Ask a Teacher



Does anything created by nature cause harm to nature itself?????

We are always talking about how we harm the environment with our activities. But not everybody knows as a matter of fact, that nature is capable of harming itself. Nature has been cursed with several natural disasters which commonly include tsunami, earthquake, tornado, hurricane and flood. All the natural disasters leave a huge footprint of dangerous, unrecyclable chemicals in the ecosystem which have a deleterious impact on the environment. It is not just such untoward happenings but also daily activities of the environment that leave a residue of harmful chemicals. It is a well-known fact that human activities release a lot of pollutants into the environment and we lack the scientific expertise and the sophisticated equipments to help neutralize these problems. However it may come as a shock to us, to know that nature destroys itself at a much faster rate than humans do. Natural calamities are largely caused by factors beyond human control. 
Damage to the environment during an earthquake can cause devastation and loss of life. Ground failure is a major impact of earthquake. When the faults rapture and causes an earthquake, large cracks are caused on the surface. Ground failure may be caused either by intense shaking of the land near secondary faults or by liquefaction, a process where the wet solid liquefies and turns to liquid due to the intense pressure from the earth.
Tsunami is caused by seismic waves from an earthquake. The gigantic waves drown a very large area of the inland and carry back an olio of objects when draining back into the sea. It changes the landscape. It uproots trees and plants consequently destroying the habitat for animals and birds. Land animals are killed by drowning. And the sea animals are killed by the poisoning from the dangerous chemicals that drain along with the water into the sea. Salination of fresh water bodies like wells, rivers and groundwater aquifers are a common effect which has long term impacts on the environment and human life.
Forest fires are the main reason for large decrease in forest areas in the world. Albeit there are many positive impacts of forest fires like regeneration of seeds through increased sunlight, clearing of a forest of dead and decaying matter and maintaining the ecosystem balance by removing diseases plants and harmful plants, the negative effects of forest fires, especially the man-made fires, overshadow these. Apart from deforestation and the colossal release of carbon di oxide into the environment, forest fires also destroy the natural habitat for animals, and deprive the nesting places for birds. The fires create heavy smog, which not only exacerbates the poor air quality, but also causes respiratory diseases in humans. 
Ammonia is a common compound found in the environment. It is produced mainly from decaying organic matter, excreta of animals and humans, and man-made sources like fertilizers and certain industrial processes. Ammonia in the soil can cause eutrophication. Eutrophication is the process in which excessive growth of unnecessary weeds and plants stifles the growth of crops by hindering the water supply and availability of nutrients. 


comments powered by Disqus