SS Bio Unit 5 Lesson

Biogeochemical Cycles

What's the big deal?

NASA has reported a global average temperature increase of 1.4° Fahrenheit since the 1880s, and stated that nine out of the ten warmest years have happened since the year 2000. These records date back 134-years.

Open Ended

Create a short, general list of ways that humans impact the environment.

Multiple Choice

What is it called when water changes from liquid to gas

• freezeing

• evaporation

• condensation

Multiple Choice

How is water returned to earth?

• evaporation

• transpiration

• precipitation

• percolation

Multiple Choice

What do plants do with carbon dioxide (CO2)

• Plants use CO2 to make carbohydrates.

• Plants use CO2 to produce extra sunshne.

• Don't pick this answer.

Multiple Select

What are two by products released by plants?

• water

• oxygen

• carbon

• sugar

Climate Change

What is climate?

When we talk about climate, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the temperature in an area. Africa typically has a high temperature and therefore, we think of it as having a hot climate. Antarctica is usually cold so it has a cold climate. Climate is an area’s average weather, including temperature, precipitation (rain, snow, etc.), humidity, wind and even seasons. The problem we face now is human-made climate change. What we are doing is changing our climate much faster than Nature intended and that's what’s causing the problems.

Multiple Choice

What is climate?

• The daily weather changes of an area.

• The average weather of a specific area.

What's the big deal?

NASA has reported a global average temperature increase of 1.4° Fahrenheit since the 1880s, and stated that nine out of the ten warmest years have happened since the year 2000. These records date back 134-years.

The greenhouse effect

One of the most significant ways we affect our environment is the large amount of greenhouse gases we emit, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2). How does this create global warming and climate change? It all comes down to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is when the layer of gases in the atmosphere absorbs heat from the Earth to keep it warm like a blanket or sweater keeps you warm. The gases that do this (including carbon dioxide) are called greenhouse gases. They are very important, without them, most places on Earth would be too cold to live in. But when there’s too many of them, it can cause the surface temperature of the Earth to rise.

Multiple Choice

What is the main gas responsible for causing global warming?

• Oxygen

• Carbon Dioxide

• Hydrogen

• Helium

Open Ended

What is the greenhouse effect?

What’s causing all this carbon dioxide?

The biggest way we create carbon dioxide is by burning fossil fuels to make energy to run our cars, light our homes, charge our phones, etc.

Why are we so concerned about 1.4◦F?

As we increase the temperature on Earth, we start to melt the ice at the poles. There is so much water trapped there, that when the ice melts, it causes sea levels to rise and extreme weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes to occur. Also, when the ice melts, many animals lose their homes and can die.

Open Ended

What are some of the things that could happen due to global warming?

What can we do to help?

Some of the things we can do to help include: 

Using energy-efficient light bulbs.

Carpooling and using public transportation or walking.

Turning down our air conditioner in the summer and furnace in the winter.

Using green energy sources like wind and solar power to create electricity.

Recycle products to save energy.

Using less electricity at your house to conserve fossil fuels

Sustainablility

The affect of human activity

Humans and other organisms change the environment when they obtain food, eliminate wastes, and prepare places to live.

• Because Earth is like an island, life is limited to the resources that are here.

Island Earth is also the name of a 1955 movie......pretty neat.

Open Ended

Expanding cities and towns can be damaging to local ecosystems because...

Three main activities

Humans affect regional and global environments through three major activities:

·   agriculture, particularly monoculture, which is the cultivation of a single crop

·   development of cities and suburbs, including conversion of farmland and destruction of habitats for other organisms

·  industrial growth, which consumes energy and emits pollutants

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Sustainable Development?

Sustainable Development

In economic terms, ecosystems are providers of goods and services (natural resources).

• Healthy ecosystems produce or replace renewable resources.

• Humans must be careful about the use of nonrenewable resources, such as fossil fuels, which cannot be replaced.

• Sustainable development provides for human needs while preserving the ecosystems that provide renewable resources.

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Open Ended

Explain why energy from the sun is a renewable resource but energy form oil is a nonrenewable resource.

Renewable Resources

Wind, Water, Sun and Geothermal

Fill in the Blank

______________ is an energy source other than a fossil fuel.

Multiple Select

The following are alternative energy sources:

• water

• sun

• coal

• wind

• geothermal (heat from inside the earth)

Multiple Choice

Biomass is made from burning...

• crops, coal, and oil

• crops, wood, and animal waste

• wood and natural gas

• wood and plastic

Multiple Choice

Solar energy only works if you have ___________.

• solar panels

• a tall building

• a lot of land

• live in a hot enviornment

Multiple Choice

Geothermal energy is energy

• that is found in caves.

• that has already been used.

• that is found inside the earth.

• found in space.