Q4-Unit 5:Human Impacts Review CFA

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

100

What is biodiversity?

variety of species (plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms) in an ecosystem and the genetic, species, and ecosystem-level variety.

200

Name two ecosystem services that healthy ecosystems provide for humans

Water purification, pollination of crops, air purification, soil formation and fertility, climate regulation, decomposition and nutrient cycling, flood control.

300

What is an invasive species and one negative effect it can have on native biodiversity?

 invasive species is a non-native organism introduced to an area that spreads and causes harm. 

Negative effect: outcompetes native species for resources, reduces native populations, disrupts food webs, or alters habitat.

400

Explain "resilience" in an ecosystem and give one factor that increases resilience.

Resilience is an ecosystem’s ability to return to or maintain stable conditions after disturbances. 

Factor that increases resilience: high biodiversity, habitat connectivity, intact trophic structure, or low levels of pollution.

500

Two design solutions are proposed to restore a wetland 

A: plant native vegetation B: build concrete drainage with filters). 

List one strength and one weakness for each solution regarding maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

• A: Plant native vegetation
  • Strength: Restores habitat and food sources, supports native species and increases biodiversity; improves natural water filtration and soil stabilization.
  • Weakness: May take longer to show results; requires ongoing maintenance and protection from invasive species; can be limited by existing contamination.
• B: Concrete drainage with filters
  • Strength: Quickly reduces standing water and can filter some pollutants, may be easier to engineer for flood control.
  • Weakness: Provides little habitat for native species, can fragment or degrade ecosystem services, may require costly maintenance and may not remove all contaminants; can reduce long-term biodiversity.

Human Population & Consumption

100

Define "per-capita consumption."

consumption is the average amount of a resource used by each person

200

Describe one short-term and one long-term environmental impact of increased human population.

• Short-term: Increased pollution (air or water), local habitat clearing for housing, immediate resource shortages.
• Long-term: Climate change from fossil fuel use, biodiversity loss, depletion of nonrenewable resources, soil degradation.

300

Using cause-and-effect, explain how increasing per-capita meat consumption can affect land use and freshwater supplies.

Example:

Increased meat consumption causes higher demand for livestock and feed crops; leads to more land converted to pasture or cropland (deforestation) and higher water use for irrigation and animal drinking/waste processing, reducing freshwater availability and harming habitats.

400

Provide two pieces of evidence you could use to construct an argument that human population growth impacts Earth’s systems.

graphs of human population vs. global CO2 emissions 

freshwater withdrawal rates correlated with population growth 

species extinctions or biodiversity indices alongside human population growth

500

short claim (one sentence) about population growth and resource use, and list two types of data you would need to support that claim.

• Example claim: "Increases in human population and per-capita resource use have led to greater depletion of freshwater resources and higher greenhouse gas emissions."
• Supporting data: (1) Per-capita and total freshwater withdrawal records over time for the region (2) CO2 emissions per year and population size over the same period (3) land-cover change maps or forest area statistics.

Distribution of Earth's Resources

100

one example of a nonrenewable resource.

Coal, oil, natural gas, metal ores (iron, copper)

200

Why are mineral and fossil fuel resources unequally distributed around Earth? (Name one geoscience process responsible.)

geologic processes create and concentrate resources in certain places

 plate tectonics and subduction zones concentrate metal ores via hydrothermal activity

burial of organic sediments (large swamps & wetlands) in certain basins created petroleum deposits  

300

What is an aquifer? Why can groundwater be considered a limited resource?

aquifer is a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater

Groundwater can be limited because recharge rates are often much slower than withdrawal rates (groundwater overdraft) (overconsumption)

so aquifers can be depleted faster than they refill.

400

Explain how plate tectonics can influence where metal ore deposits form.

Plate boundaries (like subduction zones) produce volcanic and hydrothermal activity that concentrates metals into ore deposits. Tectonic movement will  expose these deposits

plate movement controls where ore-forming processes occur.

