Cause&Effect of: Water contamination!

Water contamination is the term used to describe hazardous materials of any kind that are polluting a source of water. This could include both biological and chemical substances, and the water source may be ponds, lakes, seas, oceans, or reservoirs used for drinking and bathing by humans. The most common types of water contamination are chemical runoff from homes and businesses and sometimes human or animal waste materials. In industrialized nations, water contamination is much less common than in third world and developing countries. That’s because sophisticated water purification systems are in place to clean waste materials from the water, disinfect it using chemicals, and then purify it so that it is safe for consumption. Areas that do not have these technologies may encounter contaminated water due to animal wastes entering the water supply or household chemicals running from the ground into underground wells. Most sources of water contamination in the industrialized world come from chemical pollution, either from the dumping of chemicals onto the ground or down drains, or through accidental spills. Oil spills, for instance, may occur from wells or ships and can contaminate water for miles from the spill site. Industrial plants may also dump wastes into water, although this is less common due to tighter government regulations regarding disposing of hazardous materials. Any harmful material that enters water could be considered a form of water contamination. Drinking polluted water has been linked to gastrointestinal upset, the spread of certain illnesses, and sometimes death in severe cases. Parasites may also be present in unclean watersupplies. When visiting developing countries, it is encouraged that tourists bring bottled water from another location to avoid drinking from the local supplies. Anyone who believes water contamination may be an issue in his or her area, or who witnesses water being polluted, should contact the local environmental agency. Humans and animals should avoid the contact with the contaminated water, including for use in bathing or watering plants. Generally, if water in a particular area is temporarily unsafe for drinking, an advisory will be sent out to the public. To avoid water contamination that occurs due to runoff into storm drains on streets or sidewalks, it is important to dispose of hazardous materials in the proper way. Household cleaners should not be poured down drains unless designed specifically for that purpose, as in the case of toilet or shower cleaners. Motor oil, dead batteries, and acids should be taken to the proper facilities for disposal. They can be found by contacting the local environmental agency or a retailer who sells the product in question. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-water-contamination.htm

Term being explained: The hydrologic cycle!

The hydrosphere is the sphere that contains all the water of the Earth system. This includes water in a gaseous state, liquid water found in rivers, lakes, and streams, and water in its solid state like that of glaciers and ice sheets. Water found in living plants and animals can be considered part of the hydrosphere. The water of the hydrosphere interacts with the other subsystems of the earth. 

The hydrologic cycle refers to the movement of water through its various stores within the Earth system. The amount of water that cycles between the surface and the atmosphere is phenomenal. At any minute, nearly a billion tons of water is delivered to the atmosphere by evaporation and the same amount precipitated from it. The hydrologic cycle not only traces the movement of water through the Earth system, it is a path way for the movement of energy. Water is evaporated from tropical oceans where energy is abundant and is transported on the wind to high latitudes where energy is in short supply. There it condenses and gives off heat to the atmosphere. The exchange of energy from low latitudes to high latitudes helps maintain the energy balance of the Earth system.

http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/atmospheric_moisture/hydrologic_cycle.html 

Term being comparised and/or constrated: Asexual and Sexual Reproduction!

Pros and cons of asexual and sexual reproduction.

Plants and animals use two methods of reproduction to ensure that their species continues. One of the two methods is sexual reproduction. It involves the fusing of two gametes from each parent to produce the offspring.

Pros of Sexual Reproduction

In sexual reproduction, unlike in asexual reproduction two parents are involved. Two gamete cells are involved. Fertilization takes place mixing the genetic material together. One of the main advantages of sexual reproduction is that there is a large chance of an evolution taking place. Thus the species would be able to adapt to new environmental conditions. Also new species could be born. Another advantage is that a new character is formed with the mixed gametes of the parents so there is a chance that the parent’s diseases would not be received by the offspring.

Cons of Sexual Reproduction

One of the disadvantages is that only half the population (females) is capable of gestation. Another one of the disadvantages is that two parents have to be involved in the process. Also having to find a mate and producing gamete cells is also another disadvantage. Fertilization has to take place and there is no guarantee that the nucleus of the male sex cell would fuse with the female sex cell. Also this takes a long time and there is no grantee that an offspring would be born. 

Asexual Reproduction

Fragmentation is another type of asexual reproduction common in plants.Asexual reproduction is a form of reproduction which only involves one parent. Some methods of asexual reproduction are the vegetative method. It is common in plants is where parts of the plant fall of and form new ones. E.g. potato tubers

Pros of Asexual Reproduction

There are many advantages of asexual reproduction. One of them is that only one parent is needed. There is a large guarantee that the offspring would be born. It takes a very short period and genetic material need not be produce. Fertilization is not there. They have identical characteristics as their parents. They are always of the same species. Asexual reproduction is more reliable because there are less steps to follow so less can go wrong.

Cons of Asexual Reproduction

One of the cons of asexual reproduction is that there is almost no chance of an evolution taking place. The offspring would almost always be of the same species and would be identical to the parents, so diseases and bad qualities are also passed down directly from the parents to the offspring. One of the common disadvantages of plants using the vegetative method  is that there will be a struggle for light, space, nutrients and soil so most plants will remain less healthy.

http://scienceray.com/biology/human-biology/asexual-and-sexual-reproduction/#ixzz1I24cBMqy

Term being classified: Solar Sistem!

Our solar system consists of the sun, eight planets, moons, many dwarf planets (or plutoids), an asteroid belt, comets, meteors, and others. The sun is the center of our solar system; the planets, their moons, a belt of asteroids, comets, and other rocks and gas orbit the sun.
The eight planets that orbit the sun are (in order from the sun): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Another large body is Pluto, now classifies as a dwarf planet or plutoid. A belt of asteroids (minor planets made of rock and metal) lies between Mars and Jupiter. These objects all orbit the sun in roughly circular orbits that lie in the same plane, the ecliptic (Pluto is an exception; it has an elliptical orbit tilted over 17° from the ecliptic).
Easy ways to remember the order of the planets (plus Pluto) are the mnemonics: "My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas" and "My Very Easy Method Just Simplifies Us Naming Planets" The first letter of each of these words represents a planet - in the correct order.
The largest planet is Jupiter. It is followed by Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and finally, tiny Pluto (the largest of the dwarf planets). Jupiter is so big that all the other planets could fit inside it.


http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/

Term being defined: Global Warming!

'While some would call global warming a theory, others would call it a proven set of facts. Opinions differ vehemently. Let us consider global warming to be both a premise that the environment of the world as we know it is slowly, but very surely increasing in overall air and water temperature, and a promise that if whatever is causing this trend is not interrupted or challenged life on earth will dynamically be affected.

The prevailing counter opinion is that all that is presently perceived to be global warming is simply the result of a normal climactic swing in the direction of increased temperature. Many proponents of this global warming ideology have definitive social and financial interests in these claims.'

http://globalwarming.com/2009/03/what-is-global-warming/

Glossary: 

facts: hechos 

vehemently: intensamente

trend: tendencia

counter: contrario

swing: cambio

claims: reclamaciones

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