Interaction Of Physical & Human Systems

Question 0

What are some of the ways humans change the environment that can be damaging?

Answer 0

1. Landfills
2. Strip mining
3. Air pollution
4. Water pollution
5. Extinction of species
6. Deforestation
7. Ozone layer depletion
8. Climate change

Question 1

Humans change the environment to better suit our?

Answer 1

Needs

Question 2

What are landfills?

Answer 2

Waste and garbage buried in the ground?

Question 3

How can landfills harm the earth?

Answer 3

1. Waste can seep into the water table underground
2. Which may be extracted into wells and drinking water
3. Pollution

Question 4

How can clearing land away for creating landfills be harmful?

Answer 4

It can destroy/take-away natural habitats

Question 5

What is strip mining?

How can this be harmful?

Answer 5

Obtain things from mountainous regions by blowing up the tops

Vs. Digging

• destroys the environment in the regions *

Question 6

Explain air pollution

Answer 6

Cars - produce CO2 emissions

Gas emissions

Electricity - generated from power plants that burn coal

Coal is dirty

Question 7

Explain water pollution

Answer 7

1. Oil spill. BP in gulf of Mexico
2. Waste / trash
3. Factory waste
4. Dumped into gutters

Question 8

Explain extinction of species

Answer 8

Over-hunting

Dams can create problems with salmon who spawn - unable to swim upstream

Question 9

What is deforestation?

Answer 9

Clearing of tropical rain forests for farming

** has many different animals and species to study and learn from

** trees creates a lot of oxygen

Question 10

Explain OZONE layer depletion

Answer 10

• Ozone protects from radiation
• CFCs (products like hairspray) damage / depletion the OZONE layer

** humans now exposed to more radiation

Question 11

Explain climate change

Answer 11

• many scientists agree the climate is changing

* as a result of the greenhouse effect (greenhouse gases released)

Question 12

How does methane and carbon dioxide help to change the climate?

Answer 12

Methane & Carbon Dioxide trap heat.

Thus changing the climate (warmer climate)

Question 13

Are greenhouse gases important to the environment?

Answer 13

Yes, natural greenhouses gases are important

However, when there are too many greenhouses gases it can be damaging

Question 14

How does the heat become trapped?

Answer 14

The thermal energy (heat) has a tough time passing through the many greenhouse gases

Thus warming the earth

Question 15

What type of environment do humans tend to search for?

Answer 15

Supporting their needs

1. Survival
2. Comfort

Question 16

Why do humans move?

Answer 16

Regions may be easier to survive in

• • migrate to places with large food supply
• • climate conducive to living

Question 17

Historically, what type of regions see the least amount of people?

Answer 17

Deserts

Cold places (far north)

Question 18

With regions with discomfort and danger, why do people tend to move there?

Answer 18

Incentives

** work - build pipeline in cold Alaska

Question 19

Once humans are comfortable in a region, what do they next seek?

Answer 19

Supports more comfort

Variety of foods

Beauty

Ocean Lakes Mountains

Question 20

What are some examples of natural resources?

key factor in choosing where to live

Answer 20

1. Water
2. Soil
3. Air
4. Trees
5. Minerals
6. Fossil Fuels

Question 21

What are natural resources?

Answer 21

Things that occur naturally that are of use to humans

Question 22

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 22

• Old plants/animals that have been compressed into the ground (biomass)

become oil / coal / natural gases

Question 23

Fossil fuels & oils are considered?

Will they also be this way?

Answer 23

Non-renewable resources

Some think that things will continue to die. Thus renewing the fossil fuels

Question 24

Why are fossil fuels and oil considered non-renewable?

Answer 24

It takes MANY years to replenishing them outlasting many generations

Question 25

What are some renewable energy sources?

Answer 25

- Wind - Solar Power - Hydro-electric power ** Sun continues / Rivers flow / Wind continues

Question 26

What is hydro-electric power (renewable source)?

Answer 26

Electricity generated thru the creation of dams

Question 27

What is an environment's carrying capacity?

Answer 27

Max level of sustained use it can tolerate without significant deterioration

Question 28

Explain an example of reaching an environment's carrying capacity

Answer 28

1. A region may have a set amount of water | 2. Too many crops or ppl may exhaust the amount of water resources reaching the possible deterioration

Question 29

What are human resources? Examples?

Answer 29

Ppl who are willing to work 1. Company may move to a certain place b/c there are a lot of ppl there who can work 2. Older times - trade possiblities - force slavery

Question 30

What are some man-made resources (human-created) ?

Answer 30

Bleach - chemically-created Steel Electricity by power plants

Question 31

New technologies can do aid in what way?

Answer 31

- Make it possible or more desirable for humans to inhabit certain regions - allow humans to prepare for and respond to natural hazards

Question 32

With air-conditioning (new technology) helps to create?

Answer 32

People moving to hotter regions, while still being comfortable

Question 33

What are natural hazards?

Answer 33

Natural things that occur that can be detrimental to humans - tornados - hurricanes - earthquakes - insect infestation - forest fires

Question 34

What man-made technology can help with earthquakes?

Answer 34

Better structures of buildings to outlast earthquakes