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IMPACTS ON THE ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE
1.) The Creation of Heat Island
Materials like concrete, asphalt, bricks, etc. absorb and reflect energy differently than vegetation and soil. Cities remain warm in the night when the countryside has already cooled.
2.) Changes in Air Quality
Human activities release a wide range of emissions into the environment including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, lead, and many other pollutants.
3.) Changes in Patterns of Precipitation
Cities often receive more rain than the surrounding countryside since dust can provoke the condensation of water vapor into rain droplets.
IMPACTS ON THE LITHOSPHERE AND LAND RESOURCES
1.) Erosion and other Changes in Land Quality
Rapid development can result in very high levels of erosion and sedimentation in river channels.
2.) Pollution
Pollutants are often dispersed across cities or concentrated in industrial areas or waste sites. Lead- based paint used on roads and highways and on buildings is one such example of a widely dispersed pollutant that found its way into soil. Burying tremendous amounts of waste in the ground at municipal and industrial dumps.
IMPACTS ON THE HYDROSPHERE AND WATER RESOURCES
1.) Flow of Water into Streams
Natural vegetation and undisturbed soil are replaced with concrete, asphalt, brick, and other impermeable surfaces. This means that, when it rains, water is less likely to be absorbed into the ground and, instead, flows directly into river channels.
2.) Flow of Water through Streams
Higher, faster peak flows change streams channels that have evolved over centuries under natural conditions. Flooding can be a major problem as cities grow and stream channels attempt to keep up with these changes.
3.) Degraded Water Quality
The water quality has degraded with time due to urbanization that ultimately leads to increased sedimentation thereby also increasing the pollutant in run-off.
IMPACTS ON THE BIOSPHERE
1.) Modification of Habitats
The fertilizers that spread across lawns find its way into water channels where it promotes the growth of plants at the expense of fish. The waste dumped into streams lowers oxygen levels during its decay and causes the die-off of plants and animals.
2.) Destruction of Habitats
There is also complete eradication of habitats as an outcome of urbanization and native species are pushed out of cities.
3.) Creation of New Habitats
New habitats are also created for some native and non-native species. Cities also create habitats for some species considered pests, such as pigeons, sparrows, rats, mice, flies and mosquitoes. Urbanization has, for example, eliminated many bat colonies in caves, but has provided sites such as bridges for these species to nest.
Effects of Urbanization and Industrialization can be seen through this Factors
Rainfall Erosivity Factor - the kinetic energy of raindrop's impact and the rate of associated runoff.
Soil Erodibility Factor - a measure of the susceptibility of soil particles to detachment and transport by rainfall and runoff.
Topographic Factor - Topographic factor of a particular region influences the animals and plants living there. Weather, soil factor and topographic factor are the inorganic components of an ecosystem.
Crop and Management Factor
The cropping factor used to estimate the relative effectiveness of the practice to retard soil loss when compared to a continuously tilled field.
The management factor is an estimation of the effect of conservation practices in reducing soil loss.
Erosion Control Practice Factor - It is the ratio of soil loss with a given surface condition to soil loss with up-and-down-hill plowing.
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