Human Impact slides

Human Impact on

the Ecosystem

Climate Change

​Climate change: long-term changes in weather patterns and temperatures, significantly caused by human activity

​Answer #1 on notes

Multiple Choice

Burning fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas) adds ______ to the atmosphere. This thickens the atmosphere causing it to trap more heat, increasing the planet's temperature.

• CO₂

• water

• ozone

• air

​Look over this graph. What do you notice about the CO₂ level and temperature change lines over time?

Open Ended

What did you notice about the CO₂ line and the temperature change line over time?

Answer #2 on your notes

Glacier retreat is one effect
of global warming

Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand

Hike to Franz Josef Glacier, South Island, New Zealand

​Mr. Lanham, about to set off on the hike

Glaciers are cold, right?

​Does it look freezing here to you?

No? That's correct! Glaciers can exist in places that are not always cold.

​Don't fall in! That water is COLD!

​You have to cross a number of these suspension bridges to get closer to the glacier.

​Mr. Lanham's wife

​Careful! One at a time!

​This staircase is supported by cables nailed into the side of the mountain.

​Taking a look back down the valley.

Multiple Choice

Where did the valley come from in the image?

• The glacier carved it out of the mountain as it moved over time.

• The valley was created by an earthquake long ago.

• Erosion from a river carved out the valley.

​The opposite side of the mountain, across the valley. You can see streams, cascading down the side.

​Mr. Lanham didn't take this picture, as we couldn't hike on the glacier that day, but it is allowed, with the proper safety gear!

​Watch this clip as a helicopter approaches the glacier!

Open Ended

What's one thing you've learned about glaciers based on this example?

​A stream running off the glacier.

Glaciers provide water to more than 1 billion people!

Answer #3 on notes

Hokitika
Gorge

​Some of these glacial streams pick up so much rock flour (finely ground up pieces of rock) that they change color!

Hokitika
Gorge

Ocean Acidification

–The ocean absorbs
atmospheric CO2, which
causes its pH to drop
–This can dramatically damage organisms like coral (coral bleaching) and shellfish

​Answer #4 on notes

Normal coral

Bleached coral

​Staghorn coral - beautiful but very sharp and fragile!

​These suits are not for the cold; they protect us from jellyfish stings!

​Got a photo of this guy poking his head out of the anemone!

​A blacktip shark swam up while we were snorkeling. It was amazing to see such a powerful creature in the wild!

Multiple Choice

Given that ocean acidification greatly affects coral reefs, what could it do to the ocean's richness?

• Significantly decrease it

• Significantly increase it

• Slightly decrease it

• Slightly increase it

Beneficial Human Impacts on the Ecosystem

Positive impacts:

–Establishing wildlife preserves
–Protect endangered species
–Using renewable resources
–Recycling/reducing energy use

​Answer #5 on notes

Multiple Choice

Review q's: As the planet warms, __________ results in the loss of freshwater, making it more difficult for humans and other organisms to find drinking water.

• ocean acidification

• glacier retreat

• invasive species

• pollution

Multiple Choice

Review q's: CO2 in the atmosphere has increased dramatically in the last 200 years primarily due to ...

• human combustion of fossil fuels

• increasing acidity of the oceans

• the retreat of glaciers

• the release of chemicals into the oceans

Poll

How would you rate your understand of these human impacts after viewing the slides?

1 = terrible, 5 = great

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5