PHYSICAL SCIENCEHuman Impacts

Bell Ringer

A human impact is an affect that we as humans have on the environment. Generally, this is negative. For discussion, write in your notebook:

1.) 3 specific negative impacts that humans have on the environment. Don’t just list the impacts, give examples and be able to explain. I’ll be calling on individuals at random to share.

Objectives For Today:

•Today’s essential questions:

1.) What negative effects do humans have on the environment

2.)How do we reduce the severity of these impacts?

Agenda•Bell Ringer

•Negative human impacts

•Tests back

TEST ANNOUNCEMENT!

•Congratulations to Colin Webster – the only student to get extra credit on his test for studying and using the test code “OSHKOSH2014”

•Once again, many people got zeroes on the ORQ for not following the instructions…

Human Impacts on the Environment

•Human impacts - the effects that people have on the environment that causes change

•Human impacts can be positive or negative, but they are overwhelmingly negative. We tend to be more destructive than constructive.

•Examples of Human Impacts:• Building a Nuclear Reactor for power, and then overheating causing nuclear meltdown

and death of surrounding area (Chernobyl, Fukishima)

• Creating materials that do not break down and releasing them into the environment

Human Impacts•Human Impacts are categorized in three ways:•Water Usage Impacts – EX: withdrawal of water from

aquifers (*ahem* looking at you, Florida), creation of dams and levees

•Land Usage Impacts–EX: urban development, agriculture, removal of wetlands

•Pollution Impacts – Ex: Smog, Algal blooms, Dead zones (not phones )

Water Usage Impacts•Water usage impacts stem from how we manipulate water for our benefit (usually at the expense of the ecosystem)

•Dams

•Levees

•Diversion of water for irrigation

Water Usage Impacts•Aral Sea 1989-2008

•Once the 4th largest lake on the planet.

•River waters diverted for agriculture

• So little water reached the sea that its salinity rose five-fold, killing most of its wildlife.

• The Daily Telegraph labelled it “one of the world’s worst environmental disasters”

Water Usage Impacts• Most of the water

siphoned off evaporated before reaching farmland.

• What is left is so polluted and salty that is it useless.

• The thriving fishing industry was decimated, bringing heavy unemployment and economic hardship to the surrounding communities.

Discussion Break

• As a table, discuss as many ideas as you can for specific Water Usage Impact problems and record those problems on your group work sheet.

• Feel free to use information from your bell ringer to build ideas.

• Your group will have 3 minutes to discuss with each other and record your ideas for sharing.

• At the end of class, your group will be responsible for explaining those problems to the class before stapling them to the board.

• Remember that we are looking for specific problems – Ex: Water held back by a dams can keep fish from spawning”

Land Usage Impacts•Land usage impacts stem from how we manipulate land for our benefit (usually at the expense of the ecosystem)

•Humans modify the land for:

•Urban development

•Agriculture

•Removal of wetlands

Land Usage Impacts• Amazon Rainforest

• The amazon rainforest produces 20% of the world’s oxygen

• In the past 40 years, 20% of the forest has been cut down (more than the previous 450 years combined.)

• 20% more is projected to be destroyed in the next two decades

• If this happens, the forest will cease to be self-sustaining and will die on its own.

Land Usage Impacts• SHORT SIGHTED GAINS

•Almost 75% of the land destroyed in the Amazon is for cattle ranching.

•The land is not well suited for cattle ranching and quickly dries out, forcing ranchers to burn and clear more forest.

Discussion Break

• As a table, discuss as many ideas as you can for specific Land Usage Impactsproblems and record those problems on your group work sheet.

• Feel free to use information from your bell ringer to build ideas.

• Your group will have 3 minutes to discuss with each other and record your ideas for sharing.

• At the end of class, your group will be responsible for explaining those problems to the class before stapling them to the board.

• Remember that we are looking for specific problems – Ex: Water held back by a dams can keep fish from spawning”

Pollution Impacts•Pollution impacts stem from how we abuse the planet by placing unnatural burdens on its ecosystems that they are not equipped to handle.

•Air pollution – Smog

•Water pollution – Dead Zones

•Land pollution – Landfills

Pollution Impacts• SUPERFUND Sites

• In 1980, so many hazardous waste sites were sitting and harming the public that the government created a program that forced negligent companies to fix their messes on their own dime.

• There are superfund sites in Jefferson and Oldham counties

Pollution Impacts• This is a picture of smog in

Shanghai.

• Smog has become such a problem in Shanghai that schools now have “smog days”

• Short term exposure to smog makes breathing difficult and makes lungs susceptible to infection

• Long term exposure to high smog levels can lead to heart and lung disease

Discussion Break

• As a table, discuss as many ideas as you can for specific Pollution Impacts problems and record those problems on your group work sheet.

• Feel free to use information from your bell ringer to build ideas.

• Your group will have 3 minutes to discuss with each other and record your ideas for sharing.

• At the end of class, your group will be responsible for explaining those problems to the class before stapling them to the board.

• Remember that we are looking for specific problems – Ex: Water held back by a dams can keep fish from spawning”

Exit Slip

•Think about the various impacts that we talked about today.

•Which one are you most interested in solving? Is it one that you and your shoulder partner can agree on?