HIAW - Human Impact on Air and Water Resources Module Overview

Human Impact on Air and Water Resources Overview

Pollution is Contamination

Pollution disturbs our ecosystem and the balance in the environment. There are three main forms of pollution, land, water, and air. Let’s focus on the latter two – water and air.

Let’s explore some of the impacts that humans have had on Earth's air and water resources.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

What is Air Pollution?

Effects of Air Pollution

What is Water Pollution?

Effects of Water Pollution

Key Terms

Asbestos – often used in construction is a type of mineral fiber that can be found in rocks and soil and is a particulate indoor pollutant
Air Quality Index (AQI) - an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you
Acid Precipitation - any form of precipitation, including rain, snow, hail, fog, or dew, that is high in acid pollutants, especially sulfuric and nitric acid. Acid precipitation has a pH of less than 5.6 (the normal acidity of unpolluted atmospheric water) and is often less than pH 5.0
Air pollution - is the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or other harmful materials into Earth's atmosphere, causing disease, death to humans, damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or the natural or built environment
Algal bloom - a rapid growth of microscopic algae or cyanobacteria in water, often resulting in a colored scum on the surface
Biomagnification- a toxic substance increases in concentration as it is passed up the food chain.
Clean Air Act - is a United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level. It is one of the United States' first and most influential modern environmental laws, and one of the most comprehensive air quality laws in the world
Contaminant - any substances that harm the health of the environment or humans
Eutrophication - excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen
Graywater - the relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances.
Groundwater - water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock
Indicator species - an animal or plant species that can be used to infer conditions in a particular habitat
Land pollution - the deterioration (destruction) of the earth's land surfaces, often directly or indirectly as a result of man's activities and their misuse of land resources
Nonpoint source pollutant - term used to describe pollution resulting from many diffuse sources, in direct contrast to point source pollution which results from a single source
Ozone layer - a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O₂) in having three atoms in its molecule (O₃)
Particulate - the form of minute separate particles
Photochemical Smog - often referred to as summer smog, is the chemical reaction of sunlight, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere, which leaves airborne particles and ground-level ozone
Potable - safe to drink; drinkable
Point source pollutant - is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution
Primary pollutant – is a pollutant byproduct produced from a specific action
Radon - is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer
Secondary Pollutant -is a secondary by product produced from an interaction of primary pollutants
Sick building syndrome - is a medical condition where people in a building suffer from symptoms of illness or feel unwell for no apparent reason. These symptoms appear to be linked to time spent in a building, though no specific illness or cause can be identified
Synergistic relationship - Interaction between two or more agents, entities, factors, or substances that produces an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects
Water pollution - the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities. Water bodies include for example lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater

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