Human%20Impact%20on%20the%20Biosphere:

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Human Impact on the Biosphere
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Natural Resources

• Renewable Resource nature can
• replace it in the near future.
• Sustainable Yield the replacement of
• renewable resources at the same
• rate at which they are consumed.
• 5 reasons that forests are valuable
• 1. O2 CO2 cycle
• 2. absorb air
• pollution
• 3. prevent erosion
• 4. provide animal
• habitats
• 5. people get useful products from
• forests

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Non-Renewable Resource cannot be replaced by
nature or it takes more than a human
lifetime to replace.

• Sustainable Development using natural resources
  without
• depleting them or causing long-term environmental
  harm.
• Environmental Viewpoints
• Development exploit the land for human profit
  with little thought to how it affects nature.
• Preservation leave the land as it is, keep
  nature in nature (often referred to as tree
  huggers)
• Conservation we must coexist with nature. Using
  land and other natural resources wisely to get
  what we need with the least disruption to nature
  as possible.
• The 3 Rs of
  conservation

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Energy Resources

• Fossil Fuels (non-renewable) Coal, Oil,
  Natural Gas
• Nuclear Fission non-renewable but produces
  radioactive wastes
• Renewable Alternative Energy sources Wind,
  Solar, Geothermal, Hydroelectric, Biomass

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Human Impact on Air Resources

• Burning of fossil fuels pollutes the air with S,
  N, C compounds.
• Smog fog or haze combined
• with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants.
• Acid Precipitation precipitation high in acid
  content, caused by gases combining in the air to
  form a type of acid (S N compounds).

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Human Impact on Air Resources

• Ozone (O3) Layer layer of the atmosphere that
  protects Earth from harmful UV radiation.
  Release of CFCs results in depleting ozone in
  the atmosphere, concentrated in an area over
  Antarctica.
• Greenhouse Effect trapping of
• heat by certain gases in the
• atmosphere (water vapor,
• carbon dioxide, methane,
• nitrous oxide, and ozone.)

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Human Impact on Air Resources

• Global Climate Change increased global
  temperature caused by increased CO2 and other
  gases in the atmosphere are leading to global
  climate changes.
• Humans contribute to increased CO2 by the
• burning of fossil fuels deforestation.

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Human Impact on Water Resources

• Point Source Pollution an identifiable source of
  pollution from which pollutants are discharged,
  such as a sewage treatment plant or industrial
  site.
• Non-Point Source Pollution is pollution from a
  wide spread area that gets carried into streams
  by rainfall (ex. Fertilizers, pesticides, leaked
  oil, gas, or other chemicals as well as, solid
  wastes.

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Human Impact on Water Resources

• Wetland destruction Wetlands are filled in for
  agriculture and development. Wetlands naturally
  filter pollutants keeping them out of our
  waterways provide habitats.
• Overuse leading to drop in the water table
  especially in western USA due to irrigation for
  agriculture, lawn/flower bed/garden watering,
  etc.

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Human Impact on Water Resources

• Bioremediation using organisms to clean up or
  break down toxic wastes (ex. Bacteria to clean up
  oil spills). This is a positive solution to a
  negative impact.

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Biodiversity the number different species in an
area.
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• KY has the 2nd greatest biodiversity in the
  world, behind only the tropical rainforest. This
  is due to the variety of habitats Mountains in
  the east, Wetlands in the west, Plains in the
  center, Caves, Cliffs, Lakes, Streams Rivers
  however, KY leads the U.S. in habitat loss due to
  urban sprawl 100 acres/day.

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• Threatened Species one whose numbers have
  dropped to the point that it may become
  endangered!
• Endangered Species one whose numbers are so low
  that it is in danger of extinction!!
• Extinct this species no longer exists!!!

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3 Ways to protect biodiversity

• laws and treaties to prevent the illegal sale of
  endangered species or products made from them
• captive breeding in zoos or wildlife refuges
• 3. habitat preservation (protecting entire
  ecosystems)

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Humans Activities that reduce biodiversity

• Pollution a negative effect change on nature
  caused by human activities in which a substance
  enters Earths biogeochemical cycles. .
• Altering Habitats (development, habitat
  fragmentation, mountain top removal mining,
  agriculture, etc.)
• Habitat Fragmentation occurs when
  development splits an ecosystem into pieces.

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• 3. Over hunting (poaching, hunting out of
  season, going over the limit, etc.)
• Introduction of Exotic (Invasive) Species a
  species that is not native to the area, but have
  been introduced by humans. Many of these have no
  natural predators.

• 3. Over hunting (poaching, hunting out of
  season, going over the limit, etc.)
• Introduction of Exotic (Invasive) Species a
  species that is not native to the area, but have
  been introduced by humans. Many of these have no
  natural predators.