HUMAN IMPACT on the BIOSPHERE Chapter 6-4 Charting a course for the Future

HUMAN ACTIVITIES Humans participate in __________ & ____________________ We depend on ecosystems for a variety of _____________________________ Food websBiogeochemical cycles “ GOODS and SERVICES”

“GOODS & SERVICES” provided by ecosystems ____________________ Solar energy Oxygen production Nutrient storage and recycling Climate regulation For image sources: see last slide

____________________ ___________________ “GOODS & SERVICES” provided by ecosystems Food production Habitats for wildlife Human and industrial waste detoxification Images from: Natural pest / disease control

____________________ “GOODS & SERVICES” provided by ecosystems Source of new medicines Soil erosion /runoff management Air and water purification

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? The sum total of all the variety of organisms in the biosphere = _____________ REMEMBER! Everything is connected. BIODIVERSITY is a measure of the health of an ecosystem. BIODIVERSITY Image from: Pearson Education Inc, publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall ©2006

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ___________________ ___________________ ACID RAIN OZONE DEPLETION DEAD ZONES GLOBAL WARMING

DEAD ZONES When an ecosystem receives a LARGE input of limiting nutrient (ie., fertilizer runoff) the population increases dramatically = ___________ REMEMBER ! ALGAL BLOOM

Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone The DEADZONE forms each April, generally grows throughout the summer, reaching a peak in late July.

Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone At its peak, the nearly lifeless water can span 5,000 to 8,000-plus square miles, an area almost the size of New Jersey

DEAD ZONES How do we HELP? Use modern technology and “green” farming methods to: Decrease agricultural fertilizer use Decrease runoff of agricultural waste

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ___________________ ___________________ ACID RAIN GLOBAL WARMING DEAD ZONES OZONE DEPLETION

Our atmosphere between km contains high concentrations of ____________ which protect us from the sun’s harmful ______________ radiation. OZONE LAYER ultra-violet OZONE (O 3 )

EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION Click here to see a movie about the effects of UV radiation WMV, 618K __________________________________ ___________________________________ Skin cancer Cataracts/blindness Premature aging of skin Reduced crop yield Disruptions in the marine food chain

WHAT WE KNOW Scientists have been monitoring the ____________ of ozone in our atmosphere and have discovered a hole in the ozone layer over ____________. depletion Antarctica Click here to see a movie about the ozone hole WMV, 616K

The annual ozone "hole“ over Antarctica has occurred during the Antarctic Spring (October) since the early 1980s. Rather than being an actual hole through the layer, the ozone hole is a large area with extremely low amounts of ozone. Ozone levels fall by over 60% during the worst years.

Ozone depletion is a global issue NOT just a problem at the South Pole. Research has shown that ozone depletion also occurs over North America, Europe, Asia, and much of Africa, Australia, and South America. Over the U.S., ozone levels have fallen 5-10%, depending on the season.

What’s the cause of Ozone Depletion? Chlorofluorocarbon molecules _______ released from air conditioners, aerosol spray cans, fire extinguishers, and industry ________________ destroy ozone (CFC’s)

HOW DO WE HELP? the _______________________ committed signing nations (including USA) to a ____________ in the use of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances. CFC production was banned after 1995 in the developed countries, and later in developing countries. Today, over 180 countries have ratified the treaty. OZONE DEPLETION MONTREAL PROTOCOL REDUCTION

_____________spray cans no longer contain CFC propellants. Gases in ___________________ and _____________ are collected and recycled. THAT’S WHY... AEROSOL AIR CONDITIONERS refrigerators

OZONE DEPLETION How do we help? We can't make enough ozone to replace what's been destroyed, but provided that we stop producing ozone-depleting substances, computer models predict natural ozone production reactions should return the ozone layer to normal levels by about 2050.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ___________________ ___________________ ACID RAIN GLOBAL WARMING DEAD ZONES OZONE DEPLETION

Emissions to Atmosphere Nitrogen oxides Sulfur dioxide Chemical Transformation Nitric acid Sulfuric acid Precipitation Acid rain, fog, snow, and mist Dry Fallout Condensation particulates, gases IndustryTransportationOre smeltingPower generation Figure 6-12 The Formation of Acid Rain What’s the cause? ________________________ BURNING FOSSIL FUELS Releases _______________ and ________________ into the atmosphere that react with water to produce ACID RAIN. Sulfur oxides Nitrogen oxides

