Human Impact WebQuest

How do human activities affect the biosphere?

Climate change- http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
1. What is climate change?
Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns

2. What are the major types of physical evidence for climate change?

Global temperature
sea level is rising

http://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate-time-machine
3. This series of visualizations shows how some of Earth’s key climate indicators are changing over time. Click
on each indicator, drag the toolbar, and record your general observations.

a. Sea Ice
It cover the part
b. Carbon Dioxide
When it got to 2022 it went red
c. Sea Level
Most of land got covered in water
d. Global Temperatures

It was warmer at top

https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climatechange/climate-change-basic-information_.html

4. How much has Earth’s temperature changed over the past century?

The average temperature has risen by 1.5 f over the past century
5. How much is it projected to rise over the next century?

Weather and climate

6. Define Global Warming:
Refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near earth's
surface
7. Define Climate Change:

Refers to any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended
period of time

8. What are four changes in weather and climate that have occurred?

Temperature, Precipitation, Wind patterns and other effects

9. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are not bad. In fact, they are necessary or our world would be
too cold to live in! So what’s the problem? Summarize the connection between human activities and climate
change.

Human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere

Human Population Growth - http://worldpopulationhistory.org/map/1/mercator/1/0/25/

Adjust the simulation by using the top right hand box to change the date and answer the following questions.
10. What was the world population in 1800?
913,000,000
11. What was the world population in 1950?
2,499,320,00
12. What is the world population today?
8,045,310,000
13. What is the expected world population in 2050?
9,709,490,000
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/31/141816460/visualizing-how-a-population-grows-to-7-billion
14. Why has the human population continued to grow so rapidly?

The result of high birth rates

15. What three things do we need to manage for the human population keep growing

The rates of fertility and population have started to slow down

Ozone Depletion
http://envis.tropmet.res.in/kidscorner/ozone.htm

16. What is ozone?

Is a natural gas that is found in two different layers of the atmosphere

17. Why is the ozone layer important to life on Earth?

It filters out most of the sun's harmful UV radiation

18. What is ozone depletion?

Reduction in the concentration of ozone in the ozone layer

19. What causes ozone depletion?

When chlorofluorocarbons and halons gases formerly found in aerosol spray cans and refrigerants are
released into the atmosphere
20. How does ozone depletion impact human health?

Increases in certain types of skin cancers

Natural Resources- https://youtu.be/PLBK1ux5b7U

21. Define Renewable resources

A renewable resource can be replaced at the same rate in which the resource is used

22. Give examples of renewable resources

Wind power, solar power

23. Define Non renewable resource

Is a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate that it is consumed

24. Give examples of non- renewable resources

Coal, oil

http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=renewable_home
. 25. What are the three energy sources most frequently consumed by the US?

Petroleum, natural gas, renewable energy

26. Why don’t we use more renewable energy?

It is so high

Deforestation
http://kids.mongabay.com/lesson_plans/lisa_algee/deforestation.html
27. What is deforestation?
The action of clearing a wide area of trees
28. List the causes of deforestation.
Logging, mining, oil and gas extraction, cattle ranching, cash crops

29. What are the environmental consequences associated with deforestation?

Climate change

Biodiversity- https://www.amnh.org/research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/what-is-biodiversity

30. What is biodiversity?

To the variety of life on earth at all its levels

 31. Why is Biodiversity important? It provides to humans

Utilitarian- Food, fuel, shelter, medicine

Intrinsic- To its inherent worth

32. What are the major threats to Biodiversity?

Humans

33. What is the underlying causes of these threats?

Growing human population and overconsumption

Pollution- http://kidsresearchexpress-3.blogspot.com/2009/04/types-of-pollution.html

34. Distinguish between point-source and nonpoint source pollution.

Point source pollution is easy to identify and nonpoint is harder to identify

35. Explain how DDT does not immediately harm birds.

DDT alter the bird's calcium metabolism in a way that results in thin eggshells

36. Click on each of the 6 types of pollution, summarize and discuss environmental issues

They are all harmful to the world