Soil Pollution Essay Example Essay Example

Soil Pollution Essay Example Paper Soil Pollution Essay Introduction What Is Soil Pollution? Soil pollution comprises the toxic waste of soils with resources, mostly chemicals that are out of place or are present at concentrations advanced than normal which may have unpleasant effects on humans or other organisms. However, soil pollution is also caused by resources other than the undeviating addition of man-made chemicals such as undeveloped runoff waters, industrial waste materials, acidic precipitates, and radioactive clash. Both organic and inorganic contaminants are imperative in soil. Soil pollution is caused by the presence of synthetic chemicals or other modification in the natural soil background. This type of contamination normally arises from the split of underground storage links, use of pesticides, and percolation of polluted surface water to subsurface strata, oil and fuel dumping, leaching of wastes from landfills or direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil. The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents , pesticides, lead and other heavy metals. This episode of this incident is linked with the degree of industrialization and intensities of chemical treatment. Soil pollution can lead to water pollution if poisonous chemicals percolate into groundwater, or if contaminated overflow reaches streams, lakes, or oceans. Soil also naturally contributes to air pollution by releasing likely to explode compounds into the atmosphere. Soil Pollution Essay Body Paragraphs The decay of untreated materials in soil can release sulfur dioxide and other sulfur compounds, causing acid rain. Heavy metals and other potentially toxic elements are the most grave soil pollutants in sewage. Sewage mud contains heavy metals and, if functional over and over again or in large amounts, the treated soil may build up heavy metals and as a result become not capable to even support plant life. In accumulation, chemicals that are not water soluble contaminate plants that grow on polluted soils. The greater than ever pollution of the atmosphere has been one of the greatest concerns for science and the universal public in the last fifty years. The brisk industrialization of agriculture, spreading out of the chemical industry, and the need to generate cheap forms of energy has caused the constant release of man-made organic chemicals into natural ecosystems. As a result, the atmosphere, bodies of water, and many soil environments have become contaminated by a large variety o f toxic compounds. These include the hazard of acute toxicity, genetic changes, birth defects for humans and other organisms. Some of these artificial toxic compounds are also dead set against to substantial, chemical, or biological dreadful conditions and thus be a symbol of an ecological burden of considerable amount. Effects Of Soil Pollution Soil Pollution was in the beginning defined as the pollution of soil system where by noteworthy quantities of chemical or other substances, resulted in the turn down of its fertility or output with respect to the yield of crops. Soil pollution differs from water and air pollution, because the contaminants remain in direct contact with the soil for comparatively longer periods and hence change the chemical and genetic properties of soil. The harmful chemicals can also enter the human food chain from land or water plants. The major sources of pollution of soil include mining, mud, fertilizers, pesticides, composted town refuse etc. Fly ash gen erated from thermal power plants, industrial wastes dumped into surrounding land, mining wastes, non-biodegradable organic pollutants, and industrial sludge’s etc are the reasons which cause soil pollution. Commercial and domestic urban wastes consisting of dried sewage sludge as well as trash and debris materials such as plastics, metal cans, glasses, street sweepings, waste paper, fibers, rubber etc contribute to soil pollution. Effects of Soil Pollutants Different types of soil pollutants have different effect on the nature of soil. Now let’s look into the effect caused by each of these pollutants. a) Synthetic fertilizers: Excess use of fertilizers destroys the microbial plant life in the soil, thus leading to disturbance of essential processes in soil such as nitrogen fixation. ) Pesticides are often used to keep away pests which damage the crops produced and often cause soil pollution as they are mostly non environmental. They take many years to degrade and remai n as toxic remains in soil. They may also enter marine environment through run off after rain and enter the food chain. c) Industrial effluents: Solid, liquid and gaseous pollutants from thermal power plants, paper, fertilizer, iron, and steel industry often end up in the soil and cause dreadful conditions of soil due to their toxicity. ) Urban wastes: wastes generated in urban living areas such as sewage mud, garbage, hospital wastes, plastic bags etc also are a major cause of soil pollution. These wastes tend to build up in soil, support the growth of pathogenic life form and cause diseases. Waste material like plastic tends to remain non biodegradable in soil and affect soil yield. Effective treatment of household wastes and modern methods of sewage throwing away if implemented, soil pollution can be taken care of. Formulation of rigorous pollution control legislation and its efficient realization is also essential and imparting public awareness programmes to educate people regar ding the health hazards of pollution is a must to control soil pollution. Effects Of Soil Erosion On The Environment Loss of soil from land owing to the personal property of water and wind currents is called soil erosion. It is a natural process that transports soil from one location