Lake Huron is one of the Great Lakes and a major part of our fresh water system, which contains many wildlife and species. The lake however, is in a real danger, adversely effecting habitats, fish, wildlife, and human lives. Lake Huron has become a dumping ground for many companies, dumping waste that contains many pollutants. Bacteria levels have increased in the lake which can cause serious illness. These pollutants have reduced water quality, contaminated soils, and damaged the Lake’s ecosystems.
To add to this these methods need vast amounts of energy for extraction, causing the high extraction cost and with this also pollute greatly as the oil is extracted and so raise CO2 and other GHG emissions before the fuel is even burnt. Some of the environmental cost in these areas would be evident. The Canadian Tar Sands, Arctic and the marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico are rich in biodiversity and pristine areas of wildlife and any spills of oil in these areas could be disastrous. The Arctic tundra is very sensitive to human interference and the Canadian Tar Sands is home to thousands of species of animals and is one of the largest bird migration centres in the world, millions of birds use this areas every year and groundwater depletion is another major problem as groundwater needs to be pumped out during mining operations otherwise flooding will occur. Reducing ground water levels will have consequences on the wider ecosystem and it will affect wetlands.
Aquatic Invertebrates: Adaptations and Feeding Guilds INTRODUCTION Global warming and human's authoritative influence on the environment such as deforestation, pollution etc. are taking a bad toll on the diversity of the ecosystem. Global warming which has brought about increase in the temperatures is disturbing the natural cycle of the ecosystem. This has brought upon an increased droughts throughout the world. The droughts and increased heat has had negative impacts on local aquatic invertebrates.
Explain why oil exploration in the areas shown could lead to high economic and environmental costs. (10) The environmental effects of oil exploitation in these areas can vary depending upon the type, position and severity, however most pose the threat of being potentially severe. The explorations are taking place in deep water areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea or the Arctic. Just one of the many potential risks and dangers of deep sea drilling is highlighted by the horizon oil rig spill of oil extracted from the sea floor. A spill in any of the deep sea areas would reduce the biodiversity of that area through reductions of bird populations, fish-stocks and populations of marine mammals.
“While [hydraulic fracturing] can help provide energy for America's future, it also poses a new dangerous threat to wildlife and the environment. Toxic chemicals are used during fracking that can infiltrate and contaminate habitat, waterways, and even the drinking water that people and wildlife depend on” (1996-2013). Evidently, “some opponents of oil and natural gas production claim that fracking has serious environmental consequences. The truth is, while all development has challenges, hydraulic fracturing technology has a strong environmental track record and is employed under close supervision by state, local and federal regulators. Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) have confirmed no direct link between hydraulic fracturing operations and groundwater contamination.
Furthermore, the influx of chemicals brought deep into the ground for extraction purposes have mixed with ground water, leading to lethal contamination of local drinking water. Amongst these results, fracking often yields high amounts of methane gases to the atmosphere. If fracking continues at high rates it will evidently threaten local habitats while also contaminating ground waters and while polluting
As a result, many trucks have to travel to and fro the mining site to supply the water and other amenities causing dust pollution and soil erosion on the dirt roads. Chemicals used in the fracking process are able to sip through cracks in the rocks and the soil and contaminate any water sources they meet. This water finds its way into the community or cities. When consumed, these chemicals can lead to cancer, defects in newly-born babies and disorders in the nervous system. Large amounts of methane and other poisonous gases released into the air from the gas wells contribute to heavy air pollution and global warming.
Such remedies such as recycling, purification, treatment, and management of wastes can diminish the issues of a detrimental environment. Air pollution is also caused by technology and human influence. Similar to water damage, air pollution is derived from chemicals and toxins which are released into the atmosphere. Thus, the toxins begin to reveal the depletion of natural resources. Fuel combustion and automobile transportation are two large factors of air pollution.
Acid Rain in North America is a very serious issue which needs to be addressed. It affects the environment in many different ways affecting, lakes, trees, animal, and other living things. If people are willing to help, the chances of disaster will be decrease, but if actions do not take place, then the acid rain will cause a lot of damages to the environment. Wet deposition is a form of acid deposition which includes fog or snow. In this process acidic water flows over and through the ground and affects varieties of plants and animals.
Combustion of organic compounds can result in detrimental impacts on the environment such as the generation of acids and production of carbon monoxide, particulates and soot. When organic compounds that contain sulphur, nitrogen are combusted, the reaction may produce gases such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide. When these compounds react with water molecules, it will produce acids which fall as acid rain.Acids dissolve calcium carbonate, meaning that monuments made from marble and limestones are particularly vulnerable. In environmental terms, acid rain flows into water bodies. Acid rain releases aluminium from the soils into the water, an element which is highly toxic to many species of aquatic organisms.