Transcript north carolina Powerpoint

North Carolina
Objective: Understand How is North Carolina
affected by human activity?
Catalysthttp://video.nationalgeographic.
com/video/news/7-billion/ngm7billion
Global Warming
• CO2 comes from
burning fossil fuels
in power plants,
factories, and cars.
• CH4 comes from
bacteria in landfills
and livestock
Global Warming
• Effects: with just a
small increase in
temperature, such as
2-4 degrees Celsius,
weather patterns
change worldwide.
Global Warming
• Polar ice caps may
melt and thermal
expansion occurs,
flooding coastal cities
and contaminating
drinking water with
saltwater.
Beach erosion in North Carolina
• Sea level is directly
related to global
climate.
• In North Carolina, the
sea level increase is
twice the global
average.
Beach erosion in North Carolina
• Rising sea levels lead
to beach erosion.
• Severe storms also
increase erosion.
• The incidence of
severe storms is
increasing as a result
of global climate
change.
Beach erosion in North Carolina
• Coastal residents
attempts to prevent
beach erosion to
protect property,
leading to negative
environmental
consequences to
ocean ecosystems.
Acid Rain
• Cause: harmful
emissions from cars
and factories react
with oxygen and
water to make
precipitation more
acidic - with a pH less
than 5.6
Acid rain in North Carolina
Mountains
• Red spruce and
Frasier fir trees in the
mountains are dying
as a result of acid rain,
damaging the
ecosystem
Acid rain in North Carolina
Mountains
• The mountains are greatly
impacted by acid rain
caused largely by
pollutants from
Tennessee.
• The soil has a low
buffering capacity and
acid fog continuously
surrounds the trees
making the damage more
profound.
Water Quality
• Cause: sources of water
pollution often being on
land, such as oil from cars,
sediments from naked
land, and fertilizers from
lawns.
• Other sources include
illegal chemical dumping,
acid rain, overheated
water from power plants,
and raw sewage.
Water Quality
• Effects: a lack of clean
drinking water is a
leading cause of disease
(such as cholera,
dysentery, typhoid).
• Water pollution also
affects many
ecosystems through
habitat destruction
Waste lagoons on North
Carolina Hog Farms
• There are approximately
7 million hogs on
industrial farms in NC,
most in eastern NC, which
is a flood-prone coastal
plain.
Waste lagoons on North
Carolina Hog Farms
• Industrial farms raise
thousands of animals in
small space, producing
TONS of waste.
• The waste is stored in
lagoons, but may run-off,
leak, or spill into surface
water with rainfall.
Waste lagoons on North
Carolina Hog Farms
• The sewage in the surface
water leads to high levels
of disease-causing
bacteria such as E.coli,
oxygen-depleting organic
matter, and
hormones/antibiotics
used in feed.
Waste lagoons on North
Carolina Hog Farms
• Also, nitrogen run-off
from the waste may
contribute to outbreaks of
Pfisteria, a single-celled
alga that produces a
deadly neurotoxin.
 Massive fish kills have
resulted, along with
health problems in
fishermen and other
exposed.
Causes of biodiversity loss
• Habitat destruction such
as deforestation,
fragmentation, and
pollution of aquatic
ecosystems leads to loss
of biodiversity.
• In NC, urban development
in the Piedmont has led to
biodiversity loss due to
building of houses and
city structures
Causes of biodiversity loss
• Forests are fragmented breaking up a large
forested area into smaller
zones due to construction
• Clearing land for
development leads to soil
erosion which ultimately
leads to water pollution
• An increase in paved
surfaces such as asphalt
and concrete lead to
increased water run-off
and pollution
What can you do to protect
the environment?
• Awareness!
• Each human impacts
the environment, and
because our
population is large we
have an ENORMOUS
impact at the global
level.
What can you do to protect
the environment?
• “We cannot all do
everything, but we
can all do something”
• Specific suggestions:
• Reduce dependence
on fossil fuels
(Example - car pool,
support “green
power”)
What can you do to protect
the environment?
• Recycle whenever
possible
• Limit use of toxic
chemicals at home
• Consumer choices support “green”
businesses/products
• Practice good
stewardship:
responsible planning
and management of
resources