ENVIRONMENTAL BUFFERS

MADE BY:HUSSAN ARA

INTRODUCTION:

Environmental buffers is a research work done on how environment can be purified or at least stabilized by using

entities that naturally make environment go back to its original

state more or less. It includes names of some environmental buffers that can be

used to reduce air , water and noise pollution.

WHAT DOES THE TERM ENVIRONMENTAL BUFFERS MEAN?

Any and every entity that keep the natural environment balanced and act as a barrier for pollution in short helps preserving the natural ecosystems can

be designated as environmental buffers.

SOME EXAMPLES:

▪ Lichens▪Palm trees▪Bacteria▪ Fungi▪Mosses▪Some birds

WHEN DO WE NEED THOSE BUFFERS?

When our environment is polluted by any known , unknown or anthropogenic reasons such as

▪ Sudden natural disasters

▪ Gradual accumulation of certain unwanted chemicals in particular areas for particular reasons

▪ Changing of ecosystem in a positive or negative way

▪ When the environments becomes different from what it was originally

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE NEED BUFFERS?

▪ Normally our environment changes itself so gradually and naturally that we usually do not feel and observe that it has changed

▪ But there are certain entities which are quite sensitive, sensitive enough even to notice the minute changes in our environment

▪ And then those entities show that there is something wrong by changes in their growth pattern or they die in some cases

BIOINDICATORSBiological indicators are species that can be used to monitor the health of an environment or ecosystem. They are any biological species or group

of species whose function, population, or status can reveal

what degree of ecosystem or environmental integrity is present.

HOW DO THEY TELL US?

These organisms (or communities of organisms) deliver information on alterations in the environment or the quantity of environmental pollutants by changing in one of the following ways: physiologically, chemically or behaviorally. The information can be deduced through the study of:

▪ their content of certain elements or compounds▪ their morphological or cellular structure▪ metabolic-biochemical processes▪ behavior, or▪ population structure(s).

SOME EXAMPLES

There are a lot of examples

Of bioindicators including

Plant, animal and

Microbial indicators

PLANT INDICATORSThe presence or absence of certain plant or other vegetative life in an

ecosystem can provide important clues about the health of the environment: environmental preservation. There are several types of plant biomonitors, including mosses, lichens, tree bark, bark pockets, tree rings, leaves, and fungi.

▪ Lichens are organisms comprising both fungi and algae. They are found on rocks and tree trunks, and they respond to environmental changes in forests, including changes in forest structure – conservation biology, air quality, and climate. The disappearance of lichens in a forest may indicate environmental stresses, such as high levels of sulfur dioxide, sulfur-based pollutants, and nitrogen oxides.

▪ The composition and total biomass of algal species in aquatic systems serves as an important metric for organic water pollution and nutrient loading such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

▪ There are genetically engineered organisms, that help us indicate toxicity levels in the environment; e.g., a type of genetically engineered grass that grows a different color if there are toxins in the soil.

ANIMAL INDICATORS

An increase or decrease in an animal population may indicate damage to the ecosystem caused by pollution. For example, if pollution causes the depletion of important food sources, animal species dependent upon these food sources will also be reduced in number: population decline. Overpopulation can be the result of opportunistic species growth. In addition to monitoring the size and number of certain species, other mechanisms of animal indication include monitoring the concentration of toxins in animal tissues, or monitoring the rate at which deformities arise in animal populations, or their behavior either directly in the field or in a lab.

MICROBIAL INDICATORS Microorganisms can be used as indicators of aquatic or terrestrial ecosystem health. Found in large quantities, microorganisms

are easier to sample than other organisms. Some microorganisms will produce new proteins, called stress

proteins, when exposed to contaminants like cadmium and benzene. These stress proteins can be used as an early warning system to detect high levels of pollution.

PAST ENVIRONMENT AND NEED OF BUFFERS

▪Ancient earth had climate and environment that was pure and stabilized compared to what it is now.

▪The vegetation was in abundance and it stabilized the ancient environment

▪So there was no need of planting more environmental buffers anthropogenically

WORLD OF TODAY

▪ Today we use vehicles , billions of them, which deposit lead and lot of toxic gasses to our atmosphere

▪We use air conditioners and refrigerators and various coolents which add aerosols

▪ Our air , water traffic and space crafts also add a great deal of pollutants

▪ Urbanization, industrialization, deforestation and desertification also have adverse effects

NEED OF ENVIRONMENTAL BUFFERS▪So due to all these reasons our environment is not pure which once was its not in its original form which was made by GOD

▪So in order to stabilize our environment we need some natural things

▪And we need environmental buffers to maintain our ecosystems

BUFFER ZONES▪ A zone or an area that serves not for any anthropogenic use but as a conserved natural habitat where plants and animals can thrive.

▪ An example of ecological buffer zone is a riparian buffer near to a very busy roadway. Not only does it reduce traffic noise, air and water pollution, it also provides a space for organisms to flourish in the area.

TOP 10 MOST POLLUTED CITIES OF THE WORLD

1. Linfen, China2. Tianying, China3. Sukinda, India4. Vapi, India5. La Oroya, Peru6. Dzerzhinsk, Russia7. Norilsk, Russia8. Chernobyl, Ukraine9. Sumgayit, Azerbaijan10. Kabwe, Zambia 

MOST POLLUTED CITIES IN PAKISTAN

▪Lahore ▪Karachi ▪ Islamabad▪Quetta ▪Peshawar

HOW BUFFERS COULD BE USED TO PURIFY ENVIRONMENT?▪Buffers minimize the effects of anthropogenic changes to environment

▪ They preserve the environment in the best way they can by purifying it

▪ They usually make pollutants their food and emit substances that are environment friendly

▪Buffers reduce noise pollution i.e., wood absorbs sound and sponges also!

BUFFERS FOR WATER BODIES

Common Name Scientific Name▪ Swamp Aster Aster

puniceus▪ Rattlebox Ludwigia

alternifolia▪ Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia

siphilitica▪ Soft Rush Juncus

effusus▪ Tussock Sedge Carex stricta▪ Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium

purpureum▪ Rough Leaf Goldenrod Solidago

rugosa▪ Blue Flag Iris Iris

versicolor▪ Slender Mountain Mint

Pycnanthemum tenuifolium▪ River Oats Uniola

latifolia▪ Silky Dogwood Cornus

amomum▪ Sycamore Platanus

occidentalis▪ Bald Cypress Taxodium

distichum▪ Swamp White Oak Quercus

bicolor▪ Black Willow Salix nigra

BUFFERS FOR ATMOSPHERE

▪ The Areca Palm▪ The Lady Palm▪ The Bamboo Palm▪ The Rubber Plant▪ The Dracaena▪ English Ivy▪ The Dwarf Date Palm▪ The Ficus Alii▪ The Boston Fern▪ The Peace Lilly

BUFFERS FOR LAND MASSES

Common Name Scientific Name

▪ Tall Coreopsis Coreopsis tripteris

▪ Gray Goldenrod Solidago nemoralis

▪ Orange Coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida

▪ Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpureum

▪ Green-headed Coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata

▪ Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa

▪ New England Aster Aster novae-angliae

▪ Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium

▪ Witch Hazel Hamamelis virginiana

▪ Redbud Cercis canadensis

▪ Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum

▪ Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensi

CONCLUSION

We should start using environmental buffers now

because our environment has destroyed a lot. If we do it now we would be able to make our planet better after decades or

even centuries.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE!