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Pollution
Pollution is the process of giving out contaminants such as smoke and carbon dioxide, and too much of a certain product such as light, heat and sound that both cause harm to the environment.
8,185 Questions
How flow of energy is different from flow of materials?
The flow of energy occurs from the sun in photosynthetic organisms. Another examples is a food chain with the flow of energy from through organisms from a producer. The flow of materials describes the movement of materials or components.
What are the effects of radiation from power plants on the human body and the environment?
It depends on the type of radiation you mean. I'm assuming you mean a nuclear power plant, although I'll cover some of the effects that electromagnetic radiation can have.
Nuclear power plants are extremely regulated in the United States. They have total containment of the radiation used, and nothing leaks to the outside. These containment vessels have backups as well. Even in the worst accident in US history, 3-Mile Island, people were only partially exposed to between 8 and 100 millirem. Eight millirem is equivalent to a chest X-ray, and 100 millirem is about a third of the amount you are exposed to naturally in a year (through natural sources such as the sun).
In all actuality, it is the radioactive material from coal-fired power plants that is the greatest health hazard to people. A 1,000MW power plant can release as much as 5.2 tons of uranium into the atmosphere in a year. The radioactive emission from this coal power plant is 100 times greater than a comparable nuclear power plant with the same electrical output; including processing output, the coal power plant's radiation output is over 3 times greater.
As for the electromagnetic radiation from power lines and such, the only relevant health effect found was a slight increase of childhood leukemia in homes built along high-power transmission lines. In fact, in normal adults, signs indicate the some fields can actually speed the healing of soft-tissue injuries.
http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/np-risk.htm
http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_power_plant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident
Main causes of corrosion in a cooling system?
Neglect! Failure to change the coolant on a regular basis and failure to use Distilled water with the mix.
using the wrong type of coolant there are different kinds make sure you get the right one for your engine
This question is related to the theory of anthropogenic (man-made) global warming. Global warming theory is based on physics, not on paleoclimate. Uncertainties in carbon dioxide measurements don't change the theory or the prediction that temperatures will rise, but by reducing the uncertainty, we can get a better estimate of climate sensitivity in the past - which helps inform projections for our current warming.
Prior to 1958, no one was routinely and reliably measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), so we have no direct observational data about atmospheric CO2 before 1958. In order to have historical atmospheric CO2 data, scientists have had to come up with a variety of "proxy" data. The most direct proxy is CO2 concentrations in air found in bubbles trapped in ice thousands or even millions of years ago. The theory is that, over time, the concentrations of the various atmospheric gasses don't change. By determining the age of the ice layer, you can measure the concentration of CO2 therein and state, with confidence, that the atmosphere itself had that same concentration at the time the air bubble was trapped.
The method used for recovering CO2 concentration from ice is usually as follows:
- The ice core is cut into sections, and the outer layer trimmed.
- Each sample is finely ground in an airless extraction flask, then freeze dried.
- The air is collected in supercooled electropolished stainless steel traps.
This method collects all the air in the sample, so solubility is not an issue.
An important question for accurate dating is how far does the gas migrate. We know it doesn't diffuse widely, since we can recover a remarkable amount of detail. We do, however, need to take gravitational separation into account.
Ice cores cannot resolve very fine detail over hundreds of thousands of years. However, there are ice core records with better than decadal resolution over the modern era.
Ice core data shows remarkable agreement with direct CO2 concentration data. They clearly show ice ages and different ice cores also correlate extremely well with each other.
It is difficult to give an objective answer to a question such as "how reliable" something is. Where ice cores are concerned, we can answer differently for different aspects. The exact chronology - the age of the ice and the trapped air - can vary a little, and is often adjusted when better information is available. The pattern of historic CO2 is very certain, and very reliable. We know when CO2 was high, and we know when it was low.
There is a small amount of uncertainty associated with the CO2 concentration measurements, due to experimental uncertainty and degraded ice quality. However, it is important to remember that this uncertainty is dwarfed by the magnitude of past and current CO2 changes in the atmosphere. There is no issue with separating the signal from the noise.
On world average how big was the nuclear reactor in Chernobyl Ukrainian SSR?
It was 1000 megawatt electric (RBMK-1000)
Is water conservation good or bad?
water conservation is good as if we will conserve water now we will be able to use this water later when there is an acute shortage of water.so it is better to save water now and not to strive in future.
Is the Charles river dyed green to celebrate Saint Patrick27s Day?