to another. In natural conditions, this progression takes place in a slow and continuing manner. Due to human being impact the rate of soil erosion is considerably accelerated. Some of the issues that speed up the process of soil erosion are deforestation, over grazing and improper or in excess amount of farming practices. When soil erosion happens very slowly but surely it has negligible effect on the land as an adequate amount of time is on hand for to substitute with new soil. But accelerated erosion leads to unfavorable special effects and decreases soil fertility as it diminishes the amount of nutrients. Decrease in soil fertility due to wearing away leads to decrease in the output of crop and also excellence of crops grown. Eroding land can show the way to accidents and when soil that shifts and gets accumulated on roads and streets can block the driving. These effects are common in sloppy and mountain regions. Soil erosion can reason great damage to environment as greater than before loss of soil can have an effect on the growth of natural vegetation and in turn this leads to transfer of fertile land into a desert. Soil erosion leads to confirmation of remains by water currents in water bodies like ponds, which can hurt marine plant and animal life. The soil sediments can cover up fish eggs present in ponds and prevent their hatching. Due to erosion soil particles stay on the edge in water and prevent light from reaching marine plants and have an effect on the process of photosynthesis. Due to gigantic amount of suspended soil particles in water it retains the heat and raises the water temperature, which affects the living organisms. Another major shock from the agricultura l chemicals that often move with worn residue is that these chemicals move into, and pollute, downstream watercourses and water bodies. Where inputs of agricultural chemicals are high – as in the more wealthy nations – costs of removing such pollutants from drinking water can be extensive. The harmful effects of erosion, in terms of decreased agricultural yields, are well known in the developing countries. In erosion-prone areas of the more well-off countries, productivity may be maintained in the short to medium term by increased fertilizer input. The effects of erosion are thus rarely recognized by farmers in richer countries. This approach is however infeasible with regard to erosion in developing countries. Causes Of Soil Pollution Soil pollution is caused by the existence of man-made chemicals or additional variation in the usual soil environment. This type of infectivity characteristically arises from the rupture of alternative storage links, application of pesti cides, and percolation of contaminated surface water to subsurface strata, oil and fuel throwing away, leakage of wastes from landfills or nonstop discharge of industrial wastes to the soil. A soil pollutant is any feature which deteriorates the excellence, stability and mineral substance of the soil or which disturbs the organic sense of balance of the organisms in the soil. Pollution in soil is coupled with factors such as: Haphazard use of fertilizers Soil nutrients are vital for plant growth and development. Fertilizers pollute the soil with impurities. The over use of fertilizers reduce quantity of vegetables and crops grown on soil over the Years. It also reduces the protein content of wheat, maize, etc. , grown on that soil. The carbohydrate quality of such crops also gets tainted. Surplus potassium at ease in soil decreases Vitamin C in vegetables and fruits. The vegetables and fruits grown on over fertilized Use of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides To kill useless ins ects living on crops farmers use pesticides. Pesticides not only bring toxic effect on human and animals but also drop off the fertility of the soil. Dumping of solid wastes In broad-spectrum, solid waste includes trash, domestic refuse and not needed solid materials such as those from commercial, industrial and agricultural operations. Since a considerable amount of urban solid throw away tends to be paper and food waste, the majority is recyclable or biodegradable in landfills. I the same way, most agricultural waste is recycled and mining waste is left on site. The segment of solid waste that is dangerous such as oils, battery metals, heavy metals from smelting industries and organic solvents are the ones we have to pay particular attention to. Deforestation Soil Erosion occurs when the worn out particles are dislodged and passed away by wind or water. Deforestation, agricultural development, temperature extremes, and human actions add to this erosion. Humans speed up this proces s by construction, mining, and overgrazing. It results in floods and cause soil erosion. Forests hold up many habitats and ecosystems, which make available immeasurable feeding pathways or food chains to all species. During the past few years quite a lot of vast green land has been converted into deserts. Deforestation is slowly destroying the most dynamic flora and fauna areas in the human race. 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The History of Cable Cars and Electric Streetcars

