Declining
According to Henning Steinfeld in "Livestock's Long Shadow: Environmental Issues
and Options," pollution affects 12 percent of threatened bird species, 29 percent
of threatened amphibian species and 4 percent of the 760 threatened mammals.
Pollution affects animals directly, by poisoning them, or indirectly, by reducing
their fertility and food sources. Aquatic species are more vulnerable to pollution,
as water sources end up receiving soil contaminants such as pesticides and air
pollutants that react with the rain, acidifying it.

Intoxication by Phytoplankton Blooms

Phytoplankton or micro-algae are an important element of the aquatic food chain.
The excessive use of fertilizers can cause eutrophication, or saturation of the
aquatic environments, resulting in a phytoplankton bloom or increased
reproduction, says Mohammad Yunus in "Environmental Stress: Indication,
Mitigation, and Eco-Conservation." The phytoplankton population explosion causes
the waters to change color, due to the release of toxins, which are toxic to other
forms of aquatic life.

Increasing of Extinction Rates

Although extinctions are part of evolution, the last centuries have seen an
accelerated rate at which extinctions occur, due to human modifications to the
planet. According to Simon Levin in "The Princeton Guide to Ecology," the loss of
habitats, caused by pollution and overharvesting, among other factors, remains
the main driver of extinctions. Extinctions can negatively affect vital ecological
processes such as pollination and seed dispersal, leading to ecosystem imbalance.

The Effect of Soil Pollution on Biodiversity

Pollution is defined as the introduction of harmful substances into
the environment. Soil pollution has many sources including water
pollution, acid rain, and nonpoint source pollution. NSP enters an
ecosystem through runoff. The source of the pollutants can be far
from its point of impact. The result is a disturbance of the soil
chemistry. Plants unable to tolerate these imbalances soon perish,
resulting in fewer plant species and a decrease in plant
biodiversity.
Acidification

Soil acidification creates ecological dead zones, leaving areas unfit for plant
life and the animals that depend upon them.

Soil Chemistry

Sensitive plant species are especially vulnerable to changes in soil

chemistry, causing plant die-offs and lower biodiversity.

Toxic Metals

Acid rain causes chemical reactions that free toxic metals that are normally
insoluble, damaging root systems and preventing plants from taking up adequate
moisture.

Agricultural Runoff

Agricultural runoff introduces high levels of nitrogen, phosphate and

phosphorus into waterways, which in turn wash over soils and disrupt the soil's
chemical balance.

Monocultures

A less obvious form of pollution is the introduction of non-native or invasive

plants, which can out-compete native species and reduce habitats to
monocultures.

The Effects of Air Pollution on Trees

Air quality has seen a steady improvement in the last 20 years,
according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
However, issues still persist, affecting trees and other plants. Air
pollution has many sources. Coal-burning power plants are a major
source of toxic emissions including carbon, sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxide. Air pollution is especially insidious because its
effects can be far-reaching. Air pollution can damage trees
hundreds of miles from the source of the pollution.
Soil Contamination

Air pollution alters pH levels, causing soils to become acidic when

atmospheric sulfur dioxide combines with moisture in the air and returns to the
land as acid rain. Acid rain can acidify soils and impair tree growth.
Air pollution causes soil leaching, where important tree nutrients such as calcium
and potassium are lost from the soil, making them unavailable to trees.
Deficiencies in these nutrients can disrupt cell formation and photosynthesis, the
process by which plants make food and energy.
Acidic soils caused by acid rain can mobilize insoluble aluminum and other toxic
metals such as lead and mercury, creating ecological dead zones in contaminated
soils.

Physical Damage

Air pollution can physically damage leaves when acid rain comes in contact
with plant tissues. Leaf or needle damage is especially dangerous. Leaves are the
primary site of photosynthesis. If leaves are damaged, photosynthesis slows or
ceases.
Contact with pollutants especially those from acid rain can cause nutrient leaching
in tree leaves, creating a nutrient deficiency in the tree as it loses more nutrients
than the roots can absorb. Trees become vulnerable to disease and pest
infestations.
Soils made toxic by acidic conditions or the release of toxic metals through air
pollution can lose soil bacteria and soil micro-organisms. The result is a slowing of
the nutrient cycle. Without the availability of nutrients, growth of the entire tree
slows.

Environmental Effects

Acid rain caused by air pollution can acidify surface and ground water
resources. These acidic waters are absorbed by tree root systems, compounding
physical damage.
Ground level ozone created by accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions can
damage tree leaves and other plant structures. Sensitive species are most at risk.
Entire forests can be damaged by ground level ozone.
Air pollution and its effects on the soil can result in a slowing of the decomposition
of dead animals and plants. Decomposition is necessary to recycle nutrients
within an ecosystem. Disruption of this cycle can negatively affect tree health.

