Effects of Constructing One Australia Avenue on Biophysical Attributes - Case Study Example

Effects of Constructing One Australia Avenue on Biophysical Attributes Almadari Mohammed Jubra S. University of Southern Queensland EFFECTS OF CONSTRUCTING ONE AUSTRALIA AVENUE ON BIOPHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES Table of contents I. Biophysical attributes……………………………………………………………3 II. Major degradation issues………………………………………...………………7 III. Strategies for mitigation/ rehabilitation…………………………………………..10 IV. References………………………………………………………..………………14 V. Marking criteria……………………………………………………….…………..16 I. Biophysical attributes Construction of buildings has many effects to the environment (Koper 2009). Many biophysical attributes get affected during the construction or after the construction. The biophysical attributes in this case are effected by the introduction of new activities in the area or the elimination of some other biophysical attributes at the area of construction. As an example, construction of the one Australia Avenue in Sydney Olympics Park has some effects on the biophysical attributes in the area and will cause more harm to them once the construction project is finished. Some of the attributes affected include air, climate, water, geology, fauna, humidity, soil acidity, temperature, and vegetation. Such attributes will then change the climatic conditions and the appearance of the area. Though construction is important in the society, there is need to have considerations for the biophysical factors in the environment and put preventive measures that will help to reduce the effect of construction or stop any effect to the biophysical attributes (Koper 2009) Fig 1: Showing forestsaround the site Fig 2: Showing rocks at the construction site Air is a fundamental resource in the environment and supports both animal and plant life. Access to fresh air ensures healthy living and survival for plants and animals. Air exists freely in the atmosphere, in water and in soil. In water, air exists as dissolved particles and helps to promote aquatic life. It is useful to both the animals and plants in water and both organisms use it for respiratory purposes. In soil, air occupies the small spaces between particles of soil and helps small organisms in the soil for respiration. Air is a mixture of gases and can include such components as oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen, and many more gases. All these gases are useful to organisms and their ratios in the environment need to be maintained at the required ecosystem range for all organisms in the environment to survive (Gerrard & Foster 2008). All animals use oxygen for respiration and produce carbon dioxide as the by-product. This shows that a reduction of this gas in the atmosphere can cause adverse effects to animals. It can cause death or suffocation to animals, which eventually leads to death. Mass death of animals in the ecosystem will cause adverse effects to other animals and even to plants. On the other side, plants use carbon dioxide during the day for photosynthesis and give out oxygen as the by-product. However, during the night, plants also use oxygen for respiration and give out carbon dioxide as the by-product. This shows that it is important to preserve both gases in the atmosphere and in their right ratios. The presence of nitrogen in the atmosphere is also important to both plants and animals. Plants use nitrogen in their biological processes and it is mostly used in food production. Its presence in the soil makes plants very healthy. In addition to these core gases, there is carbon monoxide, which is produced by metabolic activities in plants and animals and during industrial processing. Although this gas is harmful to animals when consumed in high quantities, it is also good in the environment and helps in maintaining ground level ozone. This helps to filter ultraviolet rays from the sun to reduce their effects to animal skin. The remaining gases also have advantages in the atmosphere but their production in high quantities might have adverse effects to the environment (Gerrard & Foster 2008). Fig 3: Showing water sources near the site Fig 4: Showing more water sources around the site and vegetation Water is also an important resource in the environment and is used by animals for drinking, cooling their bodies, and other daily processes. In addition to this, plants also need water and use it in their daily biological processes. Water can exist as both soft and hard. Soft water occurs naturally in the environment and may originate from mountains, springs, and rainfall. The construction site of One Australian Avenue has several waterways, which are all made of soft water. During the construction some waterways were sealed or blocked to enable construction. The area is surrounded by rivers such as Blaxland and Parramatta. These rivers are formed of clean water, which is used for both industrial purposes and can also be purified for domestic work. These rivers attract multiple water birds from the surrounding and form a beautiful view for the tourists visiting the place. The rivers are surrounded by a beautiful mangrove forest, which is also a beautiful scenery for tourists. Alteration to the flow and taste of the water in these rivers will have effects to the plants and animals depending on the rivers (Gerrard & Foster 2008). The construction site of One Australia Avenue is also a source of beautiful ancient rocks and sand. The area is rich in shale, siltstone, and quartz-rich sandstone. These rocks are very ancient and date to around 400 million years ago where they are believed to have been forming the ocean bed. Over the years, the rocks have come up gradually due to global warming and a reduction in the water levels in the