Section 7-3: Measuring and Responding to Change

The atmosphere is a common resource whose quality has direct

effects on health.
• The atmosphere provides organisms with the oxygen needed for
cellular respiration.
• It contains the greenhouse gas layer, which helps to regulate
global temperature, allowing life on earth to exist.

The atmosphere contains the ozone layer, that absorbs the harmful
UV rays from sunlight and protects us and other organisms from
harm (ex. prevents skin cancer in humans).
• Chemicals called CFCs created a thinning of the ozone layer,
• An international agreement called the Montreal Protocol
banned the use of CFCs and allowed the hole to repair itself.
 
 Air Pollution
Common forms of air pollution include smog, acid rain, and the
increase of greenhouse gases.
Smog
Smog is a mixture of chemicals that occurs as a
gray-brown haze in the atmosphere.
• Smog is caused by automobile exhausts and
industrial emissions (burning fossil fuels).
• Smog threatens the health of people,
especially those with respiratory conditions.

Acid Rain
Burning fossil fuels also releases sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides
into the atmosphere. These compounds combine with water vapor in
the air and form acid rain.
• Acid rain can kill plants by damaging their leaves and their roots.
• Aquatic organisms may be killed by the lowering of pH (increasing
the acidity) of freshwater systems.
Climate change is defined as measurable long-term changes
in average of temperature, clouds, winds, precipitation, and the
frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods,
major storms, and heat waves.
• The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases.
• An increase of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide
and methane, traps more heat in the lower atmosphere and
causes global warming, which leads to climate change.
Small changes in climate can effect
organisms and ecosystems. Since
each organism’s geographic range
is determined by its range of
tolerance, if conditions change
beyond that tolerance, an
organism must adapt, move to a
more suitable location, or face
extinction.
Section 7-4: Sustainability
Using resources in ways that preserve ecosystem services is
called sustainability.
• Sustainable development should provide for human needs
while preserving ecosystem services.
• It should cause no long-term harm to soil, water, and climate.
• It should consume as little energy and material as possible.

Sustainable development focuses on careful use of renewable

resources. A renewable resource can be produced or replaced
by a healthy ecosystem.
• A new tree can grow in place of a tree that dies or is cut down.
• Another example is drinkable water, such as the water
provided naturally in streams, rivers, lakes, or groundwater.
• Electricity generated from moving water (hydroelectricity),
wind turbines, or solar power are renewable energy
resources.
A nonrenewable resource is one that cannot be replenished by
natural processes within a reasonable amount of time.
• Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas are nonrenewable
resources.
• Metallic and nonmetallic minerals are also nonrenewable.
• When existing deposits of these resources are depleted, they will
be gone forever!
A switch from using fossil fuels
to using renewable energy
resources is the most important
way to reduce air pollution and
the risk of global climate
change:
• Solar energy
• Wind energy
• Hydropower
• Geothermal energy
• Biomass