For other uses, see point source (disambiguation).
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 (such as nonpoint source or area source). The sources are called point sources because in mathematical modeling, they can be approximated as a mathematical point to simplify analysis.[1] 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)[2]
Water pollution from factories, power plants, municipal sewage treatment plants and some farms (see concentrated animal feeding operation).[3] The U.S. Clean Water Act also defines municipal separate storm sewer systems and industrial stormwater discharges (such as construction sites) as point sources.[4]
Noise pollution from a jet engine[5][6]
Disruptive seismic vibration from a localized seismic study[7]
Light pollution from an intrusive street light[8]
Radio emissions from an interference-producing electrical device
^van Leeuwen, C.J. (2010). Risk Assessment of Chemicals: An Introduction, 2nd Ed. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-6101-1.
^Stähler, Simon; Hosseini, Kasra; Zhang, Ran; Sigloch, Karin (2014). "Estimating the uncertainty of seismic point source solutions". Conference: EGU General Assembly 2014, held 27 April - 2 May, 2014 in Vienna, Austria, id.9911.
^"Light Pollution Sources". Night Skies. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
and 28 Related for: Point source pollution information
A pointsource of pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution. A pointsource has negligible extent, distinguishing...
of pollution is often the cumulative effect of small amounts of contaminants gathered from a large area. It is in contrast to pointsourcepollution which...
Area sources are sources of pollution which emit a substance or radiation from a specified area. For example, area sources of air pollution are air pollutant...
would otherwise provide. Sources of water pollution are either pointsources or non-pointsources. Pointsources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm...
plume of pollutionSources of various types of pollution are often considered as pointsources in large-scale studies of pollution. Line source Dirac delta...
interests. The pollution may come from a variety of sources, ranging from pointsource water pollution (from a single discharge point) to more diffuse...
Pointsource water pollution comes from discrete conveyances and alters the chemical, biological, and physical characteristics of water. In the United...
pollution long after the source of the pollution is stopped. Major forms of pollution include air pollution, water pollution, litter, noise pollution...
2019). For point-sourcepollution: Do not produce the pollutants. If produced, remove at source as soon as possible. If not removed at source, use barriers...
discrete point, elongated light tubes, certain dose models in medical physics and electromagnetic antennas. While pointsources of pollution were studied...
economy by damaging fisheries, agricultural industries, and tourism. Point-sourcepollution occurs when pollutants enter a waterway directly. This could be...
Nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution regulations are environmental regulations that restrict or limit water pollution from diffuse or nonpoint effluent...
(located away from a surface water body) may not create point or non-pointsourcepollution but can contaminate the aquifer below, creating a toxic plume...
nutrients, usually nitrogen or phosphorus, stimulate algal growth. Sources of nutrient pollution include surface runoff from farm fields and pastures, discharges...
Challenges and Strategies Managing Non-PointSourcePollution and "Hot Spots" The management of non-pointsourcepollution and identification of "hot spots"...
of animal wastes. Nonpoint sourcepollution includes sediment runoff, nutrient runoff and pesticides. Pointsourcepollution includes animal wastes, silage...
lighting sources, during the day or night. Light pollution can be understood not only as a phenomenon resulting from a specific source or kind of pollution, but...
eutrophication include minimizing pointsourcepollution from sewage and agriculture as well as other nonpoint pollutionsources. Additionally, the introducution...
leakage from landfills. Pointsourcepollution occurs when water pollution contamination comes from a single source. Pointsources could include leaking...
inside natural environment for animals and plants, sensors, non-pointsourcepollution and animal manure management. A biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles...
particles can find their way into rivers via nonpoint-sourcepollution or through larger point-sourcepollution events such as Hurricane Florence in 2018. The...
contamination in a river can come from a pointsource or non-pointsourcepollution. The most common types of surface water pollution are agriculture, sewage and waste...
pollution are also sources of greenhouse emission i.e., burning of fossil fuel. Air pollution is a significant risk factor for a number of pollution-related...
impacts pollution has in impairing the quality of the landscape, formed from compounding sources of pollution to create the impairment. Visual pollution disturbs...
local and national agencies that are involved in point and non-pointsourcepollution control. In this context, integrated coastal management (ICM) comes...