sea. There is need to examine the depth of the rocks before commencing construction. Such rocks form the bed of Australia and need to be prevented from cracking as they form the base of the continent. Such rocks can also be carefully excavated and used for construction and making of sculptures. They can also be traded, as they are unique and can earn revenue to the country (Koper 2009). Initially, beautiful forests and vegetation covered the construction site of One Australia Avenue. The area had such forests like mangrove forests, Turpentine Ironbark Forest, Coastal Saltmarsh, and Swamp Oak Floodplains Forests. These forests formed the home of hundreds of species of plants, birds, bats, frogs, fish, and reptiles. Apart from the plants and animals in general, these forests were also a home of rare species of animals and plants such as green and golden bell frogs and migratory shorebirds. All these formed a beautiful scenery for viewing and for experimentation. Such plants and animals coexisted undisturbed to ensure a balance in the ecosystem. Though most of the forest areas have been preserved for beauty, some of it was destroyed for construction. The construction of the building close to the forest also affects plants and animal activities (Koper 2009). Sydney exhibits four climatic seasons in a year. The climatic conditions in the different seasons differ to a large extend. The temperature ranges from about 25o C to 8o C. The highest temperature occurs in summer, which happens in the first quarter of the year while the lowest temperature occurring in winter, which takes place in the third quarter of the year. The humidity of the place is also affected with the changes in climate and is normally highest in winter and lowest in summer. The construction site of One Australia Avenue was also examined of having acidic sulphate soils. These acidic soils exist naturally at the site and need proper handling and disposing. The area was also found to contain asbestos, power station ash, and industrial hydrocarbons, which can easily form acids when diluted with water. Such depositions are embedded in the soils at the site and need keen handling to avoid pollution of rivers and the surrounding soils (Mega 2010). II. Major degradation issues The construction of One Australia Avenue has several adverse effects to the biophysical attributes analyzed above. During the construction process, the dust and chemical emissions from the construction processes can cause air pollution. At the construction site, dust will come from the construction sand, the construction bricks and because of the excavation at the site. The excavation done at the site for creating underground apartments and strong foundation can be a source of very huge dust, which affects the air around. Dust polluted air affects both plants and animals (Koper 2009). Breathings such air can cause blockage of the respiratory system in animals and can cause severe respiratory tract diseases. In plants, such dust can cause blockage of the automata, which may make it difficult for plants to respire and to photosynthesize. In addition to dust, the construction machinery at the site will cause release of many toxic gases into the environment. Such gases as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulphur dioxide will all be released into the atmosphere during the construction process. Release of such toxic gases is harmful to both animals and plants. During rains, such toxic gases can combine with water and form acids which can affect both plants and animals. The acid rain formed from such gases can be very toxic to plants and can kill plants. To animals, such gases can cause suffocation and even cause death when inhaled in large quantities. In addition to this, there is an expected high air pollution rate in the area resulting from the domestic activities performed by the inhabitants in the building. Such activities as cooking and burning of substances can cause production of toxic gases into the atmosphere. Such gases as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide can easily be released into the atmosphere from combustion and can have the same adverse effects when combine by rainwater (Gerrard & Foster 2008). The construction of the building will also cause water pollution in the area. During construction, there may be deposition of solid or liquid wastes into the water, which will have adverse effects to water (Mega 2010). Release of solid wastes into the rivers may cause blockage of the river or may even cause flooding. Such flooding will be because of a rise in the riverbed due to deposition. Such solid deposition can also be acidic or basic and can easily dissolve into the water and cause adverse effects to aquatic life. Excessive acidity or alkalinity in the river can cause death of all aquatic life in the river, which is harmful to the ecosystem. The rivers in the area can also be affected by the erosion of construction materials from the construction site into the river. Such erosions are not easy to stop and are a challenging issue to the construction team. In addition to this, the large population of people that will settle at the place can easily dispose their domestic wastes into the rivers, which will cause water pollution. Such pollution might cause death or diminishing of aquatic life (Goodrich-Mahoney, Abrahamson & Ballard 2008). Another danger resulting from the construction of the One Australia Avenue is the destruction of ancient bedrocks of the continent. The area is well known for precious stones, which can easily be extinct due to the ongoing construction (Koper 2009). This is because the building will cause excavation of many rocks and precious stones at the site. This will cause lack of such stones at the area. In addition to this, deep