ACID RAIN EFFECTS kills fish reduces biodiversity damages forests causes illness & premature death from heart & lung disorders like asthma and bronchitis

HOW DO WE HELP? Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes use of alternative renewable energy sources Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels conserve electricity drive less Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency OR run on alternative fuels GLOBAL WARMING Recycle (uses less energy than starting from scratch)

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Temperatures of Earth remain within a range ______________ because the _____________ acts as a natural _________________ blanket. atmosphere suitable for life insulating

GREENHOUSE EFFECT Atmospheric gases such as ___________________ NORMALLY trap heat energy from the sun like a greenhouse = _____________________ Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) Greenhouse effect methane water vapor CFC’s

GLOBAL WARMING- Is it real? Some people say that the Earth has cycles of warmer/cooler climate change and that this is just part of that cycle. Most scientists believe that the increase in global temperatures is the result of human activities that have increased the amount of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

In 2007 in Paris, a U.N.- backed panel of international scientists issued a major announcement on climate change stating that: 1. "warming of the climate system is unequivocal“ 2. There is a 90% probability the cause “man- made”. Either way… our planet is getting warmer!

Global mean surface temperatures have increased °F since the late 19th century. The 20th century's ten warmest years have occurred in the last 15 years of this century. FACTS WE KNOW

The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased. FACTS WE KNOW Graph & glacier pix: polar bears:

FACTS WE KNOW Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased steadily.

WHAT’S the CAUSE? burning solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), wood and wood products production and transport of fossil fuels decomposition of organic wastes in landfills raising of livestock GLOBAL WARMING

We’re freezing here in S.D.! What’s so bad about warming up a little?

Coastal flooding Cartoon from Brookings Register

What’s so bad about warming up a little? Changes in Gulf Stream

What’s so bad about warming up a little? More severe storms

What’s so bad about warming up a little? Weather extremes Brookings Register Heat waves and drought

What’s so bad about warming up a little? Changing habitats means loss of species

What’s the Kyoto Accord got to do with it? The Kyoto Accord is an agreement, aimed at reducing global warming that asks participants to __________ their ________________ emissions to a percentage of their 1990 emission levels _____________. REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS by 2012

PROBLEMS WITH the KYOTO ACCORD (The US has not ratified this agreement) In 1998-Clinton administration signs the Kyoto Accord committing the United States to a 7% reduction in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 emissions levels, to be achieved between the years 2008 and Bush administration withdrew the U.S. signature, claiming that the treaty was "fatally flawed". 160 nations have now agreed (not US)

PROBLEMS WITH the KYOTO ACCORD ALL countries not required to reduce emissions equally 7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, Developing nations don’t have to reduce emissions at all India and China, which have ratified the protocol, are not required to reduce carbon emissions under the present agreement despite their relatively large populations. Developed nations (like USA) can meet required reductions by purchasing emission reductions from elsewhere and funding developing countries for climate related studies, projects, and technology

Even if we don’t ratify the Kyoto agreement.. we can still work to reduce our emissions of global warming gases! BECAUSE THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!

THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!

THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway!

THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway! Brookings Register

THINGS WE DO TO “FIX GLOBAL WARMING” make sense anyway! Brookings Register

HOW DO WE HELP? Cut down on CO 2 emissions (with or without the Kyoto accord) Develop a National energy policy that emphasizes use of alternative renewable energy sources Cut down on activities that use fossil fuels conserve electricity drive less Drive automobiles with increased fuel efficiency OR run on alternative fuels GLOBAL WARMING Recycle (uses less energy than starting from scratch) Reduce deforestation (plants use CO 2 )

QUOTES This we know... the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to earth. All things are connected, like the blood which connects one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life – he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. ~ Chief Seattle, 1854

QUOTES If you want to see an endangered species, get up and look in the mirror. ~ John Young, former Apollo astronaut A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children. ~ John James Audubon, It's not easy being green. ~ Kermit the Frog

WE NEED TO START CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS ON OUR PLANET WHEN WE MAKE DECISIONS!

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POWER POINT BY K. RIEDELL ADAPTED FOR MISSISSIPPI STATE SCIENCE FRAMEWORK