segunda-feira, 1 de dezembro de 2008
Noise pollution
Noise pollution contaminants are not physical particles, but rather waves that interfere with naturally-occurring waves of a similar type in the same environment. Thus, the definition of noise pollution is open to debate, and there is no clear border as to which sounds may constitute noise pollution.
The prevailing source of artificial noise pollution is from transportation. In urban areas, automobile, motorcycle, and even entertainment noise can cause sleep disruption in humans and animals, hearing loss, heart disease (as a result of stress), and in severe cases even mental instability.
Altough most nations have government agencies responsible for different types of pollution, none has one that regulates noise pollution.
Leonardo Campos
Global warming and his consequences concerning natural disasters
Global warming has alot of negative consequences, not only concerning natural catastrophes, sea level rise is not considered a natural disaster but his consequences can be more devastating than any natural disaster, so it's our job to put a stop on global warming, if we all work together there's still a chance.
Volcanoes
Lightning
Radioactive contamination
Radioactive contamination is another type of pollution; and a much more dangerous one.
Radioactive contamination occurs when radioactive material is deposited on or in an object or a person.A person exposed to radiation is not necessarily contaminated with radioactive material.
A person who has been exposed to radiation has had radioactive waves or particles penetrate the body, like having an x-ray. For a person to be contaminated, radioactive material must be on or inside of his or her body. A contaminated person is exposed to radiation released by the radioactive material on or inside the body. An uncontaminated person can be exposed by being too close to radioactive material or a contaminated person, place, or thing.
How Exposure or Contamination Can Happen
- A nuclear power plant accident
- An atomic bomb explosion
- An accidental release from a medical or industrial device
- Nuclear weapons testing
- An intentional release of radioactive material as an act of terrorism
What can you do in case of contamination?
- Get out of the area immediately;
- Remove the outer layer of your clothing;
- Wash all of the exposed areas of your body;
- Take prescribed medication after confirmation of the contamination.
Leonardo Campos
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are caused by the squeezing or stretching of the plates, then huge rocks form at their edges and the rocks shift with great force, causing an earthquake.
Earthquakes are mesegured by the Richter scale, and can go from 1 to 10. The ones with the magnitude of 1 are named micro-earthquakes and are never felt, but they are recorded. An earthquake with the magnitude of 10 as never been recorded, but the estimated effects are catastrophic.
Earthquakes occur all arround the world so here are some safety tips concerning earthquakes:
-Before an earthquake choose a safe place in every room. It’s best to get under a sturdy piece of furniture like a table or a desk where nothing can fall on you. Allways have a disaster supplies kit, is very important, it can you help you in a lot of situations.
-During an earthquake stay indoors until the shaking stops. Stay away from windows. If you’re in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow. If you’re outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees and power lines.
After the major earthquake there are allways replics, so everytime you feel one repit the same process again and you'll be allright.
Water Pollution
Attention to water pollution originally exploded in the 1980s when the oil spill of the Exxon Valdez (an oil tanker that spilled its oil near Alaska, destroying the local environment and killing a great deal of the native wildlife).
We must not allow others to pollute our water, putting at risk the existance of life in our Planet.
Water pollution comes in many different types, such as:
- Microbiological: Disease-causing microorganisms that are released in the water, poisoning the ones who drink and the fauna and flora that inhabit it;
- Chemical: Chemical released in water from te industry, contaminating it;
- Oxygen-depleting substances: Substances that, when in excess, drain the oxygen in the water, making it uninhabitable by fish.
How do we prevent water pollution?
- Not throwing oils or other pollutant matter down the sink;
- Conserving water;
- Using environmentally approved products;
- Not overusing pesticides and fertilizers;
- Not littering rivers, lakes or oceans.
As you can see, it depends of us too.
Leonardo Campos
The Global Warming
A big part of the scientific comunity believes that the increasing concentration of human origin pollutants in the atmosphere is causing the greenhouse effect.
The earth receives radiation from the sun and returns most of it into space by radiation heat. The air pollutants retain a part of that radiation, that would be reflected into space, under normal conditions. But due to the increasement of air pollutants, much of the radiation that normaly would be reflected to space, stay at the atmosphere, heating earth more and more.
Whale
Greenhouse Effect
Is called greenhouse effect to the absorption of infrared emissions by the atmosphere, stopping the same emissions to escape to outer space.
The greenhouse effect is a natural characteristic of earth’s atmosphere and without this effect, the temperature that we are used to would be much lower. The current inbalance happens because this effect is gradually increasing.
The main gases that cause the greenhouse effects are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), mitrous oxide (N2O) and CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons). Nowadays, these gases concentrations are increasing mortally because of it’s liberation through industries, transportations and deforestation.
By: Sandy Gomes
Ozone
In the upper layers of the atmosphere, the ozone acts like a protector shield, absorving the UV rays that come from the sun.
However, the ozone is easily destroyed by gases as CFC’s, halogenated compounds, carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide, HCFC’s and HBFC’s, that are emitted by activities related to industry.
By: Sandy Gomes