Human Influences on the Environment

Earth’s atmosphere
• Studies show that the Solar System formed from a huge cloud of gas and dust in space.
• Earth is one of the planets formed from this cloud.
• For the first billion years, volcanoes erupted on the earth’s surface.
• The gases escaping from inside the Earth via the volcanic eruptions formed an atmosphere
composed of water vapour, carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
• Plants developed 3 billion years ago.
• They produced oxygen as a waste product of photosynthesis.
• As the plants flourished in land, and sea- the amount of O2 in the air increased.
• It reacted with ammonia to produce nitrogen.
• Bacteria developed by using energy from the breakdown of nitrates in the soil, nitrates were
produced by this.
• 15 to 40 kilometres above the Earth, ultraviolet rays from the sun reacted with oxygen to produce
ozone (formed from 3 oxygen atoms).
• Ozone prevents ultraviolet radiation (which is harmful to life) from reaching the Earth’s surface.
• If the ozone layer hadn’t developed, life may not have evolved over the entirety of the planet, as is
today.
• Recent human activities have led to increasing carbon dioxide, sulphur
dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons percentages in the atmosphere, which destroy large portions of the
ozone.

Air pollution
• Large amounts of fuel such as coal and oil are burnt in power stations to produce electricity.
• However, burning them produces carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, oxides of
nitrogen and soot particles that produce smoke.
• When polluting substances are released into the atmosphere, they are called emissions.
Carbon dioxide
• Is a greenhouse gas.
• Allows heat energy from the sun to pass through to the Earth, but prevents much of the heat energy
radiation from earth from passing out into space.
• Heat energy remains in the atmosphere and warms it up, keeping the planet habitable.
• Human activity has caused the level of CO2 in the atmosphere to rise.
• Extra carbon dioxide traps more heat in the atmosphere.
• Rise in temperature will cause ice caps to melt in the north and south poles, excess water will flow
into expanding ocean waters.
• Both lead to a rise in sea levels, and a change in climate for all parts of Earth
• This is known as global warming.
Acid Rain
• Sulfur dioxide is produced by the combustion of sulfur in a fuel, when it’s burnt.
• Sulfur dioxide reacts with water vapour and oxygen in the air to form sulfuric acid.
• This may fall to the ground as rain or snow.
• Oxides of nitrogen are converted to nitric acid in the atmosphere, this also may fall to the ground as
rain/snow.
• When acid rain reaches the ground it drains into the soil, dissolving some of the minerals and
carrying them away- known as leaching.
• Minerals are needed for the plant to grow healthily, without them they may have stunted growth,
poor health.
• Acid rain drains into lakes and rivers, lowering the pH of the water.
• Organisms are sensitive to the pH of water and cannot survive if it is too acidic. These organisms
die, and the animals that feed on them die as well, due to starvation.
• Acid rain leaches aluminium ions out of the soil.
• If they reach a high concentration in the water, gills of the fish are affected, causing them to
suffocate.
Soot and Smog
• Soot particles from the smoke settle on buildings and plants.
• Cuts down amount of light reaching the leaf cells, slowing down photosynthesis.
• In foggy weather, smoke from the coal combined with water droplets in the fog to form smog.
• Water droplets absorbed the soot particles and chemicals in the smoke, making a dense cloud at
ground level, very difficult to see through.
• When people inhaled air with smog, the linings of their respiratory system became damaged.
• Sunlight shining through the smog caused photochemical reactions to occur in it, producing many
chemicals including peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and ozone.
• Both are harmful to plants, and ozone can produce asthma attacks.
Ozone Depletion
Ozone is the inorganic molecule and is an unstable molecule of oxygen. Its composition is O3 also
called as trioxygen. They are formed in the outer layer of the atmosphere with the help of the
reaction of free oxygen with an oxygen molecule.
Their main function is to protect the earth from the rays of the sun as well as from the ultraviolet
radiation. They are also helpful in lowering atmospheric temperature and thus results in the
decrease of global warming.
Due to the increased use of refrigerators and air conditioners, the release of chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) is increased. This CFC gas when goes into the atmosphere breaks and releases one chlorine
atom. This chlorine atom is responsible for the destruction of the ozone layer. The continuous
depletion of ozone has raised a hole known as the ozone hole and this process is called called ozone
depletion.
Ozone depletion is a major environmental problem because it increases the amount of ultraviolet
(UV) radiation that reaches Earth’s surface, which increases the rate of skin cancer, eye cataracts,
and genetic and immune system damage.
Chemically speaking it is reduction in the concentration of ozone in the ozone layer. When
compounds of chlorine or bromine like CFC, BFC reaches stratosphere these react with ozone and
disintegrates
Ozone and makes depletion of ozone layer. This is known as Depletion of Ozone layer.
CFC: chlorofluorocarbons
BFC:bromofluorocarbons
These CFC, BFC compounds released from cooling devices like refregirator, air conditioners and
fire extinguishers gases.