Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Solar energy and Wind energy

It doesn't have to be sunny to create energy. You just need light.
This energy ranges from ultraviolet light to visible light and infrared light(heat energy). About half of this energy actually makes it to Earth's surface, 30% is reflected and 20% is absorbed by the atmosphere.
Solar heating can be achieved by suitable architecture and orientation of the home at little or additional cost. What you need is sun-facing windows that allow sunlight to enter during the winter months. 



Wind energy is a source of clean and sustainable energy.

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing major sources of new electricity around the world. There are over 150,000 wind turbines around the world in over 90 countries. 
In 2012 their capacity grew by 19 per cent.

Here are some pros for wind energy:
  • In all forms renewable energy is a safe and healthy alternative to fossil fuels  
  • Wind turbines are not harmful to human health 
  • Wind power cleans our air. Wind turbines are powered by wind, producing no greenhouse gasses or air pollution as they generate wind energy.
  • Also wind power even through it generates energy its doesn't pollute water resources.


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The difference between oligotrophic waters and eutrophic waters.



The best way to explain the differences between oligotrophic waters and eutrophic waters is by describing this picture:  


In the first picture there is the oligotrophic water, where the water is clear and there is a low amount of nutrients, the light can easily leak into the water and here you can find SAV or submerged aquatic vegetation. In oligotrophic waters you can find a high content of water which is supporting the lives of many species in the water. On the other hand Eutrophication is or means well nourished or well feed because this water is fulfilled with different nutrients. To understand better Eutrophication first we have to know the difference between benthic plants and phytoplankton. Benthic plants are plants which grow in the attached to in the bottom of a body of water. These are also categorized as SAV plants. Phytoplanktons are plants that grow in the surface of the water and these plants are stopping the sunlight to penetrate into the water (bottom of the lake). Phytoplankton grows as single cells or in small groups of cells and they are found whenever light and nutrients are available. So Eutrophication happens when water is being well nourished by nutrients like phosphorus or nitrogen.

The Eutrophication process begins when in oligotrophic waters nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are added. First the oligotrophic water is clear, the amount of nutrients is low, and the water can easily penetrate because the phytoplankton is limited. After the nutrients are added water starts to be more lumpy, phytoplankton starts to grow SAV starts to disappear. The third phase and the final phase is when Eutrophic process really happens. Now the amount of nutrients is really high and there aren’t any more SAV in the water, only phytoplankton and because now we have dead aquatic vegetation, decomposers have to do their work here so if in the water are a lot of organic waste then more oxygen is needed from the bacteria’s to do the decomposing process. Other species like fishes will suffocate because of the low amount of oxygen. This is also called Hypoxia or (oxygen depletion). 


Sources of nutrient pollution that are causing the process of Eutrophication are:

  •  Agriculture sources

  • Chemical fertilizes

  • Manure

  • Aquaculture

  • Urban and industrial sources

  • Fossil fuel sources

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The impact of forestation on soil and environment.



Forestation is the process of planting trees which helps the environment in various ways. Forestation helps to prevent erosion, climate changes and water flow. The impact of Forestation on soil is huge. When we plant different trees in a region that is without any vegetation then we will stop erosion because these trees will lay their roots into the soil and when the water flows into this soil it will not go with a higher speed because it will stop on the plants that are planted so it cannot carry away particles of soil, also wind erosion can be prevented if there are planted trees in that region. If there aren’t any trees than many soils will be destroyed or degraded and we know that soil is the basic thing that we need for everything that is surrounding us; from the food to clothes, houses etc. Environment without forestation cannot be called Environment. Forests are a home to many and many different species they help reducing water logging and salinity problems, forests are also a food resource for many different animals and also forests are storing around 300 billion tons of carbon in their living parts, 40 times more than the annual greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. (Green Peace)

 
We must protect our forests because around eighty per cent of the world's forests have been degraded or destroyed. We need forests because forests are fundamental for having a sustainable life on Earth.  Forests balance everything, they provide animals’ food and a home, they store carbon, they are providing us with different products to harvest etc.  

Monday, June 24, 2013

Pollution of water



BOD (Biological oxygen demand) is the measure of oxygen that is needed to break down organic material in water. So the microorganisms need this biological oxygen demand to decompose organic waste. It depends from the river if the BOD is high or low. If in the water are a lot of organic waste then more oxygen is needed from the bacteria’s to do the decomposing process. The exceeding value of BOD would increase the amount of oxygen and in that level that many species would die expect of the microorganisms. The normal amount of BOD in sewage is around 250pmm. Nitrite and nitrate are inorganic compounds which are contributing to a higher BOD. Nitrite and nitrate can be natural or man made and both of them are helping to contaminate the water. Nitrates are helping the plant process of the algae in a fast way and when they grow fast they also die very fast so there will be a lot of organic waste and the demand for oxygen will increase and when we have a higher amount of oxygen many species that are not used to this amount of oxygen will eventually die. To avoid such situation people should not throw garbage in water because in that garbage might be a high amount of organic materials and when you throw that in the river, the river will normally produce a lot of oxygen for the bacteria’s to decompose those materials.