Nutrients as Major Water Pollutants

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over half of the nation’s streams and rivers are polluted, and of those, 19% are impaired by the presence of excess nutrients. What Is Nutrient Pollution? The term nutrient refers to sources of nourishment supporting organism growth. In the context of water pollution, nutrients generally consist of phosphorus and nitrogen which algae and aquatic plants use to grow and proliferate. Nitrogen is present in abundance in the atmosphere, but not in a form that is available to most living things. When nitrogen is in the form of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate, however, it can be used by many bacteria, algae, and plants (heres a nitrogen cycle refresher). Generally, it is the overabundance of nitrates that causes environmental problems. What Causes Nutrient Pollution? Some common agricultural practices lead to excess nutrients in water bodies. Phosphorus and nitrates are important components of the fertilizers used in agricultural fields – they are present in both synthetic fertilizers and natural ones like manures. If the crops do not pick up all of the fertilizer applied, or if rain has a chance to wash it away before they are absorbed by plants, the excess fertilizer is flushed into streams. Another major source of nutrients also comes from the way agricultural fields are only used seasonally. Most crops are present in the fields over a relatively short growing season, and the rest of the year the soil is left exposed to the elements. Meanwhile soil bacteria is feasting on decaying roots and plant debris, releasing nitrates. Not only do bare fields cause sediment pollution, but this practice allows the massive release and washing away of nitrates.Sewage can carries nutrients to streams and water. Septic systems, especially if older or im properly maintained, can leak into streams or lakes. Households connected to municipal sewer systems also contribute to nutrient pollution. Wastewater treatment plants sometimes function improperly, and are periodically overwhelmed during heavy rain events and release sewage into rivers.Stormwater. Rain falling in urban or suburban areas picks up nutrients from lawn fertilizer, pet waste, and various detergents (for example, the soap used to wash one’s car in the driveway). The stormwater is then canalized into municipal drainage systems and released into streams and rivers, loaded with phosphorus and nitrogen.Burning fossil fuels release nitrogen oxides and ammonia into the air, and when those are deposited in water, they can contribute significantly to the excess nutrient problem. Most problematic are coal-fired power plants and gas- or diesel-powered vehicles. What Environmental Effects Do Excess Nutrients Have? Excess nitrates and phosphorus encourage the growth of aquatic plants and algae. Nutrient-boosted algae growth leads to massive algae blooms, visible as a bright green, foul smelling sheen on the water’s surface. Some of the algae making up the blooms produce toxins that are dangerous to fish, wildlife, and humans. The blooms eventually die off, and their decomposition consumes a lot of dissolved oxygen, leaving waters with low oxygen concentrations. Invertebrates and fish are killed when oxygen levels dip too low. Some areas, called dead zones, are so low in oxygen that they become empty of most life. A notorious dead zone forms in the Gulf of Mexico every year due to agricultural runoff in the Mississippi River watershed. Human health can be affected directly, as nitrates in drinking water are toxic, especially to infants. People and pets can also become quite ill from exposure to toxic algae. Water treatment does not necessarily solve the problem, and can in fact create dangerous conditions when chlorine interacts with the algae and produces carcinogenic compounds. Â   Some Helpful Practices Cover crops and no-till farming protect agricultural fields and mobilize nutrients. The cover plants die out in winter, and the following growing season they give back those nutrients to the new crop.Maintaining well vegetated buffers around farm fields and next to streams allows plants to filter out nutrients before they enter the water.Keep septic systems in good working order, and conduct regular inspections.Consider your nutrient inputs from soaps and detergents, and reduce their use whenever possible.In your yard, slow the water runoff and allow it to be filtered by plants and soil. To accomplish this, establish rain gardens, keep drainage ditches well vegetated, and use rain barrels to harvest roof runoff.Consider using pervious pavement in your driveway. These surfaces are designed to let water percolate into the soil below, preventing runoff. For More Information Environmental Protection Agency. Nutrient Pollution.

Race Ethnicity in Our Society - 2543 Words

Race and ethnicity are important concepts and plays a great deal among our society. Very few of us are aware of the difference between race and ethnicity. Many of us assumed that is the same definition. In Sociology this terms have a very specific and different meaning. Race: Is your biological features this can include your skin color, eye and hair color, as well as a tendency toward developing certain diseases. Race can’t be changed or disguised. Race does not have customs or globally learned behaviors. In other words race refers to only your genetic history and identifiable physical characteristics that are separate and distinct from other races. For example Hispanics are always generalized as Puerto Rican. Skin color does not†¦show more content†¦Some examples of this are: Chinese and Indians are good in math and sciences, but are poor in English and humanities, White Americans are lazy, obese, and judgmental towards other races and are highly materialistic. Italians are always in a mob, Irish people are always drunk and African Americans are drug peddlers, thugs, good dancers, and good at athletics. Additionally, there are other forms of stereotypes such as: gender stereotypes that are based on an individual’s gender and some examples are: men make great business leaders and women make good homemakers, men are masculine and strong, women are good cooks, they want to have babies and make great nurses. Another stereotype is social class that is based on social status in society and some examples of this are: homeless people have behavioral problems, are into substance abuse, lazy and smelly, working class are naive and not street smart, and upper class are judged as being shallow, arrogant and untrustworthy There are several sociological theories about why prejudice, discrimination and racism exist. Prejudice and discrimination are two similar terms that deal with negative misjudgments and disrespect. Prejudice is unreasonable feelings and attitudes toward a social group based on preconceived preference without any knowledge or facts about that group’s race or ethnicity. There have beenShow MoreRelatedIt Is Not Quite Uncommon To Hear Others Say â€Å"You Are What1296 Words   |  6 Pagesought to be in the future. Race and ethnicity have been primal to the evolution of humanity throughout time and as history progressed. Unconsciously, however, humankind has always used race and ethnicity in many important ways from, creating a society, selecting hunters and warriors to appointing a leader. Even in today’s modern society, words like race and ethnicity have become the center of the lives, it is the staple of who we are. Race and ethnicity, ultimately, outlines our lives. Therefore, in orderRead MoreRace and Ethicity within Sociology959 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough our culture is said to be completely removed from the idea of racial discrimination, this sense of inequality can be seen occurring behind the scenes within our society. Within the subtopic of race, several areas including our current culture, social psychology and the current form at of our social institutions allow for the production and often the reproduction of racial discrimination in our day and age. Throughout this course, the various readings and class lectures have been very beneficialRead MoreRace And Ethnicity Are Integral Parts Of America905 Words   |  4 PagesRace and Ethnicity are integral parts of America. They are often used interchangeably. Race is associated with biology. It is a socially and politically constructed category of individuals who are assumed to share common inborn biological traits, such as bone structure, hair type, skin, or eye color. These distinctions have been used to the detriment or advantage of American groups over time. Whereas ethnicity is associated with culture factors. It is often tied to nationality of origin and characterizedRead MoreRace and Civil Rights1592 Words   |  7 PagesRights and Bytes: The Technology of Civil Rights When speaking of race, it has been a popular factor in our society for centuries. In Steve Olson’s essay, â€Å"The End of Race: Hawaii and the Mixing of Peoples†, he discusses human race and its genetic future. He also discusses how Hawaii has a lot of intermixed races and cultures. When dealing with race and what people consider themselves as you can refer it to covering. Kenji Yoshino discusses covering in his essay, â€Å"The New Civil Rights†. He statesRead MoreRacial Inequality During The Middle Ages Essay892 Words   |  4 PagesI cannot think of a topic that is more controversial, and unsettling than race. The idea of race began in the middle ages, but really starting taking foot when the America’s were discovered. Since our country was discovered, there has always been racial inequality. In colonial times Africans were used as slaves, and the Native Americans (the ones who inhabited our country first) were pushed away to reservations to make roo m for the white people. Skipping ahead a couple of decades to the HolocaustRead MoreFactors in Discrimmination against Diversity1545 Words   |  6 Pages and sometimes, if identified, is mishandled or simply ignored. Whether it’s due to ethnicity, gender, age, or religion, there are those who cannot accept change in the workplace or in their personal lives, so they make it hard for those that are different from them. Discrimination is obviously wrong and is illegal. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, nationality, or color. It’s complicated to understand why people discriminateRead MoreThe Importance Of Privilege In Society846 Words   |  4 Pagesprivilege is an advantage that the white people have in our society. Most of our privileges are unearned and unnoticed in our daily life’s. In our daily life it is consisted of privileges that are always not recognized because they are just our everyday life. We just become norm to these privileges that we don’t even realize they exist. This privilege diary has made me re think my preconceptions of racism and race. I honestly thought I knew a lot about race, but come to realize I do not know as much as IRead MoreEssay On Mother Nature966 Words   |  4 Pageslife.† As society continues to research vulnerability to disaster, both for built systems and vulnerable populations. Society must also recognizes that factors such as wealth and poverty, race and ethnicity, gender and age; specifically, how they influence vulnerabilities to hazards and disaster. Although, Mother Nature may continue to be volatile and impulsive, we must assess our vulnerabilities to minimize the loss of the most important thing..†¦lives. Wealth and Poverty Amongst society we haveRead MoreThe Choice: Ethnic Identity1020 Words   |  5 Pagesa different familial background and is of a different nationality than his parents, but he has made the choice to identify himself with the ethnicity that he has grown to love. He believes that his ethnic identity entirely up to him. A Thai boy choosing the ethnicity of an American child as his own goes against the widespread belief that ethnicity is in our DNA, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, he is setting the example. Being able to make a meaningful choice in your ethnic identityRead MoreSociology Of Our Times By Diana Kendall And The Meaning Of Sociology By Charon And Vigilant1053 Words   |  5 PagesIn both of our textbooks Sociology in Our Times by Diana Kendall and The Meaning of Sociology by Charon and Vigilant, I really focused on the chapter about race and ethnicity. The readings had two sections related to the same discussion, one about race, wealth and ethnicity and anot her about how children who are born immigrants having to learn how to adapt to their â€Å"normal† identity in society. Other topics of prejudice, discrimination, and sociological perspectives were interesting and helped gain

The End or The Journey Free Essays

The road awards my future goal would be able to modify my personality. The Journey would allow myself to understand my personality even further. Also, the passage towards my future would grant myself the privilege of discovering who I am. We will write a custom essay sample on The End or The Journey or any similar topic only for you Order Now I do not understand myself, but a part of the journey is discovering what your intentions, dreams, actions, paths are. The goal would still be at the end. However, the journey is a never-ending adventure. The initial goal would waiver with each action, decision, made. The future is full of different paths, experiencing the different paths would transform a person into a new being. A person is similar to a caterpillar, a transforming creature. The caterpillar changes from a helpless creature into a powerful butterfly and humans grow with each experience they encounter. For example, each day that goes by, science is evolving by the scientists who encounter new Ideas, experiments, and results. Each day passes with change from within. As a future is full of different paths, dreams are full of different results and mindsets. In the life Vive experienced so far, Vive been through many dreams and career paths, the journey towards my future is a never-ending experience. My first dream started as an artist during my elementary school days; that ended when I realized there were other people who were more talented in the arts. However, I continued to sketch as a hobby. My second career path was through history as an anthropologist; that career went down the drain because of money issues. My third dream was a preschool teacher. That dream began with my love for children and is still a possible career selection for my future. My fourth career choice Is a pedantically. Although the choice of continuing school for a long time will probably backfire on me, the desire to alp children has kept that dream alive. My fifth dream Is to be an accountant, my current dream. All the different dreams I’ve had over the years has set myself towards different results, but my ever-changing demeanor has confused my end result. The future Is unclear and the path Is cloudy, the end Is a mystery and the Journey Is a challenge. People will grow as they move forward. However, there Is no guarantee of growth at the end of the road. The obstacles before a challenger calls for mistakes and growth, not perfection. The end is perfection, but the trek towards he end is full of mistakes, errors, and progress. That is why I believe that the journey is greater than the goal. The End or The Journey By Cindy â€Å"The Journey is far greater than the inn. † I am a sixteen year old girl. As a child, there is a long Journey towards adulthood. There is the pleasure of the Journey taken and the Joy of the end. Some people may more impact on the person. During Journeys, there are obstacles that the Journeyer has to overcome. The road understand myself, but a part of the Journey is discovering what your intentions, dreams, actions, paths are. The goal would still be at the end. However, the Journey is new ideas, experiments, and results. Each day passes with change from within. As a selection for my future. My fourth career choice is a petrifaction. Although the help children has kept that dream alive. My fifth dream is to be an accountant, my current dream. All the different dreams Vive had over the years has set myself result. The future is unclear and the path is cloudy, the end is a mystery and the journey is a challenge. People will grow as they move forward. However, there is no the end is full of mistakes, errors, and progress. That is why I believe that the Journey How to cite The End or The Journey, Papers

Security and Privacy Issues in Internet of Things Buzzword

Question: Discuss about theSecurity and Privacy Issues in Internet of Things for Buzzword. Answer: Introduction Internet of Things (IoT) is a new buzzword in the field of technology that is spreading at a rapid rate. IoT is a concept that combines and includes a large number of gadgets along with the devices and applications for the execution of a specific activity. There are several IoT applications that have been developed and provided to the customers such as home automation, office automation and many others. There are a wide variety of entities and components that are present and are associated with an IoT application. Some of these components include mobile devices, small appliances, large appliances, computer systems, computer networks, human resources and many others (Bhabad, 2015). These IoT applications provide many benefits to the users in terms of usability and performance. There are also many issues and risks that are also involved. These security risks along with the protection mechanisms and future trends have been covered in the report. Background Research Questions What are the different categories and types of risks in terms of security that are involved with an IoT application? What is the potential impact and probable consequences that may emerge with the occurrence of a security risk or an attack? What are the protection mechanisms that may be applied to ensure that the security risks and attacks are prevented and controlled? What are the future trends that are related with the security of the IoT apps? Security and Privacy Issues of IoT Confidentiality Attacks Eavesdropping The entities and components that are associated with an IoT application are a lot many. Some of these components include mobile devices, small appliances, large appliances, computer systems, computer networks, human resources and many others. There are several entry and access points that become available to the attackers which gives rise to the eavesdropping attack. In these attacks, the attacker monitors and peeps in to the network in an unauthorized manner (Wood, 2016). Unauthorized Tracking Information plays an important role in any of the application and the case is the same for an IoT application. This information does not remain at rest and keeps on getting transferred from one source to the other. In between this process of transferring of the information, the attackers succeed in obtaining access to the path and track the same in an unauthorized manner. Data Mining Attacks Business Intelligence (BI) is a concept that includes a number of different technologies. One of such technologies that play a significant role in case of IoT applications is data mining. It offers a lot many benefits to the applications; however, there are also many attacks that also take place in association with data mining that is applied in IoT applications (Amato, 2016). Reconstruction Attacks Confidentiality of the information is often hampered with reconstruction attacks that take place in an IoT application. These are the attacks in which the data and the information is given a new structure or a new shape which is termed as reconstruction of the information. Integrity Attacks Message Alteration There are certain properties of information that are required to be safeguarded and protected at all times. One of such properties of information is its integrity. Information integrity is the property which says that any changes and modifications that take place in the information set shall be authorized and shall also be uniform such that the changes take place across all the copies. This property is often violated in case of IoT applications due to the execution of a number of attacks. One of such attack is message alteration. It is an integrity attack in which the content of the message are altered by the malevolent entities that leads to a considerable damage (Microsoft, 2016). Media Alteration There are certain properties of information that are required to be safeguarded and protected at all times. One of such properties of information is its integrity. Information integrity is the property which says that any changes and modifications that take place in the information set shall be authorized and shall also be uniform such that the changes take place across all the copies. This property is often violated in case of IoT applications due to the execution of a number of attacks. One of such attack is media alteration. It is an integrity attack in which the content of the media are altered by the malevolent entities that leads to a considerable damage (Aws, 2016). Availability Attacks Flooding Attacks Information and application availability is another system quality and information property that is demanded and expected by the attackers. This quality and property is violated with the execution of a lot many attacks. One such attack is the flooding attack in which unwanted traffic is directed towards the application and the services. Some of the examples of these attacks include Denial of Service and Distributed Denial of Service attacks (Nichols, 2016). Server Impersonating As stated earlier, there are various entities and components that are involved with the IoT application. Due to the involvement of so many components, there are also a lot many servers that are involved and associated with the application. There are scenarios wherein impersonation of these servers is executed and caused by the malicious entities. QoS Abuse Customers that are associated with the IoT application expect the application to score well in terms of the quality. There is however attacks that are executed that hamper the quality of the service by violating the same. These attacks are termed as QoS attacks or QoS abuse (Panetta, 2016). Consequences of the Issues There is a lot of information that is associated with an IoT application due to the involvement of a lot many components. The consequences that may result out from an attack can vary on the basis of the attack type along with the information type that is impacted. The information that is associated with these applications can fall into categories such as for office use only, private information, critical information, sensitive data, public data and confidential information. There are also various categories of the users of these applications such as large scale business users, small or medium scale business users, individual home users and likewise. In case of the involvement of more than one party and the impact on the information category as confidential, critical or sensitive, there may be legal obligations as well (Mahmoud, 2015). Apart from the legal obligations, there may also be a number of impacts in terms of the market performance. With increase in the frequency of the attacks, there will be loss to the goodwill of the organization in the market. The brand reputation along with the brand value will also come down. There are various organizations that are present in the market that are working towards a common domain or an application area. In case of occurrence of a security attack in one organization, another competitor may gain an advantage out of the situation by coming up with similar application with better security. The customer base along with the revenues will also come down. There will also be an adverse impact on the employees as their efficiency and productivity will also be affected (Ko Dorantes, 2016). Protection Mechanisms There are providers in the market that have come up with powerful tools to deal with the availability attacks and these tools are termed as anti-denial tools. These tools are automated in nature and are specifically designed to make sure that the alerts are generated in case of an attempt to impact the availability of the application. There shall be policies implemented along with the strategies and controls to enhance the authentication system that is implemented in the organization. These systems shall include an enhanced form of security in the form of multi-step authentication (Lu, 2014). Networking attacks in the form of confidentiality attacks, integrity attacks and availability attacks are huge in number. Organizations must make sure that these network attacks are prevented and also detected timely to control the damage. There are several network surveillance tools that are available that shall be installed to put a check and track on the network activities. Encryption of the information shall be implemented to make sure that the information stays secure and protected at all times. There are also several applications and systems that have been developed to detect and prevent the intruders and these tools are termed as Intrusion Detection and Intrusion Prevention systems. These shall be installed in the network and the applications to prevent and detect the security attacks. Device safety and security is also important in case of IoT app as there are several devices that are associated with the application in terms of mobile devices, computer systems, small and large appliances and many more. These devices shall be kept protected at all times. The overall legal architecture and structure shall be improved with the inclusion of new policies and laws to make sure that the attackers do not attempt these attacks. With the invention of latest and advanced forms of security, it is often seen that the basic security mechanism is not paid enough attention. Basic security shall be enhanced with the installation of firewalls, anti-malware packages along with the proxy servers. Role of Physical Security Physical security is often discarded with the implementation and existence of the newer forms of applications that are mostly based on cloud or virtual systems. The role of physical security cannot be neglected as it is equally important as the administrative or technical controls. Physical security controls shall therefore be set up across the data centres along with the device security to make sure that there are no occurrences such as device loss or stealing of the same (Jing, 2014). Conclusion Future Trends Threat hunting is one of the latest mechanisms that are being used by the organizations and entities all across the globe. It is a process in which the risks and threats are hunted by the development of the methods and procedures around the same which are an amalgamation of humanly executed tasks, machine assisted techniques and automated operations. There is a Hunting Maturity Model (HMM) that has been developed that categorized the organizations on the basis of their ability to hunt the threats. The model shall be implemented to make sure that threats are detected and prevented. Internet of Things (IoT) is a new buzzword in the field of technology that is spreading at a rapid rate. IoT is a concept that combines and includes a large number of gadgets along with the devices and applications for the execution of a specific activity. There are several IoT applications that have been developed and provided to the customers such as home automation, office automation and many others. There are a wide variety of entities and components that are present and are associated with an IoT application. Some of these components include mobile devices, small appliances, large appliances, computer systems, computer networks, human resources and many others. Due to the involvement of so many entities, there may be confidentiality, integrity and availability attacks that may be executed. There is a lot of information that is associated with an IoT application due to the involvement of a lot many components. The consequences that may result out from an attack can vary on the ba sis of the attack type along with the information type that is impacted. The information that is associated with these applications can fall into categories such as for office use only, private information, critical information, sensitive data, public data and confidential information. Physical security is often discarded with the implementation and existence of the newer forms of applications that are mostly based on cloud or virtual systems. The role of physical security cannot be neglected as it is equally important as the administrative or technical controls. References Amato, N. (2016). The hidden costs of a data breach. Journal of Accountancy. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2016/jul/hidden-costs-of-data-breach-201614870.html Aws,. (2016). Overview of Security Processes. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://d0.awsstatic.com/whitepapers/aws-security-whitepaper.pdf Bhabad, M. (2015). Internet of Things: Architecture, Security Issues and Countermeasures. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.ijcaonline.org/research/volume125/number14/bhabad-2015-ijca-906251.pdf Jing, Q. (2014). Security of the Internet of Things: perspectives and challenges. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://csi.dgist.ac.kr/uploads/Seminar/1407_IoT_SSH.pdf Ko, M. Dorantes, C. (2016). The impact of information security breaches on financial performance of the breached firms: An empirical investigation. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://jitm.ubalt.edu/XVII-2/article2.pdf Lu, C. (2014). Overview of Security and Privacy Issues in the Internet of Things. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cse574-14/ftp/security.pdf Mahmoud, R. (2015). Internet of things (IoT) security: Current status, challenges and prospective measures - IEEE Xplore Document. Ieeexplore.ieee.org. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7412116/ Microsoft,. (2016). Microsoft Core Infrastructure Optimization: IT Security Processes - Best Practices for Business IT. Microsoft.com. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.microsoft.com/india/infrastructure/capabilities/itprocesses.mspx Nichols, A. (2016). A Perspective on Threats in the Risk Analysis Process. Sans.org. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/auditing/perspective-threats-risk-analysis-process-63 Panetta, K. (2016). Gartner's Top 10 Security Predictions 2016 - Smarter With Gartner. Smarter With Gartner. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/top-10-security-predictions-2016/ Wood, P. (2016). Social hacking: The easy way to breach network security. ComputerWeekly. Retrieved 9 May 2017, from https://www.computerweekly.com/tip/Social-hacking-The-easy-way-to-breach-network-security