FORM 3 TEACHER’S GUIDE MODULE CODE

3. Topic Investigating the Biosphere I Module Code 3.0

3.3 Sub-topic Human Impacts to the Lesson code 3.3

Biosphere

Grade Level 7

Subject Integrated Science 1

Subject/Topic Human Impacts to the Biosphere

Time Frame 30 minutes

Target number of sessions 1 meeting

Resources/Materials needed Laptop/smart phone/table; notebook; pen

Components Tasks TA1

(min)
Target After completing this module, you are expected to be able to describe how human 1
activities impact the biogeochemical processes.

Hook Identify which of the following are renewable and nonrenewable resources. On 3
the spaces provided, write R for renewable resources and NR for nonrenewable
resources.
Coal Sunlight

Wind Petroleum

Geothermal Minerals

Ignite The human species have been living on Earth for approximately 2 million years 15
and have evolved to become the most intelligent and dominant organisms. Our
ancestors survived through hunting animals and gathering food and eventually
utilized the available resources to produce tools and create settlements. Human
civilizations became more complex as technology and innovations advanced. As
the global population rapidly grows, the exploitation and destruction of available
resources on Earth is inevitable.

Global Warming
Pollution is defined as the introduction of harmful substances (pollutants) to the
environment. Greenhouse gases are the gases present in the Earth’s atmosphere
that trap heat. These substances allow the heat of the sun to pass through the
atmosphere but does not permit the heat to leave Earth’s atmosphere. This would

1
Time allocation suggested by the teacher.

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then result in an increase in the global temperatures.

Greenhouse gases include:

a. Water vapor – the gaseous phase of water and the most abundant
greenhouse gas in the atmosphere
b. Carbon dioxide – come from natural processes such as volcanic eruptions
and also from manmade activities such as combustion of fossil fuels
c. Methane - released during the transport and production of coal, natural
gas, and oil, from livestock and other agricultural practices and by the
decay of organic waste in solid waste landfills
d. Nitrous oxide - emitted during agricultural and industrial processes,
burning of fossil fuels and solid waste, and during wastewater treatment
e. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - released from various industrial processes

Although these greenhouse gases can come from natural resources such as
volcanic eruptions, anthropogenic activities such as combustion of fossil fuels,
deforestation, crop cultivation, and agricultural activities have contributed high
volumes to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are essential to keep the Earth from
freezing but too much of these may lead to harmful global warming. As shown in
the figure below, carbon dioxide is the most abundant greenhouse gas emission
in the atmosphere.

Figure 1. The distribution of manmade greenhouse gases emissions in 2015.

Image copyright: United States Environmental Protection Agency (2017).
Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.
Earth had cooled and warmed in the past but the current rapid rise in the global
temperatures have been attributed to manmade activities. Global warming can
lead to adverse effects such as changes in the weather patterns, melting of glaciers
and ice sheets, and rise of sea level. The rapid melting of the polar ice caps and
glaciers have affected several flora and fauna which thrive in the cold temperature
areas. Loss of ice in the polar regions can displace animals such as polar bears,
penguins, seals, and others.

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 Figure 2. A starving polar bear scouring for food in an isolated cove in the
Canadian Arctic. Image copyright: Mittermeier, C. (2018). National
Geographic.

Carbon dioxide is also absorbed and dissolved in seawater. Dissolved carbon

dioxide is utilized by phytoplankton to facilitate photosynthesis. Too much
dissolved carbon dioxide, however, can lead to drastic changes in the oceans’
chemistry. This would lower the pH of seawater which would lead to ocean
acidification. Increased acidity of the oceans would greatly affect the population
of calcifying species such as sea urchins, oysters, and corals.

Warming and increasing acidity of the seawater will cause the corals to expel the
algae that provides nutrients making them turn completely white. This
phenomenon is called coral bleaching. This would not immediately kill the corals
but it increases its mortality as it is more susceptible to toxic algae and disease. If
the loss of algae and exposure to stress is prolonged, corals eventually die. This
would severely harm the marine ecosystem because coral reefs are known as the
“rainforest of the seas”. Coral reefs serve as habitat to many marine life, such as
fishes, sponges, clams, and many more.

Figure 3. Before (right picture) and after (left picture) coral bleaching. Image
copyright: The Ocean Agency. (2020). All coral reefs could die by the end of the
century, new research shows. Business Insider.

Solid Waste Production

Solid waste refers to all wastes produced by industrial manufacturers, factories,
agriculture, mineral extraction, and households. These wastes are supposed to go

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to landfills where they are disposed through incineration and environmental
dumping. Garbage stored there would decompose but at very, very slow rates.
Some types of plastics would take thousands of years to decompose. Solid wastes,
if not properly disposed of, would end up as pollutants in the environment.

