Water Pollution

The contamination of bodies of water by pollutants, either directly or indirectly

Point Source Pollution

Comes from a single, identifiable location Example: factory discharge, sewage treatment plant outflow Easier to monitor and regulate

Non-point Source Pollution (Diffuse Pollution)

Spread out, from many smaller or indirect sources Example: agricultural runoff, air pollutants from fossil fuel power plants that settle into water Harder to trace and control

Transboundary

Pollution crosses political or geographical boundaries, where contaminated water from one country flows into the waters of another

Aquatic Pollution Sources

The addition of a substance or agent into the environment by human activity Sewage, oil spills, agricultural run-off, industrial effluent, solid waste, urban run-off

Agricultural Run-off

Pesticides: seep into groundwater, harming plants, animals, and humans Rain Runoff: carries chemicals into rivers and lakes Slurries & Manures: uncontrolled spreading adds excess nutrients -> eutrophication risk Tillage & Ploughing: increase soil erosion -> sediment and pollutants enter waterways

Crude Oil

Sources: - offshore drilling & tanker accidents - 50% from land-based runoff Impacts: - surface oil film blocks oxygen exchange -> oxygen depletion - Blocks sunlight -> prevents photosynthesis - Toxic to marine organisms

Industrial Effluent

Factories release toxic chemicals & pollutants -> often poorly managed Raise water temperature -> stress/danger for aquatic life Causes dead zones

Management Solutions of Plastic Pollutions

Reductions Strategies: - implementing policies to reduce plastic production and usage - promoting alternatives to plastic like biodegradable materials Cleanup efforts Recycling and waste management

Eutrophication

Happens when nutrients enter lakes, estuaries, or coast waters Extra nutrients acts like a fertiliser -> overgrowth of plants & phytoplankton Disrupts the natural balance of aquatic ecosystems Leads to algal blooms -> oxygen starvation -> decline of biodiversity

Oligotrophic

Nutrient poor, clear, low productivity

Mesotrophic

Medium nutrient levels, moderately productive

Eutrophic

nutrient rich, high productivity

Reduction oh human activities production pollutants

Alternaltices to fertiliser: - organic fertilizer: use compost or manure instead of synthetic fertilizer - slow-release fertilizer: release nutrients gradually, reducing the amount of nitrate and phosphate leaching into water bodies Alternatives to detergents: - phosphate-free practices Sustainable farming practices - Crop rotation: improve soil health and fertility by altering crops with different nutrient needs - buffer strips: plant vegetation along waterways to absorb excess nutrients