excavation at the site can cause cracking of major bedrocks at the area, which can cause weakness to the site and to the continent as a whole. This is because Australia is made up a three types of rocks, which join to form the bed on which the continent rests upon. Cracking or weakening of the rock can case submerging of the continent or water eruption at the place of weakness. Such a scenario is very dangerous to both the inhabitants of the place and Australian continent as a whole. The construction of the building also has adverse effects to plants and animals. The construction will cause clearing of some part of the forests and natural vegetation, which will effect animals living at the place (Goodrich-Mahoney, Abrahamson & Ballard 2008). This will cause either death of the animals in case they are slow to escape or escape of the animals into the interior of the forests or faraway lands. Such a scenario will cause instability in the ecosystem and may affect other animals in the area. Reduction of plants in the atmosphere will lead to imbalance in the atmosphere such that purification of air to reduce carbon dioxide minimal. Such an effect might cause existence of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is harmful to animals. This can cause poor heath among animals or cause respiratory illnesses. The construction of the One Australia Avenue will also cause several effects to the climatic conditions at the place. The clearance of forests and vegetation at the construction site will affect the climatic condition at the place. Presence of a lot of vegetation at a place causes cool temperatures, high humidity, and high rainfall (Goodrich-Mahoney, Abrahamson & Ballard 2008). A reduction in plant coverage at the place will automatically cause changes to these climatic attributes. As forests help in water catchment, a reduction of forest coverage at the area can also cause drying of the area. The introduction of many domestic and commercial activities in the area will also cause a rise in temperature, a reduction in the humidity and changes in rainfall distributions. Such changes in the climate will cause adverse effects to animals, as some are specifically adapted to live at the present climatic conditions (Goodrich-Mahoney, Abrahamson & Ballard 2008). Changes in such things as the temperature can easily cause animals to die or to hibernate most of the time. To plants, an increase in temperature may cause drying or changes in their daily activities in order to survive. In addition to the above challenges arising from the construction of the building, there is the challenge of dealing with acidic soils covering the construction site. Excavation of the construction site can easily cause exposition of such acidic soils, which will cause acidic solutions when in contact with water. Such water can easily drain into the rivers around the site, which can cause adverse effects to the aquatic life in the rivers. In addition to this, formation of the acidic solutions can be harmful when in contact to both animals and plants. Ingestion of such acidic solutions by animals can lead to severe illness or death. Animals can easily fall victims of this as they drink any water they come across. To plants, such acidic solutions can cause drying or poor health (Mega 2010). III. Strategies for mitigation/rehabilitation For a healthy ecosystem and environmental preservation, there is need for the management team of the site to put measures in place to stop such pollutions and environmental degradation. In the case of air pollution, the management team can ensure that the construction area is watered sparingly to reduce on the dust and dust particles emanating from the construction processes. In the case of toxic gas release, the management team is supposed to ensure that they employ technologies that consume the toxic gases or change the toxic gases into other safe gases or products. The engines or exhaust pipes of the construction machines and vehicles are supposed to be fitted with such technological equipment to help reduce toxic gas release into the atmosphere. There is also the need to direct rainwater from the construction site into a reservoir or dam for processing to remove impurities. Such water can also be purified and treated and then reused at the site. This will help reduce instances of poisoning of river water (Goodrich-Mahoney, Abrahamson & Ballard 2008). In the case of deposition of materials in the river, there is need for the construction management to device better ways of waste deposition and deposit such wastes to fallow land far away from the construction site (Goodrich-Mahoney, Abrahamson & Ballard 2008). Such wastes can also be used to fill quarrying sites. This will help to avoid instances of erosion of such waste into the rivers. Some wastes from the construction process can also be processed or recycled into better products and then reused in the construction process or sold to other people. There is also need for the construction engineers to know the type of waste products they are dealing with before devising a way of disposing. This will help them to dispose different waste products in the right manner (Gerrard & Foster 2008). To prevent the breaking of the continental rocks, there is need for the construction team to examine and asses if the excavation at the site will reach the bedrocks. The construction management team is then to device safe ways of excavating past the rocks or design a building that will not need deep excavation. This will help to prevent cracking of the continental rocks, which are very important in supporting the weight of the Australian continent. In the case of other precious stones and rocks occurring at the earth’s surface, there is need for such stones to be collected and put in