
Air Pollution - National Geographic Society
Nov 15, 2024 · Air pollution consists of chemicals or particles in the air that can harm the health of humans, animals and plants. It can even damage buildings. Pollutants in the air take many forms. They can be gasses, solid particles or liquid droplets. Sources of Air Pollution. Pollution enters the Earth's atmosphere in many different ways.
Pollution - Education | National Geographic Society
Apr 23, 2025 · The three major types of pollution are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Air Pollution Sometimes, air pollution is visible. A person can see dark smoke pour from the exhaust pipes of large trucks or factories, for example. More …
Like people, animals, and plants, entire ecosystems can suffer effects from air pollution. Haze, like smog, is a visible type of air pollution that obscures shapes and colors. Hazy air pollution can even muffle sounds. Air pollution particles eventually fall back to Earth. Air pollution can directly contaminate the surface of bodies of water ...
Air Pollution 101 - National Geographic Society
Oct 1, 2024 · What is air pollution? Learn how greenhouse gases, smog, and toxic pollutants effect climate change, and human health.
Smog - Education | National Geographic Society
Oct 1, 2024 · Smog is air pollution that reduces visibility. The term "smog" was first used in the early 1900s to describe a mix of smoke and fog. The smoke usually came from burning coal. Smog was common in industrial areas, and remains a familiar sight in some cities today. Today, most of the smog we see is photochemical smog.
Dec 5, 1952 CE: Great Smog of 1952 - Education | National …
Smog is a type of air pollution, created by industrial output and natural weather patterns. London’s reliance on coal-fired power plants for electricity and heat, and diesel-powered buses for public transportation, contributed to the Great Smog. London’s …
Light Pollution - National Geographic Society
Apr 10, 2025 · Light pollution, the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, is affecting human health, wildlife behavior, and our ability to observe stars and other celestial objects. That Earthly Sky Glow. Light pollution is a global issue.
Marine Pollution - National Geographic Society
Apr 23, 2025 · Marine pollution is a combination of chemicals and trash, most of which comes from land sources and is washed or blown into the ocean. This pollution results in damage to the environment, to the health of all organisms, and to economic structures worldwide.
Human Impacts on the Environment - Education
Humans impact the physical environment in many ways: pollution, burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and more. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, mass extinction, and undrinkable water, among other effects.
Deforestation - Education | National Geographic Society
Feb 26, 2025 · That is because trees take in carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis, and carbon is locked chemically in their wood. When trees are burned, this carbon returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide .