Brian Deignan
Sustainability Problems and Solutions
Matrix #2
11/6/2012
Word Count: 532
Pollution and the Ecosystem
Our ecosystem is very fragile and can change rapidly based on production and consumption
done by humans. As goods are produced in factories so are greenhouse gases and pollutants as well.
These are emitted into the atmosphere and can change the ecosystem of our planet. After goods are
consumed or purchased there is typically a waste product at the end of the life cycle of the initial
product. These waste products are dumped into landfills and sometimes even make it into the ocean
destroy animal habitats and even getting into the food supplies that humans eat from. Pollution has a
huge impact on the ecosystem.
Pollution can cause several different problems within our ecosystem. With respect to animals,
air pollution can cause acid rain which destroys fresh water fish life ("Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com").
Water pollution is also a huge issue. Many companies dump unwanted waste into the Ocean which can
cause nutrient pollution in the water. When there is too much nitrogen and phosphates in the water
overgrowth of toxic algae will occur. These toxic algae will then be eaten by the fish in the Ocean. Toxic
algae can cause disease and death in fish ("Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com"). Also, these diseases can
be carried up the food chain if a fish which has consumed toxic algae is eaten by a human. Air pollution
can also affect crops and agriculture. Ground-level ozone reduces the ability of plants to harness
sunlight for growth harming both natural ecosystems and agricultural crops. It has been estimated that
$3-6 billion has been lost in crop production annually due to ground level ozone (“Asheville”). Ground
level ozone is created by chemicals from factories combining with the addition of sunlight in the air
creating artificial ozone much closer to the ground than the natural ozone ("EPA: United States
Environmental Protection Agency"). Air quality standards in the United States are determined by direct
impacts to human health rather than taking into account any impacts on the soil and water resources in
the United States (“Asheville”).
Recently water pollution took a huge step in the wrong direction with the BP oil spill. Oil
pollution in the water has a huge effect on the ecosystem of the water as seen in the collage.
Direct contact with oil is toxic to invertebrates. In particular, this is a problem for bottomdwelling invertebrates that live near the shoreline. Other impacts include altering invertebrate
feeding rates, altering metabolism, altering formation of shells and physical smothering. These
invertebrates will die due to the buildup of high levels of contaminants and chemicals in the
body; these, in turn, are passed on to the invertebrates' predators.
(Tomas)
Oil spills will also greatly change the habitats of aquatic animals.
Oil pollution can persist in the polluted area for many years; sediment has been detected as
much as 30 years after an oil spill. These spills change the distribution and diversity of species,
along with the population structure in aquatic ecosystems. Some animal populations and
habitats have been able to recover after spills; however, the habitats that are less affected are
those that are offshore or pelagic. Habitats along the shore or are inshore may not recover or
take a very long time to recover.
(Tomas)
Bibliography
"Ground Level Ozone." EPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency. nvironmental Protection
Agency, November 01 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2012. <http://www.epa.gov/glo/>
"Pollution Effects On Humans, Animals, Plants and The Environment." Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com.
Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com, October 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2012. <http://www.tropicalrainforest-animals.com/pollution-effects.html>.
"Study Examines Air Pollution’s Effects on Ecosystems; Finds Widespread, Serious Impacts ." Ashville.
Ashville.com Community News, 2010. Web. 9 Nov 2012.
<http://www.asheville.com/news/nature0810.html>.
Tomas, Liz. "The Effects of Oil Pollution on Aquatic Ecosystems." eHow: Discover the expert in you..
Demand Media, 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/info_8157063_effects-oilpollution-aquatic-ecosystems.html>.
Annotations
#1
1. "Pollution Effects On Humans, Animals, Plants and The Environment." Tropical-RainforestAnimals.com. Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com, October 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2012.
<http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/pollution-effects.html>.
2. Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com is run by Irina Gray works in Britain after studying there on
scholarship. This website is her own research project in a way. She’s pulled together lots of well
reference information from a number or different sources.
