Essays on Runoff

Weathering and erosion are two basic events that take place on earth as part of the wear and tear of the natural resources like rocks, soils, and plants and trees that cover the earth. Closely observing weathering and erosion will help understand how the surface of the planet has been changing over the past several years and how it will change in the future as well. Weathering is the process through which rocks on the surface of the earth gradually break down into small pieces. On the other hand, erosion is the process through which the broken pieces and ...

Pollution from agricultural runoff has brought great danger to both human beings and the organisms that live in water. Various chemicals used in crop production are dragged into water sources, poisoning the water (Kennen & Kirkwood, 2015). This poses a danger to the existence of living organisms. Consumption of contaminated water by humans leads to waterborne diseases such as cryptosporidiosis which causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weight loss, and stomach cramps (Lichtfouse, 2009). The essay below describes significant ways in which this form of pollution can be prevented. First, fencing of livestock grazing areas at about 100 meters from water sources ...

The issues faced by the Indian River Lagoon is quite similar to that of many rivers, lakes, and even oceans from various locations of the world. The steady decline in the marine population of the lagoon escalated to alarming rates by the end of the last decade. A few legislations that were passed in the early nineties to limit trawling in the estuarine region and as well as the direct dumping of untreated sewage wastes, had proved effective in the past. But later into the decade, the rescue efforts to salvage the lagoon and the ecosystem associated with it, ...

Deforestation is the act of clearing the greenery and vegetation on Earth on a large scale. It occurs when trees and entire forests are cut down and cleared away for various purposes. This brings a lot of damage to the Earth’s surface, simultaneously creating environmental problems as well. Forests account for 30% of the Earth’s land, and they are an asset to the world’s ecosystem, however, much of this area is cleared away and vacated by mankind to serve their purposes. Although deforestation is done for needs such as housing, residence, mining, shopping and other means, ...

Background Information

Flooding occurs in many countries around the world and the need to have proper response plan is inevitable. The case in no different this year as floods continue to hit various countries around the world leaving deaths and property damage on its way. A recent report by the United Nations, The Human Cost of Weather-related Disasters 1995-2015 documents the danger posed by floods around the world and the lack of preparedness among several institutions involved. From 1995 to date, flooding has accounted for over 47% of weather related disasters which is significant when compared to other disasters. In recent ...

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ASU Introduction In the modern times, natural catastrophes have been one of the major reasons for the destruction of the global environment. Although humanity is experiencing advancements in some of the aspects or fields in the society such as technology, health care and economics, environmental problems are still common due to natural catastrophes. Massive typhoons, earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions created large amounts of damage to our ecosystem. In addition, the world experienced hundreds, or even thousands or natural catastrophes in only a span of several years. Ecosystem fires or forest wildfires are one of the natural catastrophes which ...

In 2008, the Thames River was a polluted mess. There were many untreated sewage, industrial waste, and garbage deposits which made the river not only an environmental nightmare, but a risk to public health. The primary souce of the pollution in the Thames river was caused by thousands of gallons of untreated raw sewage, which overflowed into the river from the overwhelmed sewage treatment infrastructure in London during storms and periods of heavy rainfall. Due to inadequate funding for and development of infrastructure necessary to prevent ecological disasters like the mass expulsion of waste water into the Thames, the ...

(Teacher)

Sinkholes are a problem across the globe, especially in urban areas. Sinkholes can cause damage to roads, collapse structures, and destroy property. The biggest way to prevent a sink hole is to learn what factors are included in the formation a sinkhole is, how a sinkhole forms, and wheatther or not the sinkhole was naturally formed or if humans created the situation that caused the sinkhole in the first place. While it is not possible to actually prevent natural sinkholes, there are several ways that sinkholes which are created from human activity may be prevented, or at least ...

Abstract

Land and rockslides are natural disasters that threaten people living in the Sultanate of Oman. In this paper, the fundamentals of disaster management are identified from their causes. First, the aspect of slope stability is covered. The involvement of this information follows the need to appreciate the vulnerability of mountainous regions to mass movement. The causes of mass movement are also explained. Further, the risks of rock and landslides are expanded with the intention of directing the focus of the paper. To be objective, the paper progresses to a review of the measures employed by the government of Oman ...

Abstract

Adequate clean water is essential for the health of every living thing on this planet. Humans create tons of pollution, effect the weather patterns that cause droughts, and there is a history of over-use of the aquifers in the form of wells and pollution from fracking which are detrimental to the survival of all living things. Global climate change, especially since the Industrial age began, has affected the entire planet in various ways. There have been larger storms as a result of climate change. There are serious droughts because of climate change. The ice caps are melting because of ...

Background information

The need for clean water for use by humanity has since time immemorial been an area of concern with scientists and scholars inventing methods that prove to be more efficient than their predecessors. The ultimate goal has always been the removal of undesirable chemicals and pathogens that would, however, render the water unfit for human and industrial consumption. In today’s contemporary society, human activity has culminated into pollution of the natural environment including water catchment areas. This has therefore made water unfit for consumption thereby prompting for more cost-effective and efficient methods for purification of this natural resource. ...

The problem of water resources of the Mekong River threatens to escalate into a serious conflict between China and several Southeast Asian countries. The origins of the Mekong, which occupies the 13th place among the longest rivers in the world (about 4350 km), are located on the Tibetan Plateau. The Mekong flows through China (Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province), Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. China is already having on the Mekong (China calls it the Lancang River) two operating hydroelectric power stations and at the beginning of September 2012 announced the launch of the third one called ...

According to EPA (2016), environmental management involves the development of systems aimed at reducing environmental impacts of various activities. In the Brundtland commission report (WCED), sustainable development has been described as development aimed at meeting the current needs of the present generation. However, as the current generation focuses on meeting their own needs, their activities should not compromise the capability of future generations to also meet their own needs. Available evidence suggests that the future generation would have challenges meeting their own needs if the current generation fails to adopt sustainable practices. The sustainable development incorporates the triple line: ...

Introduction

The 21st century generation has been plagued with various natural catastrophes that have provided significant negative impacts on the present status of the world’s environment. Much of the delight of the current technological advancements that people are experiencing, the world’s natural ecosystem has been left out of concern. In only a span of several years, hundreds, or even thousands of natural calamities have been recorded in different parts of the world. There are massive typhoons, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, etc. that had created massive amount of damage in our ecosystem. These natural scenarios are very alarming since ...

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Ozone depletion is a natural phenomenon of the earth’s stratosphere due to the presence of free radicals that are from natural causes such as volcanic activity. However, as man evolved, he discovered his environment and built industries during the industrial revolution. These industries emitted tones of pollutants into the atmosphere, including compounds Ozone Depleting Substances. The continuous use of CFCs also contributes to the effect significantly. The worst case of ozone depletion ever recorded happened in 2006, during winter and early spring in Antarctica. That sounded a loud alarm to environmental scientists, political leaders and civil organizations come ...

Sinkholes; Made by nature or humans?

Abstract Sinkholes seem to swallow the earth and everything sitting on the surface. Some sinkholes are small and have relatively no effect on humans or property. Some sinkholes are very large and will leave ga[ing holes in the landscape. Sometimes these large sinkholes will devour a road and cause harm to the humans who live, work, and travel where the sinkhole is located. For example, a series of sinkholes and a landslide occurred simultaneously in Harbor, Oregon. This sinkhole was a combination of nature and human activity. Many sinkholes are caused by human activity that nature decides to ...