Impact on Land
What is a natural resource?
Something from Earth that living things use to meet their needs.
What are the two main ways humans use water?
Power plants and agriculture
What are three main sources of air pollution?
Mobile source (cars, buses, tractors, planes, and trains), Stationary (power plants and factories), Area (agricultural and cities), and Natural (wind-blown dust, wildfires, and volcanoes)
What is climate change?
Can include global trends in warming, cooling, precipitation, wind directions, and other related measures over a long period of time.
What is pollution?
What are the three main ways we protect our land and runoff into water systems?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and compost.
What is a main way land pollution pollutes Earth's water sources?
Runoff reenters oceans and rivers, or it can seep into the ground.
How does acid precipitation impact Earth's environment?
Pollutes the soil, harms trees/ other plants, and gets into water sources that harms fish and other organisms.
What is the greenhouse effect and what are measures to control greenhouse gases?
It is the natural process that occurs when certain gases in the atmosphere absorb and reradiate thermal energy from the Sun. Control by limiting energy use, compost, recycle, reduce burning of fossil fuels (ie. cars), and plant trees/ other plants.
What is urbanization?
The development of land for houses and other buildings near a city.
What are three human activities that impact Earth's land?
Deforestation, Agriculture, Urbanization, and Waste Disposal
What happens to the ground after a drought or excessive use of groundwater?
The ground collapses from the lack of support and sinkholes are created.
Carbon Dioxide/ Monoxide is one of the major air pollutants, how does it enter the atmosphere and how can we minimize it?
Enters through the burning of fossil fuels and volcanoes/ wildfires. Can be minimized by reducing our burning of fossil fuels and addition of plants.
How does glacier melt occur and what impact does it have on Earth's environment?
Due to warming temperatures globally, ice sheets and glaciers are melting. Causes sea levels to rise, loss of habitats in artic regions, warming waters, and coral bleaching in oceans.
What is conservation?
The careful use of Earth's materials to reduce damage to the environment.
When managing our land resources, how do humans positively impact the land?
Reforestation, reclamation, and creation of green spaces.
There is a large collection of garbage in the ocean famously names The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, what is the main contaminate in this Patch and how can we reduce this pollution?
Plastic and reduce, reuse, or recycle
What is photochemical smog?
Caused when nitrogen and carbon compounds in the air react in sunlight.
What are three alternative human activities to reduce the rise in temperatures globally?
Use of solar energy, reduce, reuse, recycle, reduction in burning fossil fuels, etc.
What is the main cause for the major changes on the Earth's land, water, and atmosphere?
Human activities
When an area is deforested for a different land use, what impact does this have on an area?
Change in biodiversity from the loss of habitat, soil erosion, and increase in carbon dioxide and Earth's average surface temperatures
If Earth's surface is approximately 75% covered in water, why is water considered a precious resource?
About 3% of Earth's water is freshwater or available for consumption and irrigation.
What is a law that was passed to regulate air pollution and what is one thing it established?
Clean Air Act; established national air quality standards and emission standards for motor vehicles
What are the main extreme weather events that have been occurring due to climate change?
There is an increase in heat waves, drought, and heavy precipitation. Might include hurricanes and tornadoes.
What is biodiversity?
It is the number of different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms on Earth.