3. Pollution is detrimental to the ecosystem as a whole.
4. The article starts off by saying there are many wide-ranging effects due to pollution. Environmental
pollution effects on humans are then described. After that environmental pollution effects on animals
are delved into.
5.
1) “Pollution effects are indeed many and wide-ranging.”
2) “Acid rain (formed in the air) destroys fish life in lakes and streams”
3) “Ozone in the lower atmosphere may damage lung tissues of animals”
6. All of the evidence given in this article shows how pollution is detrimental to the ecosystem as a
whole.
7.
1) Pollution can cause several different problems within our ecosystem. With respect to animals, air
pollution can cause acid rain which destroys fresh water fish life.
2) When there is too much nitrogen and phosphates in the water overgrowth of toxic algae will occur.
These toxic algae will then be eaten by the fish in the Ocean. Toxic algae can cause disease and death in
fish.
#2
1."Study Examines Air Pollution’s Effects on Ecosystems; Finds Widespread, Serious Impacts ." Ashville.
Ashville.com Community News, 2010. Web. 9 Nov 2012.
<http://www.asheville.com/news/nature0810.html>.
2. Asheville.com is the Asheville, North Carolina’s community newspaper website. They write about all
sorts of topics and this one article from 2010 happens to be on air pollution and ecosystems.
3. The main argument of this article is that air pollution affects ecosystems.
4. The article starts off by stating how no ecosystem is free of effects of air pollution with a focus on the
eastern United States. The article then goes on to list several bullet points supporting this argument. At
the end of the article it is stated how air pollution must be reduced to help protect the nature
surrounding us.
5.
1) “No ecosystem type in the eastern United States is free of the effects of air pollution, according to a
report released by The Nature Conservancy and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.”
2) “Ground-level ozone reduces plants' ability to harness sunlight for growth harming both natural
ecosystems and agricultural crops.”
3) “Ground level ozone has been estimated to cause $3-6 billion in reduced crop production annually.”
6. This article supports my topic that I have presented that pollution has a negative effect on
ecosystems. The article focuses on air pollution.
7.
1) It has been estimated that $3-6 billion has been lost in crop production annually due to ground level
ozone.
2) Air quality standards in the United States are determined by direct impacts to human health rather
than taking into account any impacts on the soil and water resources in the United States
#3
1. Tomas, Liz. "The Effects of Oil Pollution on Aquatic Ecosystems." eHow: Discover the expert in you..
Demand Media, 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/info_8157063_effects-oilpollution-aquatic-ecosystems.html>.
2. Liz Tomas began writing professionally in 2004. Her work has appeared in the "American Journal of
Enology and Viticulture," "BMC Genomics" and "PLoS Biology." She holds a Master of Science in food
science from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of New
Hampshire. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in oenology at Lincoln University.
3. Oil pollution (spills) affects aquatic ecosystems negatively.
4. The article starts out with a general overview. From there the author breaks down the ecosystem
into separate categories. Each categories effects are explained accordingly.
5.
1) “Oil affects not only the animals and plants that live in the water, but those that rely on aquatic
animals as a food source.”
2) “Direct contact with oil is toxic to invertebrates.”
3) “Oil pollution can persist in the polluted area for many years; sediment has been detected as much as
30 years after an oil spill.”
6. This article supports my topic of pollution and its negative effects on the ecosystem. This article
focuses on aquatic ecosystems.
7.
1) Direct contact with oil is toxic to invertebrates. In particular, this is a problem for bottom-dwelling
invertebrates that live near the shoreline. Other impacts include altering invertebrate feeding rates,
altering metabolism, altering formation of shells and physical smothering. These invertebrates will die
due to the buildup of high levels of contaminants and chemicals in the body; these, in turn, are passed
on to the invertebrates' predators.
2) Oil pollution can persist in the polluted area for many years; sediment has been detected as much as
30 years after an oil spill. These spills change the distribution and diversity of species, along with the
population structure in aquatic ecosystems. Some animal populations and habitats have been able to
recover after spills; however, the habitats that are less affected are those that are offshore or pelagic.
Habitats along the shore or are inshore may not recover or take a very long time to recover.