Environmental Change

Greenhouse Gases Human activities place large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. This is mainly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). Most of this extra carbon dioxide is a result of burning fossil fuels.

Greenhouse Gases Fossil fuels include coal, natural gas, oil and gasoline. Fossil fuels cannot be reused or recycled because they are burned to release large amounts of chemical energy.

Greenhouse Gases Since fossil fuels are all organic compounds made from the remains of ancient organisms, they produce large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases when they burn.

Greenhouse Gases Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases act like a greenhouse and trap heat that comes from the sun.

Global Warming The greenhouse effect leads to higher temperatures and is believed to be a key cause of the phenomenon of Global Warming

Global Warming Many scientists worry that increasing temperatures could melt the polar ice caps and disrupt global ocean currents. This could lead to extreme weather and climate change around the world.

Acid Rain Burning fossil fuels also creates carbonic acid, sulfuric acid and nitric acid in the atmosphere. This creates what we refer to as acid rain.

Acid Rain Acid rain disrupts ecosystems by lowering the pH of soil and water making it too acidic for plants and fish to survive.

Human Expansion Human expansion is also changing the environment at a rapid rate. As humans build more cities and farms, there is less land for plants and animals to inhabit.

Human Expansion The loss of habitats causes native populations to decline and reduces the biodiversity of these ecosystems.

Human Expansion The construction of dams to produce electricity and collect water also drastically alters aquatic ecosystems. Photo by Florian.Arnd at the German language Wikipedia Photo by TwoWings

Human Expansion Dams decrease the nutrients flowing down the river, and they also lead to the erosion of riverbeds since sediments collect behind the dam and do not flow down the river. Photo by Florian.Arnd at the German language Wikipedia Photo by TwoWings

Drought Drought is a natural environmental change that can disrupt ecosystems. Drought is an extended period of reduced water supply. This is usually due to a lack of rain.

Drought A drought can drastically reduce the population of producers. This loss of producers negatively affects EVERY population in the community.