500

Using "evidence", explain why oil deposits are found in some regions but not others. Include one past geologic process and one modern human impact on availability.

 Oil forms from the burial and heating of organic-rich marine sediments in sedimentary basins (past process)  only regions with the right depositional and tectonic history have oil 

 Modern human impact: extraction removes oil from reservoirs reducing local availability and can change pressure regimes; poor management can cause faster depletion and environmental damag

Global Temperature Factors

100

What is a greenhouse gas? Give one example

 A greenhouse gas is a gas in the atmosphere that traps outgoing infrared radiation and warms Earth's surface. 

Example: Carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4).

200

Name one human activity and one natural process that can change global temperatures

• Human activity: Burning fossil fuels (combustion), deforestation, industrial processes (cement production).
• Natural process: Volcanic eruptions (inject aerosols), changes in incoming solar radiation, ocean circulation variability.

300

If a graph shows atmospheric CO2 rising over the past century while global mean temperature also rises. What question would you ask  to clarify evidence that CO2 influences temperature?

 - "Does the timing and magnitude of CO2 increases relate to temperature changes after accounting for natural factors (like volcanic eruptions and solar variation)?"

- "What other data (e.g., radiative forcing estimates, paleoclimate records) support a link between them?"

400

Describe two types of evidence (quantitative) scientists use to evaluate factors affecting global temperatures over the past century.

temperature records 

atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration records 

global sea level rise 

 satellite radiative flux measurements

volcanic aerosol optical depth records

500

Propose one clarifying question about the role of volcanic activity in temperature change, and state what evidence would help answer it.

• Example question: "How have major volcanic eruptions affected global surface temperatures in the years following the eruption?"
• Evidence: Time-series of global temperature anomalies before and after major eruptions, volcanic aerosol optical depth or sulfate injection estimates, and records of solar irradiance to separate effects.

Monitoring & Minimizing Impact

100

Give one example of a method or tool scientists use to monitor human impact on land or water.

Remote sensing (satellite imagery/Google Earth time-lapse)

water-quality testing 

 automated sensors for temperature/oxygen 

biodiversity surveys

200

What is one engineered solution that can reduce fossil fuel use in a community?

Install solar panels or wind turbines; improve public transit and bike infrastructure; increase energy efficiency in buildings; electrify vehicle fleets combined with renewable electricity.

300

Describe a simple school-based monitoring plan to detect local water pollution from runoff. (how would you research any pollution in the water during a storm?) 

1. Select sampling locations upstream and downstream of the school’s runoff outlet.
2. Measure water turbidity (how clear the water is) and chemical concentration weekly after rainfall events for a month.
3. Record observations and compare upstream vs. downstream values to detect increases consistent with runoff pollution.
4. Analyze patterns and report results with recommended actions.

400

Identify two constraints (economic, social, or environmental) a community might face when choosing between restoration and technological fixes to protect a habitat.

• Economic constraint: High upfront cost of restoration or engineered structures; limited budget for long-term maintenance.
• Social constraint: Public opposition to land-use changes or relocation; differing stakeholder values/priorities.
• Environmental constraint: Limited availability of native plant stock, or severe contamination making restoration difficult.

500

Propose a monitoring-plus-mitigation (watching-plus-helping) plan to protect a local wetland threatened by nearby city development.

 Include: one monitoring (research) method, one mitigation (helping) action, and one way to examine success.

• Monitoring:
  • Test the water once a month for cloudiness (turbidity), nitrates/phosphates, and oxygen.
  • Do simple animal checks sometimes to count frogs and small water insects.

• Mitigation (how to fix the problem):

  • Plant a strip of native plants along the wetland edge and add bioswales (shallow planted ditches) to slow and clean runoff.
  • Reduce hard surfaces nearby (like extra pavement) and add places to hold stormwater.

• How to know it worked:

  • Compare water tests from before and after the changes for two years.
  • Success looks like lower pollution levels, more oxygen in the water, and the same or more frogs and helpful insects.