Name: ___________________________________________ HONORS GEOSYSTEMS Date: __________________

WARM UP: Read the following article and answer the questions that
follow on the next page.
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http://virtualchalkboard3.weebly.com/uploads/5/4/5/9/5459088/acid_rain_worksheet_without_answers022514.pdf
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HUMAN Impact on the Environment

…has been overwhelmingly _________________________________.
_____________________________________: because there are
________________________________, we are using too much and making too much garbage. This
leads to—
• _______________________________________of natural habitats (agriculture, mining, human
residences)
• _______________________ (industry, transportation, irresponsible behavior).
• Loss of ________________________________________
These all impact our climate, air, water, and land resources.

The human population has grown ___________________________________

_________________________________ are used to ___________________ future population growth.

Today there are more than 7.2 ___________________________ people on the Earth.
What does that mean for the planet’s biotic (____________________) and abiotic (non-living) factors?
– _____________ resources (food, water, land, minerals, etc.)
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– Loss of ___________________________
– Reduction of biodiversity
In nature all things are ______________________.
Humans ___________________ the cycles.
ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES
INCREASED greenhouse effect climate _____________
_______________________ hole impacts all life forms
Pollution from industry
• __________________________________
• Human_____________________ impacts
IMPORTANT Greenhouse gases:
• ___________________________________
• Methane
• Water vapor
Due to ___________________ activities, larger
concentrations of greenhouse gases are trapping
_______________ heat and raising the earth’s surface
temperature.
This has caused our climate to change.
Humans have historically relied on
___________________ _______________ --coal , gasoline, oil, petroleum products—for
______________________. The burning of fossil fuels and forests ____________________________ to
the atmosphere. Increases in CO2 cause more ____________ to be trapped in the earth's atmosphere. As
a result, global temperatures are ________________________.
Warmer temperatures result in—
• Increase in sea levels (by _________________________ more glaciers/ice)
• Decrease agriculture output (by affecting weather patterns)
• Habitat ____________________________________________ (e.g., widespread loss of coral
reefs).
• Changes in weather patterns—cause __________________________________
________________________________ is a complex process involving multiple natural and human-
related causes. In desertification, the productive potential of arid and semi-arid lands falls by 10% or
more, and topsoil is lost or degraded. Desertification results mainly from a combination of climate
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changes causing prolonged drought and unsustainable human activities, including

___________________________________ and ____________________________. Desertification may
lead to the formation of a _______________________ or the encroachment of an existing desert onto
formerly arable land.
QUICK REVIEW:

The greenhouse effect

A garden greenhouse keeps plants warmer than they would be outside, even though it often does not have an extra
source of heat. Greenhouses work because the glass traps some of the sun’s radiation energy. The atmosphere
keeps the Earth warm in a similar way. Without any greenhouse effect the average temperature of the Earth would
be about -18˚C, similar to a domestic freezer. Instead it averages around 15˚C. Many, although not all, gases in
the atmosphere act as so-called ‘greenhouse gases’ and help to warm our planet. These include: carbon dioxide;
water vapour; methane; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their replacements, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
and oxides of nitrogen.

The diagram below shows the greenhouse effect. Label the diagram below using the terms in the word bank at
the bottom.

Diagram adapted from Climate Change, Dorothy Warren, Royal Society of Chemistry 2001.
http://www.rsc.org/Education/Teachers/ClimateChange/14-16/StudentWorksheets.asp
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Questions:
1. If the greenhouse effect did not exist would the normal temperature of the Earth be higher or
lower? ________________________ By how much? _____________________________

2. Why might an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases be a concern?

__________________________________________________________________________
3. What might be the effect of an increase? (Use the diagram to help you answer.) ____________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Carbon ___________________________________: the amount of

________________________dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into the atmosphere
by the _______________________________ of an individual, company, country. Reducing
your carbon footprint is an important way to reduce the greenhouse effect.
Ways to REDUCE your carbon footprint—

QUICK REVIEW: Using the diagram above, identify THREE (3) things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint:
1. _______________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________
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Ozone Depletion Hole in the ozone layer

• The ozone layer forms in the ______________________ atmosphere when
_______________________________ reacts with oxygen (______) to form ozone (O3).
• The ozone __________________________ UV radiation and thus prevents it from reaching the
surface of the earth where it would
_________________________________________________________of plants and animals.
• Various air _______________________________________, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), enter the
upper atmosphere and ______________________ down ozone molecules.
• CFCs have been used as refrigerants, as propellants in ___________________________ sprays, and in the
manufacture of _________________________ foams.
• When ozone breaks down, the ozone layer thins, allowing UV radiation to penetrate and _________________
the surface of the ___________________________.
• Areas of major ozone thinning, called ozone ______________________, appear regularly over Antarctica, the
Arctic, and northern Eurasia.
AIR POLLUTION
Release of_________________________________ into the atmosphere which don’t belong there.
25% of all human _______________________________result from environmental pollution.
Health problems caused by air pollutants include:
• ______________________________
• chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD)
• worsening heart conditions
ACID RAIN
Contains
________________________________
than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric
______________.
Natural sources:
______________________________
eruptions & decaying vegetation
Man-made sources: emissions of
sulfur dioxideand nitrogen oxides
resulting from___________________
____________________________
combustion.
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In the United States, roughly 2/3 of all SO2 and 1/4 of all NOx come from _____________________________
power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels, like coal.

Acid rain occurs when these gases _________________________ in the atmosphere with water, oxygen,
and other chemicals to form various _________________________ compounds.
While it’s called “acid rain,” it can also be in the form of snow, fog, or ___________
As this acidic water flows over and through the ground, it affects a variety of plants and animals.
The _____________________ of the effects depends on several factors, including how
_________________ the water is; the chemistry and
______________________________________________________of the soils involved; and the types of
fish, trees, and other living things that rely on the water.
Acid rain results in damage to _______________ and many sensitive forest ____________. In addition,
acid rain accelerates the_____________________ of building materials and paints, including
irreplaceable buildings, statues, and sculptures. Prior to falling to the earth, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
nitrogen oxide (NOx) gases and their particulate matter —sulfates and nitrates—contribute to
_____________________degradation and harm public ____________.
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