E NVIRONMENTAL HUMAN IMPACT
E N D
Presentation Transcript
ENVIRONMENTAL HUMAN IMPACT PP. 435-444
Hydrosphere: includes oceans, lakes, rivers, and water vapor • Atmosphere: mixture of gases surrounding the planet • Geosphere: rock interior • Biosphere: part of the earth where life (biota) exists
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY • Currently in a time of high biodiversity • Estimated by 2030, 20% of species will be gone • Rainforest biome contains 1/5 of the world’s species but is quickly disappearing ARROWS INDICATE MASS EXTINCTION
ECOSYSTEM DESTRUCTION • Biggest threat to biodiversity due to habitat destruction • Loss of biodiversity results in community instability
Invasive species are the second largest threat • An invasive species can out compete native species and often lack of natural predators in the area
GREENHOUSE AFFECT • The ability of our atmosphere to trap heat keeps our planet warm and habitable
Excess CO2 released from burning of fossil fuels • Possible correlation between temperature and CO2 levels • Adds to the “greenhouse” to trapping heat • Could affect amphibian/reptile development as well as weather and agriculture
HOLE IN THE OZONE LAYER • O3 (ozone) makes up the ozone in the upper atmosphere and blocks radiation • CFCs from refrigerators and propellants break down ozone • Localized in southern hemisphere and increases in size over time (especially OCT)
Entanglement: organisms become twisted in or caught in plastics • Ingestion: organisms eat plastics • Rafting Organisms: barnacles, sea anemones, and other “rafters” make their home on plastics.
bioaccumulation: pollutant from the environment enters the food chain through the lowest level • biomagnification: increase in concentration of a pollutant moving up the food chain
ACID RAIN • Burning of coal produces H2SO4 (sulfuric acid) and burning of gasoline produces HNO3 (nitric acid) • These pollutants enter the atmosphere to form acidic water (acid rain) • Some bodies of water can buffer the effects of acid rain • Animals and plants sensitive to pH changes suffer the most
RUNOFF • Eutrophication is the enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients containing nitrogen or phosphorus. • Eutrophication can lead to harmful toxic algal blooms and hypoxia (or oxygen depletion) • High rates of photosynthesis can raise pH to extreme levels during the day.