Acid Rain Essays (1229 words) - Environmental Chemistry, Smog

Acid Rain Pollution comes in various forms. Whether it's toxic waste, CFC's, or sewage, they are all hazardous, to the earth. These can deplete the earth and it's inhabitants of resources, causing a harmful change. A product of pollution is acid rain. We shall see that acidification is harmful to all forms of life. Acid rain is any form of precipitation that is polluted by sulphur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX). This acid precipitation can be in the form of rain, snow, sleet, fog, or cloud vapors. The acidity of substances dissolved in water are measured by their pH levels. Normal precipitation pH levels fall between 5.0-5.6.2 When levels fall below these numbers, then the precipitation is said to be acidic. There are two ways in which acid deposition can form. The first way occurs when nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide land on the Earth's surface, and interact with frost or dew. The second way takes place due to the oxidation of nitrogen oxides or sulphur dioxide gases that are released into the air.3 Since it may take up to several days for the gases to be altered into their acid counter-parts, the pollutants can travel miles away from their original source. Emissions of (SO2) are responsible for the majority of the acid deposition, which falls to Earth. When we burn coal, we are releasing (SO2), into the air, since coal is slight made up of sulphur. Volcanic eruptions can add a great deal of sulphur into the atmosphere. Everyday organic decay adds sulphur into the air as well. (SO2) can hit the Earth's surface in dry forms or wet forms, by undergoing the following reactions: (SO2 + H20 *** H2SO3) (SO2 + ?O2 *** SO3 + H2SO4)2 Human activity is the major cause for nitrogen oxides' presence in our atmosphere, such as forest fires and the combustion of oil, coal, and gas. The other causes are due to nature. Lightning, volcanic action, and bacteria in soil are just to name a few. The following chemical reactions show how acids of nitrogen form: (NO2 + ?O2 *** NO2) (2NO2 + H2O *** HNO2 + HNO3) (NO2 + OH *** HNO3)2 Acid rain can affect plant life directly when the surface of leaves and needles come into contact with acid vapor or fog. This causes a reduction in the tree's ability to withstand the cold. A direct result would be the tree's incapability of reproduction. It can also harm plant life indirectly, by the acidification of soils. Acid rain can cause soil to loose nutrients such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. In very acid conditions, aluminum becomes soluble, and is released from the soil. At high enough concentrations, aluminum can cause damage to roots. Acid rain causes a nutrient imbalance, in soil. Although it is true that nitrogen promotes forest growth, plant life also needs other nutrients. Precipitation polluted by nitrogen can contain heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, and lead. This process is known as nitrogen saturation.1 These too, can cause damage to tree roots. Besides trees, plants are also affected by acid rain. Reductions in pH levels can cause seed germination to be inhibited. Plant structures become weak, due to the loss of nutrients to the plant's tissues.4 Flowering of certain plants may not occur due to lack of essential minerals. Marine life is also greatly affect by acid rain. Acid water can leach high levels of aluminum from the bedrock. Rocks that contain great amounts of calcium or magnesium can act as a neutralizer. Those rocks and soils that lack some sort of buffers can cause grave damage to marine fish and plants. There are two ways in which aluminum can harm aquatic environments. It can cause a fish to suffocate, because aluminum precipitates in gills, thus interfering in the transport of oxygen. Secondly, fish produce mucus to combat the aluminum, in their gills. The mucus then builds up a clogs the fish's gills.5 In middle latitudes many bodies of water experience what is called "acid shock."4 Over the winter acid deposits can build up on snow. As the snow melts, the acids are released. Most fish can survive shock, but their eggs cannot adapt to acidification. When there is a change in the chemistry of water, the ecology of the water begins to change. The number and variety of species are altered. At a pH level of 6.0 certain types of zooplankton and green algae begin to disappear. The loss of green plants allows more UV light to penetrate to further depths, so certain

