Detecting Monitoring Pollution Why is it necessary to

Detecting & Monitoring Pollution Why is it necessary to detect and monitor pollution? What are the impacts of pollution? How can pollution be detected and monitored?

WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF POLLUTION? The impacts of pollution can vary greatly, depending on a number of factors. This makes detection, monitoring & management often difficult. • source • type • amount • distribution (spatial extent) • environment • frequency Compare two pollutants of your choice (e. g. organic waste and noise) • identify the most common sources & pathways • describe the biological effects / impacts • evaluate the need for management • identify possible methods to detect & monitor each pollutant

DIRECT vs INDIRECT METHODS OF POLLUTION DETECTION & MONITORING Pollution can be measured directly or indirectly. Direct measurements record amount of pollutant present (in water/air/soil). Indirect measurements record changes to abiotic or biotic factors, caused by pollutants. Direct E. g. Acidity of rain water Indirect O 2 content of water Be able to describe a method of pollution detection and monitoring for: - Air - soil - water

INDIRECT METHODS (recording the changes in biotic or abiotic components) Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD): • a measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen required to break down organic material in a given volume of water (through aerobic biological activity of micro-organisms) • measuring rate of oxygen uptake is a standard indirect pollution detection method greater BOD level = greater no of oxygen consuming microbes = greater amount of organic pollutant Biotic index: Consider: • tolerance • diversity • abundance • indicator species • comparison of polluted and unpolluted site (e. g. upriver/downriver)

Biotic Indices • An indirect method of measuring pollution • Indicator species: plants or animals that show something about the environment by their presence, abundance or scarcity • Biotic Index: a scale 1 -10 that gives a measure of the quality of an ecosystem by the presence or abundance of the species living in it. • BOD = Instant measure of pollution • Indicator Species = recent history