Solid wastes release harmful gases, such as methane, when decomposed by

bacteria. This would usually occur in landfills with high amounts of moisture. Not
only would it contribute to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, it is also
dangerous to humans and animals when inhaled.

Figure 4. The Payatas sanitary landfill in Quezon City, Philippines. Image

copyright: arkibongbayan.org (2017, August 4). QC to shut down Payatas dump
site by yearend. Politiko Metro Manila.

Poor solid waste management can also lead to clogged waterways which would
often cause flooding in urban areas. Large volumes of solid wastes can also get
flushed into the oceans and damage aquatic habitats. Marine animals can mistake
plastic wastes as food and ingest them which can be harmful.

Figure 5. A deformed shell of a sea turtle stuck in a plastic ring. Image

copyright: Missouri Department of Conservation. (2015, May 27). Turtle Cut
Free From 6-Pack Rings is Unstoppable 20 Years Later. The Dodo.
Water Pollution
Water pollution is caused by industrial wastes, domestic wastes, agricultural
wastes, hazardous chemicals, and other wastes that are dumped in the bodies of
water. Dumping of chemicals and sewage sludge can also contribute to harmful
algal blooms. Algal blooms are the proliferation of the algal population in bodies
of water which may lead to insufficient oxygen budget for the marine flora and
fauna. These algae can also release toxins which can kill other organisms in the
aquatic ecosystem.

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 Figure 6. The green algae covering the shores of Boracay beaches. Image
copyright: Bollozos, W. (2018, April 25). Algae turn Boracay waters green.
Philstar.

Deforestation
Due to the growing global human population, the demand for space, food, and
other resources are also increasing. Deforestation is the permanent removal of
trees to convert an area into a non-forest use. Building of infrastructures, mining
and extraction of minerals, mechanized logging for lumber and other forest
products are some of the reasons why forests are being cleared.
Forests are considered the lungs of the Earth because they absorb large amounts
of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce oxygen in return. Forests are
also habitats to numerous organisms on Earth and sustain terrestrial ecosystems.
Deforestation greatly affects the biosphere because it displaces the animals that
live there. Slopes are also susceptible to erosion and landslides because of the
absence of trees that could have held the soil together.

Consumption of Energy Resources

There are two kinds of natural resources on Earth – the renewable resources and
the non-renewable resources. Renewable resources can be replenished in short
periods of time, like wind energy, solar energy, hydrothermal energy, and
geothermal energy. Non-renewable resources are those that cannot be replaced
at a rate which they are being consumed. Examples are coal, fossil fuels, and
petroleum.

Renewable energy resources are also known as clean energy because they do not
produce harmful by-products to the environment. Non-renewable resources,
however, like coal and petroleum, produce harmful substances such as carbon
dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. This would lead to an increase in the
amount of greenhouse gases and would eventually contribute to global warming.
Exposure to these harmful gases can also impose health risks to animals.

Until today, coal and fossil fuels are still utilized to generate electricity because
it is the least expensive among other energy resources.

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 Figure 7. Coal power plant in Limay, Bataan. Image copyright: GMA News.
(2017, January 27)
Knot SUMMARY:
● Several warming and cooling events without man made influence had been 3
recorded in the past, however, the present global warming is attributed to
human activities that produce greenhouse gas emissions.
● As the global human population grows exponentially, the demand for
resources, such as food and space, also increases. This also leads to an
increase in the solid waste production, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions,
and land conversion which harms the global ecosystems.

References:
1. Alam, P. (2013). Impact of Solid Waste on Health and the Environment. ResearchGate.

2. Cassese, T. (2010). Solid Waste Production. Retrieved from

http://kanat.jsc.vsc.edu/student/cassese/main.htm#:~:text=Solid%20waste%20refers%20to%2
0all,settings%20(DEC%2C%202010).&text=Most%20of%20what%20is%20being,%2C%20f
ood%20scraps%2C%20and%20plastics.

3. Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis. (2000). Human Impact on the Biosphere.
IUPUI Department of Biology.

4. Khan Academy. (n.d.). Human impact on ecosystems. Amgen Foundation.

5. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2020). What is coral bleaching? National
Ocean Service.

6. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.) What is Ocean Acidification? PMEL
Carbon Group.

7. Riebeek, H. (2010). Global Warming. NASA Earth Observatory.

8. Smil, V. (n.d.) Harvesting the Biosphere: The Human Impact. Population and Development
Review. Retrieved from http://www.vaclavsmil.com/wp-content/uploads/PDR37-
4.Smil_.pgs613-636.pdf

Prepared by Reviewed by: Approved by

MYRE ADRIENNE JADE F. GESULGA SUZETTE A. PALICTE ALICE C. MANUEL

Special Science Teacher I Special Science Teacher IV Special Science Teacher IV
PSHS-SRC PSHS-SMC PSHS-CVC

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