scholarly journals The Effects of Marine Microplastics on Marine Life and Human Health in the Bay of Bengal

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reyhan Sinha ◽  
Michelle Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Marine Life ◽  
Regular Consumption ◽  
Emerging Pollutant ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bodies Of Water ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mediterranean Fish

Marine microplastics are an emerging pollutant that has already shown adverse effects in fish, mice, and other lower-order organisms. Based on the impact microplastics have on these organisms, human health will likely be affected, especially in areas where fish and other marine life are a significant part of the diet. A wide range of previously conducted research was used to study the effects and predict the dangers of microplastic consumption on human health. The sources covered three general topics: the effects of microplastics on commonly consumed European and Mediterranean fish, their effects on the gut microbiome of mice, and the transmission of microplastics across trophic levels. A prediction was made using the presented data, stating that there will be and there is already a likely effect on the human neuroendocrine and digestive systems. This assumption was drawn from the known health effects of microplastics on fish and mice and the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification. In conclusion, it was predicted that the regular consumption of contaminated fish is likely already affecting human health in the region. Furthermore, the current policies and regulations focused on plastic pollution in India and Bangladesh are either not strong enough or not enforced well enough to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the bodies of water in the region.

The Impact of Conventional War on Natural Areas of the USSR

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolai N. Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Inland Waters ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bodies Of Water ◽  
The Impact

Military destruction by conventional arms of both terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems is described, with emphasis placed on the effects of World Wars I and II on the territory of the USSR (especially of Russia, Byelorussia, and Ukraine). It is shown that a wide range of serious damage is done in terrestrial natural areas: to forests which may be decimated, to mammals which are commonly killed, and to the land which is extensively disturbed and rendered infertile or even uncultivable. Inland waters, too, are widely disturbed, though numerous new bodies of water may be formed in various ways, while fisheries are commonly disturbed, though ‘Wartime military activities can greatly reduce fish catches, to the benefit of fish populations.’

scholarly journals Fire and water: contaminants and clearance following uncontrolled fires

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Walsh ◽  
Tim Stevenson ◽  
Richard Terrett ◽  
Cathy Banwell ◽  
Stewart Sutherland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Suspended Particle ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Fire Event ◽  
Water Contaminants ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
The Impact

There is a growing body of evidence surrounding the implications of uncontrolled bushfires and wildfires on water. This topic has importance from an ecological perspective, and significance for human health as it has consequences for drinking water quality and supply. Against the backdrop of climate change, it is especially important to holistically understand the impact of fire on water. This review took a systematic approach to establish a comprehensive overview of the changes occurring in freshwater systems following uncontrolled wildfires and bushfires. Screening of 16,551 results obtained from Web of Science, PubMed, and MEDLINE resulted in 111 manuscripts suitable for inclusion. The impact of fire across a wide range of water quality indicators either relative to pre-fire measurements or reference sites was examined qualitatively (increase/decrease) and where possible quantitatively (% change or difference). Factors included biomass, indicator species and species diversity, metals, nutrients, salts, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particulates and turbidity, pH, conductivity, temperature, and water course morphology. Evidence focused largely on short to medium term impacts (e.g. within 2 years of the fire event), with only a subset of studies reporting on longer term changes in response to fire. We found that bushfire has acute and long-lasting effects on water in terms of physical (e.g. decreased suspended particle size), chemical (e.g. increased nutrient concentration), and biological (e.g. decreased species diversity) characteristics. There was also evidence of resilience and recovery. We urge future work to consider measures that will fulfil both environmental and human health considerations, to allow more integrated insight into the impacts of fire on water.

Health and ecological aspects in shaping of furniture equipment

BUILDER ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 284 (3) ◽  
pp. 52-54
Author(s):  
Przemysław Nowakowski
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Furniture Industry ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Interior Decoration ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Heavy Burden ◽  
The Impact

The choice of furniture does not only affect the comfort of one’s life or work space. Materials utilized in furniture production may contribute to the quality of chemical microclimate in rooms and have an influence on the users’ health. Plenty of substances used in the furniture industry have negative effects on human health. These effects are usually of low intensity. However, they occur over a long period of time and as a result they may even lead directly to permanent health problems. Consumer lifestyle boosts frequent changes in interior decoration. The changes include mainly replacing furniture and household appliances. The furniture industry offers a wide range of products to satisfy the growing needs of buyers. Mass production results in a significant increase in the exploitation of natural resources and (often) leads to degradation of the natural environment. The downsides of mass furniture production are usually considered only in terms of utilizing various resources. Producers, however, implement measures to reduce the consumption of materials and energy. Their aim is to cut the production costs and lower the final price of manufactured goods. Worn out furniture, produced from highly processed materials is not biodegradable. Such waste is a heavy burden on the natural environment. The paper describes „the life cycle” of furniture items and presents a critical analysis of raw materials and intermediate products used in the furniture industry in the context of sustainable development (the impact on human health and on the condition of the natural environment). It may serve as a means to promote pro-health and pro-environmental awareness. A thorough assessment of the furniture available on the market may facilitate in making conscious decisions which will also take into consideration additional technical criteria. The choice of furniture neutral for people as well as for the environment is not an easy task and often involves higher spending.

