Anthropogenic

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Sources

Industry

• Release of gases and dust into the atmosphere, leading to global warming
  Global warming
  
  Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
  .
• Waste disposal practices.
• Air pollution
  Air pollution
  
  Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment, into the Earth's atmosphere....
  , water pollution
  Water pollution
  
  Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities, which can be harmful to organisms and plants that live in these water bodies....
  , light pollution
  Light pollution
  
  Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive or obtrusive artificial light. The International Dark-Sky Association , "The Light Pollution Authority," defines light pollution as: It obscures the stars in the night sky for city dwellers, interferes with astronomy observatory, and, like an...
  .

Agriculture

• Conversion of woodlands into fields and pastures including slash-and-burn techniques.
• Diversion of surface and groundwater.
• Ground water salinization due to inadequate drainage.
• Pollution of soil and water by chemicals found in fertilizer
  Fertilizer
  
  Fertilizers are chemical compounds given to plants to promote growth; they are usually applied either through the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar feeding, for uptake through leaves....
   and pesticide
  Pesticide
  
  A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest .A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest ....
  s.
• dirty or unclean water

Botany

• The human alteration of plants by breeding, selection, genetic engineering and tissue fusion (see cultigen
  Cultigen
  
  A cultigen is a plant that has been deliberately altered or selected by humans; it is the result of artificial selection. These "man-made" or anthropogenic plants are, for the most part, plants of commerce that are used in horticulture, agriculture and forestry....
  )

Mining

• Removal of topsoil and creation of spoil piles.
• Diversion of groundwater by mine
  Mining
  
  Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
   shafts.
• Surface runoff
  Surface runoff
  
  Surface runoff is the water flow which occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources flows over the land....
   bearing mining wastes.
• Release of air pollution
  Air pollution
  
  Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment, into the Earth's atmosphere....
   by refining
  Refining
  
  Refining is the process of purification of a chemical compound. The term is usually used of a natural resource that is almost in a usable form, but which is more useful in its pure form....
   processes.

Construction

• Removal of natural habitat
  Habitat (ecology)
  
  A habitat is an ecological or Natural_environment area that is inhabited by a particular animal or plant species. It is the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds a species population....
  s by grading and building
• Diversion of groundwater
  Groundwater
  
  Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil porosity spaces and in the fractures of lithologic formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water....
  .
• Filling in marsh
  Marsh
  
  In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous flood . Typically the water is shallow and features Poaceaees, Juncaceaees, Phragmites, typhas, Cyperaless, and other herbaceous plants....
  es, bay
  Bay
  
  A bay is an area of water bordered by land on three sides. Bays generally have calm waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some ocean surface wave and often reducing winds....
  s, swamp
  Swamp
  
  A swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land, by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammock , or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation....
  s, pond
  Pond
  
  A pond is a body of water smaller than a lake, both being examples of terrain feature. Although the term pond is universally used to describe waterbodies that are smaller than lakes, an internationally recognised size cutoff has not yet been agreed, with values ranging from 2 hectares to 8 hectares used to distinguish the smaller from...
  s, stream bed
  Stream bed
  
  A stream bed is the channel bottom of a stream, river or creek; the physical confine of the normal water flow. The lateral confines or channel margins, during all but flood stage, are known as the stream banks or river banks....
  s.

Habitations

• Concentration of human activities in discrete zones.
• Concentration of waste products, sewage, and debris.
• Concentration of music.

Tracers