Transcript Dynamic Planet- Sub unit 3 Battle for the Biosphere

Dynamic Planet- Sub unit 3
Battle for the Biosphere
3.2a How have humans
impacted the biosphere?
To understand that the biosphere is being degraded
by human actions
What are the potential impacts of pollution and
climate change on the biosphere- Rainforests and
tundra
• Watch the video clip, list all the ways the rainforest
is being destroyed
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Gjz5vNwro
What are the impacts of pollution and
Climate Change on rainforests?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7gpAy4ivZ0&feat
ure=related identify the impacts on people and the
environment of Climate change in the Amazon
• This situation is a vicious cycle- if you cut down trees
you release the stored carbon into the atmosphere
adding to greenhouse gases- leading to a warming
climate- leading to changes in the forest
• If trees are removed, the hydrological cycle is
affected as trees return 50% of rainfall back to
clouds- less trees means less rain returns to the
clouds so less falls- reducing amounts of rain that
trees need to function
Tasks
• In pairs or small groups, prepare a speech to highlight
the impacts of climate change on tropical rainforests
• Use the 2 articles you have been given to give you
ideas about what to include
• You have 15 minutes to prepare your speech
What are the impacts of pollution and Climate Change
on the Tundra?
• Climate scientists also worry that permafrost in the Arctic tundra will
thaw, releasing enormous amounts of CO2 and methane gas into the
atmosphere. According to Field, the most critical, short-term concern is
the release of CO2 from decaying organic matter that has been frozen
for millennia. "The new estimate of the total amount of carbon that's
frozen in permafrost soils is on the order of 1,000 billion tons," he said.
"By comparison, the total amount of CO2 that's been released in fossil
fuel combustion since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution is
around 350 billion tons. So the amount of carbon that's stored in these
frozen soils is truly vast."
• Much of the carbon is locked up in frozen plants that were buried under
very cold conditions and have remained in deep freeze for 25,000 to
50,000 years, he added. "We know that the Arctic is warming faster
than anyplace else," he said. "And there is clear evidence that these
frozen plants are very susceptible to decomposition when the tundra
thaws. So melting of permafrost is poised to be an even stronger foot
on the accelerator pedal of atmospheric CO2, with every increment of
warming causing an increment of permafrost-melting that shoots an
increment of CO2 into the atmosphere, which in turn increases warming.
Outline the impacts of Climate change on the Tundra biome
What are the impacts of pollution and Climate
Change on Coral Reefs?
Task
•
1)
2)
3)
•
Produce a fact sheet about coral reefs, include
information aboutWhere they are located
Describe what they are
Describe how they are being destroyed
Use the information you have been given to help you