Free Essays on The Plantation Mistress

â€Å"The Plantation Mistress† By Catherine Clinton The Plantation Mistress focuses on the elite women living on plantations with twenty or more slaves in the seven seaboard states of the plantation South during the period between 1780 and 1835. Through the study of nearly 500 manuscript collections that housed the contents of family letters, household inventories, the papers of female academies, commonplace books and physicians’ records Clinton attempts to shed light upon the hidden lives of southern plantation mistresses, who she states, have been prisoners of myth, legend, and folklore. Many of the diaries and memoirs she studied are unpublished and unexamined. Clinton reveals the life of a plantation mistress and her role as wife, mother, and household manager in the antebellum South. Additional areas of discussion include kinship, courtship, marriage, and divorce; moral standards; health and childbearing; the isolation of plantation life; the â€Å"curse of slavery† and the â€Å"sexual dynamics of slavery.† Clinton believed that southern women occupied an undesirable position with respect to women of the North. She found that southern women married at a younger age, had more children, and died earlier, often in childbirth. They were also burdened with more complex tasks of household management and lived in greater isolation; thus reducing the female companionship of emotional support and social gatherings. Far from the life of leisure, women were really prisoners of the southern male system. Clinton states that slavery contributed to the oppression of women: â€Å"Patriarchy was the bedrock upon which the slave society was founded, and slavery exaggerated the pattern of subjugation that patriarchy had established† (p. 6) It was an oppression that equaled and in some ways exceeded that experienced by slaves. â€Å"These women were merely prisoners in disguise† (p. 109) Overall, women in the antebellum South were gen... Free Essays on The Plantation Mistress Free Essays on The Plantation Mistress â€Å"The Plantation Mistress† By Catherine Clinton The Plantation Mistress focuses on the elite women living on plantations with twenty or more slaves in the seven seaboard states of the plantation South during the period between 1780 and 1835. Through the study of nearly 500 manuscript collections that housed the contents of family letters, household inventories, the papers of female academies, commonplace books and physicians’ records Clinton attempts to shed light upon the hidden lives of southern plantation mistresses, who she states, have been prisoners of myth, legend, and folklore. Many of the diaries and memoirs she studied are unpublished and unexamined. Clinton reveals the life of a plantation mistress and her role as wife, mother, and household manager in the antebellum South. Additional areas of discussion include kinship, courtship, marriage, and divorce; moral standards; health and childbearing; the isolation of plantation life; the â€Å"curse of slavery† and the â€Å"sexual dynamics of slavery.† Clinton believed that southern women occupied an undesirable position with respect to women of the North. She found that southern women married at a younger age, had more children, and died earlier, often in childbirth. They were also burdened with more complex tasks of household management and lived in greater isolation; thus reducing the female companionship of emotional support and social gatherings. Far from the life of leisure, women were really prisoners of the southern male system. Clinton states that slavery contributed to the oppression of women: â€Å"Patriarchy was the bedrock upon which the slave society was founded, and slavery exaggerated the pattern of subjugation that patriarchy had established† (p. 6) It was an oppression that equaled and in some ways exceeded that experienced by slaves. â€Å"These women were merely prisoners in disguise† (p. 109) Overall, women in the antebellum South were gen...

Home Retail Group plc Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Home Retail Group plc - Coursework Example It was incorporated in 1973 and has over 1000 stores spread over the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It has the two leading retail brands in United Kingdom Argos and Home-base. Their source for their product both locally and globally (Home retail group 2014). Argos deals with general merchandise, and it is the most popular. It has 40 retail stores spread over the United Kingdom. Some of the products that one can be able to shop for at Argos are toys, electronics, jewelry and housewares. Home base is the largest DIY store the people who frequent the store are home decorators and constructors. Financial services deal with offering financial advice to customers; it also operates as an insurance company (Home retail group 2014). Argos and Home base have variety of 80,000 goods provided under a portfolio of brands like Habitat, Bush, Alba, Chad Valley and Odina. Over 47,450 competent and efficient employees work in Home Retail Group plc. The establishment is directed by a panel of directors whose chairman is Mr. John Coombe. The Chief executive officer is currently Mr. John Waiden, and he leads a team of abled managers who manage the daily operations of the company. The establishment’s dream is to become the unsurpassed merchandising shop in Europe, and its mission is to answer quickly and satisfy the needs of their clients. The financial position of the company has grown over the years registering a net profit of 5.7 billion in 2013 and a market share of 190.40.The following is a detailed research on its market position using the SWOT analysis, Porters five forces model and the PESTEL analysis of the company (Home retail group 2014). The company continues to focus on operational excellence and further investment in multi-channel leadership that has delivered a solid performance that has enabled the hold of the market share in the business. Although still cautious about the consumer outlook over the short term, the company continues to