Point source pollution
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A point source of pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution. A point source has negligible extent, distinguishing it from other pollution source geometries. The sources are called point sources because in mathematical modeling, they can be approximated as a mathematical point to simplify analysis. Pollution point sources are identical to other physics, engineering, optics, and chemistry point sources and include:
- Air pollution from an industrial source, rather than an airport or a road, considered a line source or a forest fire which is considered an area source, or volume source.
- Water pollution from an oil refinery wastewater discharge outlet[1]
- Noise pollution from a jet engine
- Disruptive seismic vibration from a localized seismic study
- Light pollution from an intrusive street light
- Thermal pollution from an industrial process outfall
- Radio emissions from an interference-producing electrical device
References
- ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2010. Water pollution. Encyclopedia of Earth, Topic ed. Mark McGinley, ed. in chief C. Cleveland, National Council on Science and the Environment, Washington DC