Environmental Health

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark F. Miller ◽  
Kelly J. Chandler ◽  
Linda S. Birnbaum
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Human Disease ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Toxic Heavy Metals ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Each day people are exposed to a wide variety of agents and stressors that have the potential to impact human health and well-being. Environmental health is the study of those environmental factors and how they may contribute to human health and disease. An individual’s environment is one of the most important contributors to one’s overall wellness and quality of life. Environmental factors play a role in at least 85 percent of all human diseases. More importantly, an individual’s environment is the most easily modified aspect of one’s overall health. Understanding the impact of the external environment, how it interacts with biological processes, and what can be done to eliminate or mitigate negative effects provides better protection for human populations from deleterious health outcomes. Traditionally, science has looked at environmental factors by using a risk-based approach. In this model, information on an agent’s potential to cause harm, as depicted by a dose-response relationship for a given adverse effect, is integrated with an individual’s potential to be exposed to that hazard in order to characterize the likelihood and severity of health risk. As we move into a new era of environmental-health research, scientists are thinking about environmental impacts on human health in new ways. It’s no longer as simple as “the dose makes the poison,” where high doses of a chemical are bad and lower doses are not as bad. While there are still many instances of high-concentration exposures to toxic heavy metals, pesticides, or other substances, a new understanding of how low-level exposures contribute to the development of common disorders such as diabetes, developmental delays, and other modern epidemics is changing the traditional paradigm of toxicology. Timing of exposure during fetal and early-childhood development, mixture effects from combined exposures, impacts on genetic and epigenetic gene regulation, and individual human susceptibilities can result in increased disease incidence or severity. Further, these effects are seen not only in exposed individuals, but also in their direct offspring and potentially subsequent generations. The study of environmental health provides opportunities to mitigate or prevent a wide range of human disease and disability from an individual, community, and policy perspective. We can’t change our genes, but we can change our environment, behaviors, and exposures. This article describes the ways we are exposed to stressors in our environment, the primary fields that contribute to our understanding of environmental health, and some emerging issues that require 21st-century approaches to promoting healthy environments and preventing human disease.

Modeling Low-Frequency Anthropogenic Noise in the Oceans: A Comparison of Propagation Models

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-80
Author(s):  
Jens M. Hovem ◽  
Alexios Korakas
Keyword(s):  
Ray Tracing ◽  
Transmission Loss ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Integration Model ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Marine Life ◽  
Elastic Bottom ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ray Tracing Model

AbstractIncreased human activities in the marine environment in recent years have caused a significant general increase in ocean noise level, raising concerns over its impact on marine life. Anthropogenic noise in the oceans covers a wide range of frequencies down to 10 Hz and can propagate over distances up to several tens of kilometers. Many environmental factors affect the propagation conditions and make it impossible to express the propagation with a simple equation. Mathematical/numerical modeling is required to predict and evaluate the impact of man-made noise on marine life. The study compares transmission loss versus range calculated by a wavenumber integration model, a model based on the parabolic equation (PE), and a ray-tracing model. The models are tested and compared for a number of different scenarios with fluid and elastic bottom layers in range-dependent environments. Each case is analyzed and interpreted at several frequencies from 15 to 250 Hz. The simulation results showed excellent agreement between the PE and the ray result for the transmission loss over a range of 10 km in a relative steep upslope elastic bottom environment and for frequencies down to about 25 Hz. In another test, comparisons over a 50-km upslope continental shelf scenario resulted in good agreement for the fluid bottom for frequencies above 100 Hz and poorer for 50 Hz. Over the elastic high loss boom, the two results showed the same general trend but with differences in details. Overall, the ray-tracing model appears to be an acceptable and efficient choice providing reliable predictions, even at low frequencies, in shallow water.

scholarly journals A generalized approach for simulating growth and development in diverse marine copepod species

2011 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Maps ◽  
Andrew J. Pershing ◽  
Nicholas R. Record
Keyword(s):  
Growth And Development ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Calanus Finmarchicus ◽  
Copepod Species ◽  
Unknown Parameters ◽  
Marine Copepod ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Maps, F., Pershing, A. J., and Record, N. R. 2012. A generalized approach for simulating growth and development in diverse marine copepod species. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 370–379. Predicting ecological changes under climate change requires mechanistic descriptions of the impact of environmental conditions on the physiology, life history, and population dynamics of target species. A generic framework has been developed to simulate the growth and development of copepods, a critical link in pelagic ecosystems that connects environmental variability and changes in primary production with higher trophic levels. The modelled copepods, referred to as “compupods”, are described by their body mass and developmental stage. The dynamics of the compupods are determined by three core equations: universal temperature-dependence, Holling's type II ingestion, and allometric scaling. This general framework was applied to four copepod taxa: Pseudocalanus newmani, Calanus finmarchicus, C. glacialis, and C. hyperboreus, spanning a wide range of body sizes. A genetic algorithm procedure was used to estimate the unknown parameters required to produce a good fit to observed species-specific growth and development data. The performance of the model was evaluated by comparing the influence of food and temperature on ingestion, gut clearance, and egg production rates with published relationships. Simulations of the four species suggest that small changes in the trade-off between growth and development are responsible for the interspecific diversity observed.

scholarly journals A Brief Review on Plastic Pollution and Roads Towards its Reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vandita Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Insulin Pens

Plastic, owing to its excellent strength to weight ratio, durability, low cost, low maintenance and corrosion free characteristics, has found a wide range of applications, in packaging, shopping/garbage bags, bottles for mineral water and juices, clothing, toys, household items and building materials. It has revolutionized the health care industry with the development of medical tools and devices including disposable items like surgical gloves, syringes, insulin pens, blood bags, catheters etc. to prevent spreading of infectious diseases. Especially during COVID-19 pandemic, the use of products like PPE kit, face masks has been increased significantly. Despite these excellent properties, plastic has become a major cause of pollution due to its non-biodegradability and toxic effects. Globally, more than 350 million tonnes (Mt) of plastic waste is generated annually, about 79% of which goes into landfill, only 9% is recycled and rest 12% is incerinated. Incineration of plastic waste releases toxic gases like polychlorinated biphenyls (BCPs), furans and dioxins into the atmosphere that poses a serious threat to environment affecting vegetation and marine ecosystem, in addition to human health. This review briefly covers various kinds of plastics and their applications in various sectors. The next section describes their potential hazards on the ecosystem and on human health. It also deliberates various methods for plastic waste reduction including recycling that enables a circular approach towards sustainable plastic waste management. The regulations and their implementation to reduce plastic waste are also discussed with special reference to India including extended producer responsibility for the plastic producers.

scholarly journals Sharing the neighbourhood: assessing the impact of kelp harvest on foraging behaviour of the European shag

2020 ◽  
Vol 167 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard ◽  
Jenny Mattisson ◽  
Kjell Magnus Norderhaug ◽  
Svein-Håkon Lorentsen
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Need To Evaluate ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Coastal kelp forest ecosystems create dynamic and productive habitats, supporting a wide range of epiphytic flora, invertebrates, fish and seabirds. Worldwide, kelp is harvested commercially, affecting kelp-associated animal communities. There is, however, limited knowledge of how fish and seabird respond to kelp harvest, highlighting the need to evaluate the ecological impact of harvest on all ecosystem levels. Using 6 years of GPS-tracking data, we examined the effects of kelp harvest on foraging behaviour of breeding European shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) from a colony in central Norway. We determined the spatial overlap between kelp harvest and foraging areas of shags and assessed the immediate, short- and long-term impacts of harvest on shag foraging behaviour. Our results demonstrated large spatial and temporal overlap in areas used by foraging shags and kelp harvest. We could not detect any clear alterations in the diving activity of shags due to kelp harvest. However, the broad temporal and spatial scale of our study constrained the detection of fine scale changes in shag behaviour in response to kelp harvest. Our study, nonetheless, identifies several issues that should be addressed before concluding on the effects of kelp harvest on seabird populations. This includes the need for experimental studies using directed and controlled harvest to investigate the effects of kelp harvest through the different trophic levels, including top predators. This is essential for ecosystem-based management of coastal resources, considering the many species composed in the coastal ecosystem.

Relationship between morphometrics and trophic levels in deep-sea fishes

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 225-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Ladds ◽  
MH Pinkerton ◽  
E Jones ◽  
LM Durante ◽  
MR Dunn
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Trophic Level ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Ecosystem Model ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Fish Size ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Gape Size ◽  
Morphological Variables

Marine food webs are structured, in part, by predator gape size. Species found in deep-sea environments may have evolved such that they can consume prey of a wide range of sizes, to maximise resource intake in a low-productivity ecosystem. Estimates of gape size are central to some types of ecosystem model that determine which prey are available to predators, but cannot always be measured directly. Deep-sea species are hypothesized to have larger gape sizes than shallower-water species relative to their body size and, because of pronounced adaptive foraging behaviour, show only a weak relationship between gape size and trophic level. Here we present new data describing selective morphological measurements and gape sizes of 134 osteichthyan and chondrichthyan species from the deep sea (200-1300 m) off New Zealand. We describe how gape size (height, width and area) varied with factors including fish size, taxonomy (class and order within a class) and trophic level estimated from stable isotopes. For deep-sea species, there was a strong relationship between gape size and fish size, better predicted by body mass than total length, which varied by taxonomic group. Results show that predictions of gape size can be made from commonly measured morphological variables. No relationship between gape size and trophic level was found, likely a reflection of using trophic level estimates from stable isotopes as opposed to the commonly used estimates from FishBase. These results support the hypothesis that deep-sea fish are generalists within their environment, including suspected scavenging, even at the highest trophic levels.

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