TOPIC 7 – ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING INTERACTIONS IN ECOSYSTEMS

MONITORING Ecosystem Monitoring Check the condition of an environment by comparing current information with previous information Most famous example? CO 2

MONITORING CONT… What do we monitor? Physical Direct physical changes of the area (ex: using satellites) Environmental Changes in climate, temperature, weather Chemical Quality of soil, air, water Biological Changes in organisms, populations

MONITORING CONT… When do we monitor? After major disturbances (volcano erupts, earthquake, etc…) Before and after a major project is planned (foresting) Sensitive or susceptible areas Looking for the safe balance between human and the needs of other organisms

MONITORING CONT … Indicator species Species that help indicate the overall health of an ecosystem/environment Amphibians are great indicators Why? Very susceptible to changes in their environment and it can lead to deformation or death Lots of deformation and/or death = problem

MONITORING CONT … Global Monitoring A global task force that monitors amphibian populations around the world They compile information and determine how populations are globally Declining? Growing? Remaining the Same? Thanks! Yay Thanks!

BASELINE DATA In order to determine environment impact we need to know what it was like before baseline data This is known as baseline data Permanent Plots Permanent Plots is the answer! Plots of landed, specifically chosen by biologists to monitor and collect baseline data

BASELINE DATA CONT… How else do they keep track of … … animals for examples? … birds for example? Tagging animals Migration patterns Weight, Height, Size General health Etc … Tracking Hammerhead Sharks

BASELINE DATA … The baseline data is also useful for making predictions! If I drain this wetland to build a mall … what is the predicted impact? Environmental Impact Assessment When all of this information is compiled into a report and distributed the report is known as an Environmental Impact Assessment