The History of Cable Cars and Electric Streetcars San Franciscan Andrew Smith Hallidie patented the first cable car on January 17, 1861, sparing many horses the excruciating work of moving people up the citys steep roadways. Using metal ropes he had patented, Hallidie devised a mechanism by which cars were drawn by an endless cable running in a slot between the rails which passed over a steam-driven shaft in the powerhouse. The First Cable Railway After gathering financial backing, Hallidie and his associates constructed the first cable railway. The track ran from the intersection of Clay and Kearny Streets along 2,800 feet of track to the crest of a hill 307 feet above the starting point. At 5:00 on the morning of August 1, 1873, a few nervous men climbed aboard the cable car as it stood on the hilltop. With Hallidie at the controls, the car descended and arrived safely at the bottom. Given San Franciscos steep terrain, the cable car came to define the city. Writing in 1888, Harriet Harper declared: If anyone should ask me what I consider the most distinctive, progressive feature of California, I should answer promptly: its cable car system. And it is not alone its system which seems to have reached a point of perfection, but the amazing length of the ride that is given you for the chink of a nickel. I have circled this city of San Francisco, I have gone the length of three separate cable lines (by means of the proper transfers) for this smallest of Southern coins. The success of the San Francisco line led to the expansion of that system and the introduction of street railways in many other cities. Most U.S. municipalities had abandoned horse-drawn cars for electrically powered cars by the 1920s. The Omnibus The first mass transportation vehicle in America was an omnibus. It looked like a stagecoach and was pulled by horses. The first omnibus to operate in America began running up and down Broadway in New York City in 1827. It was owned by Abraham Brower, who also helped organize the first fire department in New York. There had long been horse-drawn carriages in America to take people where they wanted to go. What was new and different about the omnibus was that it ran along a certain designated route and charged a very low fare. People who wanted to get on would wave their hands in the air. The driver sat on a bench on top of the omnibus at the front, like a stagecoach driver. When people who were riding inside wanted to get off the omnibus, they pulled on a little leather strap. The leather strap was connected to the ankle of the person who was driving the omnibus. Horse-drawn omnibuses ran in America cities from 1826 until about 1905. The Streetcar The streetcar was the first important improvement over the omnibus. The first streetcars were also pulled by horses, but the streetcars rolled along special steel rails that were placed in the middle of the roadway instead of traveling along regular streets. The wheels of the streetcar were also made of steel, carefully manufactured in such a way so they would not roll off the rails. A horse-drawn streetcar was much more comfortable than an omnibus, and a single horse could pull a streetcar that was larger and carried more passengers. The first streetcar began service in 1832 and ran along Bowery Street in New York. It was owned John Mason, a wealthy banker, and built by John Stephenson, an Irishman.  Stephensons New York company would become the largest and most famous builder of horse-drawn streetcars. New Orleans became the second American city to offer streetcars in 1835. The typical American streetcar was operated by two crew members. One man, a driver, rode up front. His job was to drive the horse, controlled by a set of reigns. The driver also had a brake handle that he could use to stop the streetcar. When streetcars got bigger, sometimes two and three horses would be used to haul a single car. The second crew member was the conductor, who rode at the back of the car. His job was to help passengers get on and off the streetcar and to collect their fares. He gave the driver a signal when everyone was on board and it was safe to proceed, pulling on a rope that was attached to a bell that the driver could hear at the other end of the car.   Hallidie’s Cable Car The first major attempt to develop a machine that could replace horses on Americas streetcar lines was the cable car in 1873. Converting streetcar lines from horse cars to cable cars required digging a ditch between the rails and building a chamber under the track from one end of the line to the other. This chamber was called a vault. When the vault was finished, a small opening was left at the top. A long cable was placed inside the vault. The cable ran under city streets from one end of  the streetcar line to the other. The cable was spliced into a big loop and was kept moving by a huge steam engine with massive wheels and pulleys located in a powerhouse at the side of the street. The cable cars themselves were equipped with a device that extended down below the car into the vault and allowed the operator of the car to latch onto the moving cable when he wanted the car to go. He could release the cable when he wanted the car to stop. There were many pulleys and wheels inside the vault to make sure the cable was able to go around corners, as well as up and down hills. Although the first cable cars ran in San Francisco, the largest and busiest fleet of cable cars was in Chicago. Most large American cities had one or more cable car lines by 1890. Trolley Cars Frank Sprague  installed a complete system of electric streetcars in Richmond, Virginia, in 1888. This was the first large-scale and successful use of electricity to run a citys entire system of streetcars. Sprague was born in Connecticut in 1857. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1878 and began a career as a naval officer. He resigned from the navy in 1883 and went to work for Thomas Edison. Many cities turned to electric-powered streetcars after 1888. To get electricity to the streetcars from the powerhouse where it was generated, an overhead wire was installed over streets. A streetcar would touch this electric wire with a long pole on its roof. Back at the powerhouse, big steam engines would turn huge generators to produce the electricity needed to operate the streetcars. A new name was soon developed for streetcars powered by electricity: trolley cars.