Yes and No. The Charles River flows through the city of Boston. I heard this story... Unfortunately, the original city planners designed the storm drains and the sewer system of Boston as one in the same. They combined the systems into one piping system. Consequently, the sewage treatment plants must process the city sewage AND the the rain water that enters all the city storm drains. At times of unusually heavy rainfall, the sewage treatment plants cannot handle the massive volume of rain water mixed with sewage, and the untreated overflow is forced into the Charles River. As a result the excessive growth of bacteria feeding off the untreated sewage causes the river water to turn green. So, if this accidental and unfortunate incident occurs on St. Patrick's Day, I guess we might say that we have colored the Charles River the color of green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. I understand that ALL other cities in America designed the sewage system separate from the storm drain system. Boston is the only city with this problem.
What is the maximum height for bench in open pit mining?
Bench height would be designed considering terrain condition, Geological setup of the area. For i,e Coal mines in Indian context , 6 m height and 10m width which we normally follow here.
Thanks
S.Chandrabose
What is oxygen depleting substances?
An oxygen depleting substance is any material which consumes oxygen in the mixture which it occurs. In water pollution this is usually an organic material.
Do humans affect the polar habitat?
Yes, humans do affect the polar habitats. Pollution is one of the ways we can have an adverse effect the polar habitat. Global warming is another way we can affect the polar habitat.
Who does the great garbage patch affect?
the great garbage patch affects the animals that consume the plastic in the ocean because the plastic is unigestable and it is toxin and it also affects animals that consume the intoxicated animals including humans because humans eat fish
example, say some plankton (very small animals at the bottom of the food chain) eat some of this plastic. Then, a hundred of these plankton are then eaten by a small fish, like a Sardine. Then a Mackerel eats 25 of these Sardines. Then a Tuna eats 10 of these Mackerels. Then you eat a Tuna. Well guess what, you just ate a bunch of plastic, just how much? 100 (plankton) x 25 (Sardines) x 10 (Mackerels) = 25,000 pieces! Through a process called bioaccumulation, the amount of a substance is concentrated as it is passed up through the food chain to the top predator, scary huh?
What are the causes of mountain damage?
Humans damage landscape by trampling vegetation between trail switchbacks. This increases erosion, creating big gullies.
Forest fires can have the same effect.
Natural "mountain damage" might be caused by avalanches, mud slides, earthquakes, glacial grinding, asteroid impacts, floods, or any of a wide variety of natural forces. Some rock weathering occurs just by the mechanical expansion and contraction of the day/night cycle.
Where can I find an engineers report on gulf of Mexico oil spill?
I believe you are asking for a technical investigation report. BP has posted to their website their investigation report, but this will not be the only investigation. The Marine Board is also studying the accident, and conducting an inquiry by questioning the engineers involved in all aspects of rig operations. Their report will be available in January 2011.
The House of Representative- Committee on Energy and Commerce, posted on their site a number of technical reports on computer modeling of the cement that BP used. I have included this link.
There is the Commission established by President Obama, which has not issued any report.
See related links.
What is meant by landscape destruction?
Landscape destruction is essentially the tearing up of the land. This can happen when animals tear up flower beds, dig holes in your yard or anything else that affects the ground.
What words descibes the release of harmful materials into the environment through human activities?
This result is often called pollution, however this gives the impression that the action is accidental. Biological and chemical attacks by military forces (biochemical warfare) also meet the criteria as do purposeful venting of toxic materials waste dumping) due to economic considerations at industrial sites. Lesser amounts of these types of material are also released from paint drying and carpet off gassing as well as automotive and home heating exhasts.
The majority of the debris found in the garbage patch is .?
The majority of the debris found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is plastic, accounting for approximately 90% of the total debris. This plastic waste includes items such as bottles, bags, and microplastics, which are harmful to marine life and ecosystems. The persistence of plastic in the ocean poses significant environmental challenges, as it can take hundreds of years to decompose. Efforts to clean up and reduce plastic pollution are ongoing but face numerous logistical and economic challenges.
Is global warming dangerous to humans?
Yes it involves the Earth and we so obviously live on the Earth. If we don't start saving energy and going green, the Earth will be in for trouble.
Answer:
The fact that our planet has warmed over the past several thousand years has impacted our lives throughout the centuries. Greenland had a small Viking outpost on it that was able to support itself with crops and livestock that had to be abandoned during the mini ice age as glaciers advanced and consumed their land. The climate is always a factor in our lives.
The current situation, and that of the forseeable future though appears to be bright. Sea levels have been advancing at about 2 mm a year for centuries and are averaging about that same amount today, despite the predictions of increasing increases. The warming we have seen the past 150 years of just under 1 degree C has not caused major issues and is not really unexpected considering that 1850 was a low temperature period of the last mini ice age. There is nothing we can see, in the real data and current situation that causes us to be concerned for the future of humans. While global warming probably has a man made portion involved, it is not the end of human civilization. That does not mean that we should not be looking for alternatives to fossil fuels, but it is far from a near term threat to our lives or way of life. The real threat could be in doing something premature out of panic to the situation.
