Point source pollution

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Industrial point sources of air pollution

A point source of pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution. A point source has negligible extent, distinguishing it from other pollution source geometries. The sources are called point sources because in mathematical modeling, they can be approximated as a mathematical point to simplify analysis. Pollution point sources are identical to other physics, engineering, optics and chemistry point sources and include:

• Water pollution from an oil refinery wastewater discharge outlet^[1]
• Noise pollution from a jet engine
• Disruptive seismic vibration from a localized seismic study
• Light pollution from an intrusive street light
• Thermal pollution from an industrial process outfall
• Radio emissions from an interference-producing electrical device

Types of air pollution sources which have finite extent are line sources, area sources and volume sources. Air pollution sources are also often categorized as either stationary or mobile.

References

1. ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2010. Water pollution. Encyclopedia of Earth, Topic ed. Mark McGinley, ed. in chief C. Cleveland, National Council on Science and the Environment, Washington DC