Transcript Chapter 6

THE ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER 6
 Standard 2: Students know and
understand the characteristics and
structure of living things, the processes of
life, and how living things interact with
each other and their environment.
 Concepts and skills to master:
2. The size and persistence of populations depend
on their interactions with each other and on the
abiotic factors in an ecosystem.
21st Century Skills and Readiness competencies:
1. When the matter or energy flow in an ecosystem
is disturbed, there are measurable effects such
as the eutrophication of water.
Vocabulary
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Fossil fuel
Acid rain
Global warming
Greenhouse effect
Erosion
Deforestation
Biodiversity
Extinction
Recycling
Ecotourism
 Video: approximately
118 minutes
An Interconnected Planet
 It is estimated that the
World’s Biggest Garbage Dump (7:09)
human population will
reach 10 billion before it
stabilizes.
 As humans are a part of
the environment, they
can affect the resilience
of the environment.
 Earth is an
interconnected planet
where we depend on the
environment and the
environment is affected
by our actions.
Resources
 Renewable resources are
natural resources that
can be replaced at the
same rate they are used.
Examples are water,
solar energy, and trees.
 Nonrenewable resources
are formed at a rate
much slower than the
rate at which they are
consumed. Examples
are fossil fuels, coal and
natural gas.
 How are fossil fuels
formed?
The Cost of Recycling (12:10)
The Environment and Health
 Pollution and
habitat destruction
destroy the
resources we need
to live, such as the
air we breathe, the
water we drink, and
the food we eat.
 Quiz # 1.
Waterborne diseases (1:45)
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: AIR
POLLUTION
 Air pollution causes
respiratory problems
for people, results in
acid rain, damages the
ozone layer, and may
affect global
temperature.
 Global warming is the
gradual increase in the
average global
temperature.
Environmental Protection Agency (2:12)
Pollution control technicians (6:00)
 Acid rain is precipitation that
has an unusually high
concentration of sulfuric or
nitric acids, caused by
pollution.
 The greenhouse effect is the
warming of the surface and
lower atmosphere by
greenhouse gases such as CO2
and H2O.
 Global warming is the gradual
increase in the Earth’s average
global temperature.
Energy and our environment (24:00)
Water Pollution
 Water pollution can
come from fertilizers
and pesticides used in
agriculture, livestock
farms, industrial waste,
oil runoff from roads,
septic tanks, and
unlined landfills.
Water Quality (5:00)
Eutrophication
 The process
where excess
nutrient
(usually
nitrates and
phosphates
through
fertilizers or
sewage) cause
an increase
(bloom) in
phytoplankton
(algae) in a
water body.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/
media/supp_estuar09b.html
Environmental effects of
Eutrophication:
 Toxic or inedible
phytoplankton species
Negative
environmental
effects
 Decreases in water transparency (increased
include:
turbidity)
 Color, smell, and water treatment problems
 Dissolved oxygen depletion (When the algae die,
decomposers deplete the available oxygen
during decomposition, which causes reductions
in specific fish and other animal populations)
 Increased incidences of fish kills
 Loss of desirable fish species
 Reductions in harvestable fish and shellfish
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur under eutrophic conditions. Although these
organisms are not harmful in small quantities and exist naturally, they grow at
rapid rates when eutrophication occurs. When fish and shellfish feed on HABs,
they ingest toxins that the algae produce. If people eat this seafood, they can
become sick.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/pollution/media/supp_pol010c.html
Soil Damage
 Soil erosion happens
when topsoil is worn
away and transferred
to other places. It
destroys fertile soil
needed to produce
food.
 Roots from plants and
trees help hold soil
together and protect it
from erosion.
Dust Bowl (6:00)
Soil Conservation
 Sustainable agricultural
practices can help
conserve fertile soil.
Terracing converts steep
land to flat steps to stop
gravity from eroding soil,
and cover crops like
soybeans, restore
nutrients to the soil.
 Crop rotation slows
down nutrient depletion
and contour plowing
creates rows that act like
a series of dams.
Soil Conservation (2:30)
Ecosystem Disruption
 Ecosystem disruption can
Rain forest exploitation (19:06)
result in loss of
biodiversity, food supplies,
potential cures for
diseases, and the balance
of ecosystems that
supports all life on Earth.
 Over the last 50 years, ½
the rain forests have been
cut down for timber,
pastureland, or farmland
in the process of
deforestation.
Biodiversity, Invasive Species, Extinction
 Biodiversity is the variety
of organisms in a given
area.
 Invasive species are
nonnative species that
are introduced to an
ecosystem either
intentionally or
unintentionally.
 Extinction is the death of
every member of a
species. Extinction is
forever.
 Quiz # 2.
Understanding Biodiversity (17:00)
Environmental Solutions
 Conservation involves
protecting existing
natural habitats.
Conservation/Resource Management (3:24)
 Rest0ration involves
cleaning up and
restoring damaged
habitats.
Coastal Restoration (3:50)
Reduce Human Impact and Resource Use
 Reduce use of resources,
such as water and fossil
fuels for energy.
 Reuse goods like plastic
bags and utensils, or
better yet, use things
that are not disposable.
 Recycling saves energy—
recycled aluminum uses
95% less energy than
mining it out f the Earth
and prevents pollution.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3:42)
Technology
 Research and technology
can protect our
environment by providing
cleaner energy sources,
better ways to deal with
waste, and improved
methods for cleaning up
pollution.
 Hybrid cars and scrubbers
that reduce sulfur
emissions from industrial
smokestacks are examples
of helpful technology.
Researching solutions
 The cause of an environmental
problem must be identified before
a solution can be found .
 Using the scientific method,
solutions include costs, risks and
benefits of implementing a
solution.
 Mario Molina (born in Mexico City
in 1943) is the scientist who
researched CFCs and their effect on
the ozone layer. His research
convinced the nations of the world
to limit the use of CFCs.
 In 1995 he received the Nobel
Peace Prize for his work with CFCs.
To learn more about him go to:
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_p
rizes/chemistry/laureates/1995/moli
na-autobio.html
Mario Molina (5 min)
Environmental Awareness
(chemical use
and the environment (19:00 minutes)
 In 1962, biologist Rachel
Rachel Louise Carson
(May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964)
Carson’s book, Silent Spring
made millions of people aware
of the dangers of pesticides
and led to the restriction on the
use of the pesticide DDT
(dichlorodiphenyltrichloroetha
ne).
 To learn more:
http://www.rachelcarson.org/
 Quiz # 3
Advocacy and Ecotourism
 Education makes people
more aware of
environmental issues
and shows people how
they can help address
such issues. Expressing
support, or advocating,
for efforts to protect the
environment can help
get more people
involved in these efforts.
Costa Rica Eco-Tourism (3:36)
Planning for
the Future
 Opened as a "temporary
landfill" in 1947, The Fresh
Kills Landfill covers 2200
acres, can be seen with the
naked eye from space and is
taller then the Statue of
Liberty, at a height of 225 ft.
It is situated on the western
shore of Staten Island and is
made up of four sections
which contain fifty plus years
of landfill, mostly in the form
of household waste.
 It was closed in 2001 but used
after 9/11 to sort through
debris.
 Quiz # 4
Fresh Kills
Landfill (3:38)