GreenCIndia Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

Air, Micro-Meteorology & Noise

Air

The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air (made up of various gases) called the atmosphere. The atmosphere helps to protect the Earth and allow life to exist. Without it, we would be burned by the intense heat of the sun during the day or frozen by the very low temperatures at night.

Any additional gas, particles or odour that are introduced into the air (either by nature or human activity) to distort this natural balance and cause harm to living things can be called air pollution. Things that pollute the air are called pollutants. Examples of pollutants include nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, hydrocarbons, Sulphur oxides (usually from factories), sand or dust particles, and organic compounds that can evaporate and enter the atmosphere.

Air pollution can result from both human and natural actions. Natural events that pollute the air include forest fires, volcanic eruptions, wind erosion, pollen dispersal, evaporation of organic compounds and natural radioactivity. Pollution from natural occurrences is not very often. Human activities that result in air pollution include – emissions from industries and manufacturing activities,  burning Fossil Fuels (vehicular emissions), household and Farming Chemicals (Crop dusting, fumigating homes, household cleaning products, insect/pest killers, fertilizer dust emit harmful chemicals).

The common effects of air pollution are harm to vegetation and buildings, can kill trees and harm animals, fish, and other wildlife, harming fish and other aquatic life, respiratory infection, irritation to eyes-nose-throat, lung cancer, heart disease and even damage to the brain, nerves, liver, or kidneys.

Meteorology

Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Meteorological phenomena are observable weather events which illuminate, and are explained by the science of meteorology. Those events are bound by the variables that exist in Earth’s atmosphere; temperature, air pressure, water vapor, and the gradients and interactions of each variable, and how they change in time. Different spatial scales are studied to determine how systems on local, regional, and global levels impact weather and climatology. Temperature, rainfall, atmospheric pressure, wind directions, wind speed etc. are the study points in meteorology.

Noise

Noise is an unwanted sound and produces unpleasant effects and discomfort. Sound becomes unwanted when it either interferes with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one’s quality of life. Not all noise can be called noise pollution. If it does not happen regularly, it may be termed as “Nuisance”. It is not only humans who are affected, water animals for example are also subjected to noise by submarines and big ships on the ocean.

Generally, noise is produced by household gadgets, social events, commercial and industrial activities, transportation etc.  Noise is considered as environmental pollution, even though it is thought to have less damage on humans than water, air or land pollution. But people who are affected by severe noise pollution know that it is a massive issue that needs attention.

Problems caused by noise pollution include stress related illnesses, speech interference, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and lost productivity. Most importantly, there are two major effects we can look at. The immediate and acute effect of noise pollution to a person, over a period of time, is impairment of hearing. Prolonged exposure to impulsive noise to a person will damage their eardrum, which may result in a permanent hearing. Health effects of noise include anxiety and stress reaction and in extreme cases fright. The physiological manifestations are headaches, irritability and nervousness, feeling of fatigue and decreases work efficiency. Noise (or sound) is measured in the units of decibels and is denoted by the dB.