Human Impact Review 2

North Carolina is a rapidly urbanizing state. This growth increases the number of homes, roads, and the need for goods and services. All of this can be a great boost to the local economy.

How could this growth result in a negative impact on the environment?

• An increase in biodiversity.

• An increase in the air purity.

• An increase in the water quality.

• An increase in the amount of waste.

Environmental agencies have concerns over mineral mining regulations due to

• economic concerns.

• political concerns.

• endangered species.

• groundwater pollution.

What two major factors are involved in the conversion of primary pollutants into secondary pollutants?

• Sunlight and water

• Sulfates and sunlight

• Water and volatile organics

• Nitrogen oxides and sulfates

How does prescribed burning benefit a forest?

• Removal of older and diseased trees that could catch fire due to lightning strikes and cause wildfires

• Increase of particulates within the atmosphere to reduce solar radiation intensity at the ground level

• Decrease of soil nitrogen levels to prevent lake eutrophication

• Removal of keystone species that decrease biodiversity

What is non-point source pollution of an aquatic ecosystem?

• pollution of freshwater sources

• pollution from industrial plant discharge

• pollution that occurs over a wide area; water that runs off from fields, parking lots, and other land surfaces

• pollution that can easily be identified with a single discharge source, such as an open pipe which drains into a body of water

Which of these constitutes the greatest use of freshwater by humans?

• Industrial use

• Bathing and hygiene

• Cooking and preparing meals

• Irrigation of agricultural lands

Which of these human activities is a serious threat to marine ecosystems?

• Fishing in estuaries.

• Dumping wastes in landfills.

• Sinking chemical wastes in the ocean.

• Burning wastes rather than dumping them in landfills.

Farmers use fertilizers to help plants grow better. Fertilizers are made of many chemicals. How can fertilizers be harmful to other living things in the area of the farm?

• Fertilizers can pollute ground water which is used for drinking.

• Fertilizers can destroy the roots of the plants.

• Fertilizers can make plants grow faster than is good for them.

• Fertilizers can kill organisms that live in the roots of plants.

Which global concern is indirectly responsible for all of the others?

• pollution

• deforestation

• resource depletion

• human overpopulation

What was a positive effect of the green revolution?

• High yields of grains

• Profit for small farms

• Excess use of fertilizer

• Excess use of pesticides