Acid Rain

Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is

unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions
(low pH). It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals and
infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids.
Nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally by lightning strikes and sulphur
dioxide is produced by volcanic eruptions. The chemicals in acid rain can cause
paint to peel, corrosion of steel structures such as bridges, and erosion of stone
statues.

Biological Oxygen Demand

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is the amount of dissolved
oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break
down organic material present in a given water sample at certain
temperature over a specific time period.
Most natural waters contain small quantities of organic compounds.
Aquatic microorganisms have evolved to use some of these compounds
as food. Microorganisms living in oxygenated waters use dissolved oxygen
to oxidatively degrade the organic compounds, releasing energy which is
used for growth and reproduction. Populations of these microorganisms
tend to increase in proportion to the amount of food available. This
microbial metabolism creates an oxygen demand proportional to the
amount of organic compounds useful as food. Under some circumstances,
microbial metabolism can consume dissolved oxygen faster than
atmospheric oxygen can dissolve into the water or the autotrophic
community (algae, cyanobacteria and macrophytes) can produce. Fish and
aquatic insects may die when oxygen is depleted by microbial metabolism.
Biochemical oxygen demand is the amount of oxygen required for
microbial metabolism of organic compounds in water. This demand occurs
over
some
variable
period
of
time
depending
on
temperature, nutrient concentrations, and the enzymes available to
indigenous microbial populations. The amount of oxygen required to
completely oxidize the organic compounds to carbon dioxide and water
through generations of microbial growth, death, decay, and cannibalism is
total biochemical oxygen demand (total BOD). Total BOD is of more
significance to food webs than to water quality. Dissolved oxygen
depletion is most likely to become evident during the initial aquatic
microbial population explosion in response to a large amount of organic
material. If the microbial population deoxygenates the water, however, that
lack of oxygen imposes a limit on population growth of aerobic aquatic
microbial organisms resulting in a longer term food surplus and oxygen
deficit.

Biological Control
Biological
control is
a bioeffector-method
of controlling
pests (including insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases) using other living
organisms. It relies on predation,parasitism, herbivory, or other natural
mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role. It
can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
There are three basic types of biological pest control strategies: importation
(sometimes called classical biological control), augmentation and conservation.
Natural enemies of insect pests, also known as biological control agents,
include predators, parasitoids, and pathogens. Biological control agents of
plant diseases are most often referred to as antagonists. Biological control agents
of weeds include seed predators, herbivores and plant pathogens.

Deforestation
Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of
trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. Examples of
deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use.
Tropical rainforests is where the most concentrated deforestation
occurs. Almost 30% of the world is covered by forests, excluding water mass.
In temperate mesic climates, natural regeneration of forest stands often will not
occur
in
the
absence
of
disturbance,
whether
natural
or
anthropogenic. Furthermore, biodiversity after regeneration harvest often
mimics that found after natural disturbance, including biodiversity loss after
naturally occurring rainforest destruction.
Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees are cut down to be used or sold as
fuel (sometimes in the form of charcoal) or timber, while cleared land is used
as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities and settlements. The
removal of trees without sufficient reforestationhas resulted in damage
to habitat, biodiversity loss
and aridity.
It
has
adverse
impacts
on biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Eutrophication
The process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration
of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates. These typically promote
excessive growth of algae. As the algae die and decompose, high levels of
organic matter and the decomposing organisms deplete the water of available
oxygen, causing the death of other organisms, such as fish. Eutrophication is a
natural, slow-aging process for a water body, but human activity greatly speeds
up the process.

Flash floods
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas:
washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated
with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm, or meltwater from ice or
snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields. Flash floods may occur after the
collapse of a natural ice or debris dam, or a human structure such as a manmade dam. Flash floods are distinguished from a regular flood by a timescale of
less than six hours. The temporary availability of water is often utilized by
foliage with rapid germination and short growth cycle, and by specially adapted
animal life.

Global Warming