other areas that are not under construction. A sample of such stones can also be put in museums for future reference (Gerrard & Foster 2008). The management team should also put in consideration the animals and plants living at the site prior to the construction. They are supposed to prevent clearing of such things as the forests and blockage of rivers or waterways. Tempering with such habitats might have adverse effects on the balance of the ecosystem. In addition to this, the management team is supposed to ensure that the building is well fenced during the construction and after the construction. This will help to prevent instances of scaring animals away. Scared animals can easily escape from the surrounding and disappear into faraway lands thus causing imbalance in the ecosystem (Gerrard & Foster 2008). The construction management team is also supposed to ensure that the construction does not cause changes to the climatic conditions of the place. They are supposed to prevent such things as clearance of trees and vegetation at the area as they change the climatic conditions of a place. After fencing their construction suite, the management team is supposed to ensure that the construction processes do not affect the life of the plants and animals in the surrounding areas. This will help maintain a healthy ecosystem around the area even after construction of the building (Mega 2010). On the acidic soils at the construction site, the construction team is supposed to test the soils at the construction site and identify the areas having acidic soils. Such acidic soils will need to be excavated keenly and then transported to other areas for disposing (Gerrard & Foster 2008). Such soils can be used to fill up open land surfaces such as quarrying sites or can be used buried under the ground to prevent them from forming acidic solutions when in contact with rainwater. The construction team can also deal with this issue by pouring an alkaline solution at the specific spots to enable reactions that will produce environmentally friendly products. In case of transportation of the acidic soils from the construction site, the construction team is supposed to ensure that an alkaline solution is poured on the remains to neutralize them (Mega 2010). In conclusion, construction of buildings and structure has many adverse effects to biophysical attributes. In order to maintain a balanced ecosystem, there is need to consider all biophysical attributes at the site of construction before commencing the construction. The management team is then supposed to put in place means that will help to reduce the effect of the construction on the biophysical attributes. This will help to build a healthy environment in which the inhabitants of the building under construction will live. It also helps to balance the ecosystem and thus encourage good weather and climatic conditions (Gerrard & Foster 2008). IV. References Ian H Bailey; Matthew Bell, LLB.; Catherine Bell; et al, 2011. Construction law in Australia. Pyrmont: Thomson Reuters (Professional) Australia. Stephen A Hess; American Bar Association. Forum on the Construction Industry.; et al, 2007. Design professional and construction manager law. Chicago: American Bar Association, Forum on the Constuction Industry. Attenbrow, V., 2010. Sydney's Aboriginal past: investigating the archaeological and historical records. Sydney: UNSW Press. Gerrard, M. & Foster, Simon, R., 2008. Law of environmental justice: theories and procedures to address disproportionate risks. Chicago: American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. Goodrich-Mahoney, James, W., Abrahamson, L. & Ballard, J., 2008. Environment Concerns in Rights-of-Way Management: 8th International Symposium. Burlington: Elsevier. Hyde, R. & Watson, S. Cheshire, W. and Thomson, M., 2007. The environmental Brief: Pathways for Green Design. Sydney: Taylor and Francis. M'Closkey, K., 2013. Unearthed: The Landscapes of Hargreaves Associates. Pennsylvania: University of Pennyslvania Press. Lonely Planet and Dragicevich, 2012. lonely Planet Sydney. Sydney: Lonely Planet Sydney. Koper, R 2009. Learning Network Services for professional development. Sydney: Springer. Mega, V 2010. Sustainable cities for the Third Millenium: The Odyssey of urban Excellence: The Sdyssey of Urban Excellence. Sydney: Springer. V. Marking criteria ENV2201 Land Studies Assignment 2 Marking Criteria: Student name: Student number: Section Marks allocated Student rating Examiner rating           1 Biophysical attributes       (a) Identification of the specific attributes affected by the development 20     (b) Detailed description of the characteristics for each attribute (including where appropriate features such as location, landscape variation, species types/number etc.) 80               2 Major degredation issues       (a) Identification of the nature and type of degradation likely for each biophysical attribute 20     (b) Discussion of the processes influencing the type, magnitude and/or timing of the degradation 40               3 Strategies for mitigation/rehabilitation       (a) Identification of strategies to mitigate or reduce degradation impacts on each biophysical attribute 30     (b) Explanation of the processes by which the proposed strategies will mitigate or reduce degradation 30               4 Communication skills       (a) Report format - must include assignment cover sheet, marking criteria sheet, title page, table of contents, list of references, glossary (optional), appendices (optional), structure/headings as appropriate 20     (b) Presentation (style, figures, maps, diagrams) 20     (c) English expression/sentence structure 20     (d) References (number, citations, completeness Harvard Style) 20       Total 300 /300 /300 Specific comments: Read More