Effects of Water Pollution

The effects of water pollution are diverse and are very much dependent on the types of pollutants
involved and the nature of water bodies being affected by the pollutants. Here are some common
consequences of water pollution.
Eutrophication and Oxgyen-Deficient Waters:
Elevated levels of chemical nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) in water, brought about by
the introduction of substances such as fertilizer from agriculture, organic waste, sewage or other
decaying matter, is another cause of water pollution.
The presence of large amounts of nutrients in water promotes the excessive growth of algae in the
water. Although the algae produces oxygen in the day, it uses up oxygen in the water at night. The
algae overgrowth also blocks out sunlight, obstructing the photosynthesis process by plants under
the water. When some of these algae die, the decay process also uses up oxygen. The oxygen
content in the water may eventually decrease with time.
The reproductive abilities of many fish populations are affected. The fishes may also lose the
natural nurseries for their young as sea grass found at the sea bed die from the lack of access to
sunlight.
Fishes and other water organisms in the water that are not able to withstand the low oxygen
content may relocate to other oxygen-rich places, or otherwise suffocate to death. Not all animals
are able to escape the slow moving creatures (e.g. sea snails, oysters, lobsters) living at the
bottom of the sea bed are usually unable to relocate fast enough.
Hence, one of the effects of water pollution by eutrophication is reduced biodiversity in that water
region. In even worse cases, dead zones (oxygen-deficient regions in the ocean) may result.

Waterborne Infectious Diseases:

Water polluted by untreated or inadequately treated human sewage and animal dung carry
pathogens (disease carrying organisms) like bacteria, parasites and virus, etc, that pose serious
threats to human health.
Diarrhea is a very common outcome when people consume water contaminated with such
pathogens. For those of you who think that diarrhea is not serious matter, you might want to
reconsider. Based on a 2008 report by World Health Organization titled Safer Water, Better
Health, about 1.5 million people in the world die from diarrhea each year, with the majority being
children.
Besides diarrhea, the health effects of water pollution by sewage contamination, depending on the
type of pathogen ingested, also include conditions like dysentery (frequent passage of feces
containing blood and mucus, with vomiting of blood in some cases), Salmonellosis (fever, diarrhea,
vomiting), typhoid fever (sustained high fever, diarrhea, delirium in serious states, and eventual
death if left untreated), etc.

Poisoning by heavy metals and other toxins:

Human activities like the industrial purification of metals, preparation of nuclear fuel, coal
combustion and waste incineration introduce toxic heavy metals (e.g. cadium, mercury, etc) and
other toxic chemicals (e.g. synthetic pesticides) into the environment. These harmful substances
may enter the water bodies in several ways, for example, through fumes dissolving in precipitation
or settling directly onto water surfaces, or through mans deliberate discharge into water bodies.
In the rivers, seas and oceans, these heavy metals and toxic chemicals may eventually be taken
up by plants or animals. For the heavy metals, they do not bio-degrade but instead bioaccumulate in the organisms that take them up. Not only are these heavy metals and chemicals
toxic to the organisms that take them up (e.g. reduce the reproduction ability of animals, and
inhibit growth and cause structure damage in plants), they also bio-magnify in the bodies of
animals that consume the affected organisms and threaten their health and survival the effects
of water pollution via heavy metal poisoning.
A very good example of a highly toxic heavy metal is mercury. Effects of water pollution by high
levels of methylmercury (the organic form of mercury which is in fact more toxic and harder to
eliminate than inorganic mercury) have been found to damage the nervous system of fetuses and
young children and affect their ability to think and learn. At high levels, they can cause permanent
brain damages and even death.
Instances of severe methylmercury poisoning in history (according to the U.S. Geological Survey)
include the case in Minamata Bay, Japan (1956) caused by industrial release of methyl-mercury,
and the case in Iraq (1971) caused by the consumption of wheat treated with a methylmercury
fungicide. In both cases, hundreds of deaths resulted, and some thousands others suffered
permanent damages to their nervous systems.

Poisoning and drowning in oil and petroleum chemicals:

While oil and petroleum chemicals (introduced into water bodies during oil spills, run-offs from
land or vessels, etc) are examples of toxic substances that pollute water bodies, they deserve
addition mention.

Other than poisoning organisms (including humans) that take them up, there are other effects of
water pollution by these pollutants. The nature of oil is such that it floats on water. This means
that when introduced into water bodies, oil remains at the water surface and prevents sunlight
and oxygen from reaching organisms living in the water. The oil that gets onto the body of animals
often paralyses them, making it difficult for them to escape from predators or the oily death pool
that drowns them a deadly effects of water pollution by oil.

Reduced biodiversity:
Water pollutants introduce abnormal conditions (e.g. harmful chemicals, changes in water
temperatures) into water bodies, disrupting existing ecosystems and can potentially contribute to
reducing biodiversity in that affected area one of the effects of water pollution.
For example, the discharge of heated-up water (thermal pollution of waters) from thermal and
nuclear power plants into a river can cause problems for aquatic organisms, which are fairly used
to specific temperatures. The increase in water temperatures could increase their metabolic rates
and hence their need for food. This could eventually lead to the depletion of food sources in that
water region and in turn cause a reduction in species population in that water region. Another one
of the effects of water pollution by increased water temperatures involves organisms that are less
adapted to warmer waters migrating elsewhere, further reducing biodiversity in that region.
Besides thermal pollution, water could also be polluted via the entry of acidic substances into the
water bodies, such as when acid rain lands on rivers, seas and oceans, or when larger
concentrations of carbon dioxide are taken up by water bodies (as a result of higher
concentrations of thegreenhouse gas in the atmosphere). The effects of water pollution by this
process, known as acidification, can involve the destruction of entire coral reef communities.
Of course, other forms of water pollution like eutrophication (mentioned above), oil spills and toxic
waste poisoning could also directly destroy populations of organisms living in the water or
dependent on the water bodies for their survival.