Human Impact Lesson

How does building a dam impact some or all of Earth's systems?

• Building a dam increases the amount of recreational activities

• Building a dam impacts the amount of drinking water available

• Building a dam impacts wildlife that depend on the natural flow of water

• Building a dam generates more electricity

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Which of Earth's Systems is MOST affected when factories release harmful chemicals into the air?

• Geosphere

• Biosphere

• Atmosphere

• Hydrosphere

A 5th grade class is investigating what happens to the items in the picture when they are buried for 6 months. The class discovered that one item decomposed and became part of the soil while the other two did not How can we use this information to encourage people to recycle?

• You can show that fruit is harmful to the soil

• Explain that metal only breaks down when it is near fruit

• Explain that plastics and metals will not break down and will stay in the environment for a very long time

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The graph shows the deforestation rate in the Amazon Basin and the rate of export of hardwoods and beef from the same region. Which statements are TRUE? Select ALL that apply

• The graph indicates that deforestation caused a decline in hardwood exports.

• The graph shows that increasing beef exports caused a decrease in deforestation rates.

• The graph shows a stronger correlation between hardwood exports and deforestation than between beef exports and deforestation.

• To monitor factors other than beef and hardwood exports that may affect deforestation rates, those factors should be graphed against deforestation rates.

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Which activity would be part of a logical plan to reduce each person’s resource use at home?

• The city installs a recycling center

• People turn off the lights that are not inuse

• People drive below the speed limit to save gas

• People burn trash instead of putting it out for pickup

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What is one challenge that comes with using new technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

• A. New technologies are not yet available.

• B. New technologies only work in certain areas.

• C. New technologies can be more expensive than existing technology.

• New technologies can consume more fossil fuels

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California has ongoing concerns with ground-level ozone pollution. One way in which ozone forms is when chemicals from car exhaust react with heat and sunlight. The Clean Air Act was passed in 1970 and was amended in 1977 and 1990. This act authorized federal and state agencies to limit emissions to protect and improve air quality, including by setting maximum allowable levels of air pollutants, such as ground-level ozone. The maps show the number of days each county had a level of ozone that exceeded the acceptable levels in California in 1990 and 2018. What conclusions can you draw about the effects of the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 on ground-level ozone concentrations in California from the maps? Click 4 that are true:

• The maps support the claim that the Clean Air Act led to an improvement in air quality in California.

• In general, California has decreased in ground-level ozone pollution since the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments.

• There is no correlation between California’s ground-level ozone concentrations and the amendment of the Clean Air Act.

• The effects of the Clean Air Act on California’s air quality may be more clear if a different measurement of air quality is monitored.

• Differences in air quality over time could be due to improvements in car technologies and the public being more aware of the environmental hazard.

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Ashley is researching the effects of the construction of a paved industrial center on the local natural and agricultural areas. Which are POSITIVE impacts? Select ALL that apply.

• Native grasses are replaced by concrete and asphalt.

• Wetland areas around local streams increased in area.

• Water quality in wetland and stream environments declined.

• Groundwater recharge rates declined, and the aquifer level dropped.

• Farms downstream from the industrial area reported rich soil deposition on low-lying fields.

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What is one effective method for minimizing the negative impacts of plastic waste on our natural systems, and how does it work?

• Incineration - Burning plastic waste to reduce its volume, but this can release harmful gases into the air.

• Landfilling - Disposing of plastic in landfills, which takes up space and can lead to pollution over time.

• Recycling - Collecting and processing used plastics to create new products, which reduces the need for new plastic production and conserves resources.

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Erick is researching the effects of the construction of a paved industrial center on the local natural and agricultural areas. Which are NEGATIVE impacts? Select ALL that apply.

• Native grasses are replaced by concrete and asphalt.

• Wetland areas around local streams increased in area.

• Water quality in wetland and stream environments declined.

• Groundwater recharge rates declined, and the aquifer level dropped.

• Farms downstream from the industrial area reported rich soil deposition on low-lying fields.

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