describe effects of air pollution on climate, plants, and animals. ????????
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Answers
Effects on Animals and Plants:
The impact of air pollution on animals is more or less similar to that on man. Chronic poisoning results from the ingestion of forage contaminated with atmospheric pollutants. Among the metallic contaminants, arsenic, lead and molybdenum are important. Fluoride is another pollutant, which causes fluorosis among animals.
A number of livestock have been poisoned by fluorides and arsenic in North America. Bone lesions in animals due to excessive fluorides have also been reported.
Air pollution has caused widespread damage to trees, fruits, vegetables, flowers and in general, vegetation as a whole. The total annual cost of plant damage caused by air pollution in USA alone has been estimated to be in the range of 1 to 2 billion dollars. The most dramatic early instances of plant damage were seen in the total destruction of vegetation by sulfur dioxide in the areas surrounding smelters.
When the absorption of sulfur dioxide exceeds a particular level, the cells become inactive and are killed, resulting in tissue collapse and drying of leaves. Cotton, wheat, barley and apple are more sensitive to this pollutant.
Fluorides are responsible for various types of injuries to plants. The leaves of apple, apricot, fig, peach and prune are more susceptible to air borne fluorides. Fluorides seem to interfere with the photosynthesis and respiration of plants. Smog also causes injury to plants. Similar impact of ozone can be seen in the lesions to plants. Chlorine, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, etc., are also harmful to vegetation.
Effects on Atmosphere:
Some of the effects of air pollution on atmospheric conditions, such as effect on ozone layer, greenhouse effect, etc., have already been discussed. There is an increase in the carbon dioxide concentration in the air due to increased combustion of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide absorbs heat strongly and the radiative cooling effect of the earth is thus decreased.
The rising of temperatures and ozone holes are some of the problems which have attracted the attention of the scientists all over the world. These problems are not related to any region or a country but are the global problems and their impact on world climate may be hazardous to the whole world.
The local weather conditions are highly susceptible to air pollution. Its impact on temperature, humidity, rainfall and clouds is apparent. The ‘smog dom’ on large urban centres is the result of air pollution. Due to air pollution, visibility also reduces.