WATER POLLUTION

What is water pollution?

• Water pollution is any chemical, physical or biological change in the quality of water that has a harmful effect on any living thing that drinks or uses or lives in it. When humans drink polluted water it often has serious effects on their health. Water pollution can also make water unsuited for the desired use.

Causes• The main cause of pollution is actually

people’s inconsiense which constantly creates disorders to nature as is eutrophication and global warming. More specifically..

Sewage and wastewater

• Sewage is the term used for wastewater that often contains faeces, urine and laundry waste.

• Sewage disposal is a major problem in developing countries as many people don’t have access to sanitary conditions and clean water.

• Sewage is treated in water treatment plants and the waste is often disposed into the sea.

Marine dumping

Dumping of litter in the sea can cause huge problems. Litter items can get caught in marine animals and may result in death.

• Cardboard – Takes 2 weeks to degrade. • Newspaper – Takes 6 weeks to degrade. • Foam – Takes 50 years to degrade. • Aluminium – Takes 200 years to degrade. • Plastic packaging – Takes 400 years to degrade. • Glass – It takes that long to degrade that we

don’t know the exact time.

Radioactive waste Nuclear waste is produced from industrial,

medical and scientific processes that used radioactive material. Nuclear waste can have detrimental effects on marine habitats. Nuclear waste comes from a number of sources:

• Operations conducted by nuclear power stations produce radioactive waste. Nuclear-fuel reprocessing plants in nothern Europe are the biggest sources of man-made nuclear waste in the surrounding ocean.

Oil pollution.• Oceans are polluted by oil on a daily basis

from oil spills, routine shipping, run-offs and dumping.

• Oil spills make about 12% of the oil that enters the ocean. The rest come from shipping travel, drains and dumping.

Atmospheric deposition.

• Atmospheric deposition is the pollution of water caused by air pollution.

• Air pollution means that water vapour absorbs more of these gases and becomes even more acidic.

• When it rains the water is polluted with these gases. This is called acid rain.

• When acid rain pollutes marine habitats aquatic life is harmed.

Global warming.

• An increase in water temperature can result in the death of many aquatic organisms and disrupt many marine habitats. This is when the coral expels the micro-organisms of which it is depended on.

Underground storage leakages.

• A tank or piping network that has at least 10% of its volume underground.

Industrial waste.

• Industry is a huge source of water pollution, it produces pollutants that are extremely harmful to people and the environment.

• In this case the most representive example is the Halyvourgiki industry which is located at the Elefsina Gulf and constantly pollutes the water. It is known as the most polluting industry in Greece.

Eutrophication.

• Eutrophication is frequently a result of nutrient pollution such as the release of sewage effluent into natural waters although it may also occur naturally in situations where nutrients accumulate.Eutrophication generally promotes excessive plant growth and decay, favors certain weedy species over others, and is likely to cause severe reductions in water quality . In aquatic environments, enhanced growth of choking aquatic vegetation or phytoplankton disrupts normal functioning of the ecosystem, causing a variety of problems. Human society is impacted as well. Health-related problems can occur where eutrophic conditions interfere with drinking water treatment.

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But is one measurement

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Solutions.• the information of the habitats.

• Protect and save damaged, by oil dumping, seas.

• Control the sewage of the industries.

PSITTALIA: BREATH OF LIFE FOR THE SARONIC GULF

THE END• Alberta Christodoulaki

• Maria-Christina Arapi

• Alexandra Sintosi

• Emmanouella Papathanasiou