Earth's Resources and Human Impact CASC 22-23

What is the effect of people dumping trash into streams and rivers?

• The water can make the animals that drink the water sick

• The water hides all trash easily and safely.

• The water breaks down plastic and metal items easily.

• The water is cleaned of all toxic chemicals.

How can communities help prevent water pollution?

• Communities can build more walking and biking paths.

• Communities can require farmers to use natural fertilizers.

• Communities can place more trash cans in public areas.

• Communities can convince grocery stores to only use plastic bags.

Loggerhead sea turtles love to snack on jellyfish. Unfortunately, plastic bags and the plastic rings off a six pack of drinks look very similar to a jellyfish if you are a loggerhead. These plastic pollutants can harm sea turtles and even kill them.

Mariposa and her class read a book today and learned about the dangers of littering and pollution near the seashore. She and her class want to help make a change. They decide to make a change by teaming together to stop pollution, like litter, from entering our oceans.

What change would be beneficial to the loggerheads living near Mariposa and her friends?

• A community wide effort to clean up litter and setting up stations for people to bring their recyclable goods.

• Helping to mark off a designated path for vehicles to use on the beach during daylight hours

• Visiting other beaches near their town and learning more about how to preserve the grass growing on the dunes

• Building picnic benches with tables and arranging them in popular beach places to help beautify new spots

The long-ago deposited plant and animal remains, now buried, have been compacted and transformed into coal and oil. The use of these fossil fuels has both positive and negative consequences. All BUT one is a negative consequence of using fossil fuels.

• formation of carbonic acid in the atmosphere

• contributes to acid rain

• requirement for photosynthesis

• contributes to global warming

Water conservation is not limited to conserving the amount of water available, but also considers the quality of the water available. The United States has come a long way in this area when compared to other countries. Which of the statements below is a water quality conservation method used in the United States?

• sewage treatment plants

• throwing out old motor oil instead of recycling it

• painting boats in or over the water instead of in dry docks

• allowing runoff of irrigation water

Which answer choice is NOT an example of a nonrenewable resource?

• Natural gas

• oil

• water

• coal

Wind energy is currently being used in the production of electricity. One way is through the use of windmills. What is the main advantage of using windmills?

• They are quiet.

• They are 90 percent efficient.

• They are nonpolluting.

• They can be used anywhere.

Petroleum fuels are considered nonrenewable resources because they are formed from __________ compressed between layers of rock.

• living organisms

• water

• radioactive compounds

• wind

The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories: natural and human causes. The natural variation of the climate has always been part of Earth’s history. It is now a great concern that the climatic changes occurring today may be the direct result of man's activities.

All BUT ONE is a natural cause of climate change.

• Earth's orbital changes

• increased greenhouse gases

• ocean currents

• volcanic eruptions

Burning of fossil fuels has changed the atmosphere by

• producing a hole in the ozone.

• increasing the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere.

• increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide.

• reducing the CFCs in the atmosphere.