The development of land for human use can drastically change the environment. Look at the illustration. How will pavement have a negative impact on the environment?
The pavement will cause pollution.
The pavement will provide habitats for small animals.
The pavement will maintain the equilibrium or balance that has existed in nature.
The pavement will prevent water from infiltrating into the ground and filling the aquifers under the ground.
Water pollution can affect the ability of organisms to survive. Which of these choices best expresses the concept of water pollution?
any pH change in the water
any concentration change in the water
humans do not cause water pollution at all
any change in water that causes harm to an organism
How does fertilizer in your yard have the ability to affect others?
It doesn't affect anywhere except my yard.
It gets into the water table, which moves and joins up with other sources of water
It causes my lawn and neighbors lawns to grow more.
It will affect drinking water in other watersheds.
The map below shows data on water availability around the world. Countries experiencing water scarcity are highlighted in red. This means that less than 1,000 cubic meters of water is available to each person per year.
What impact can water scarcity have on a country?
Less water is available to water crops.
More crops can be grown per year.
The average person uses more water.
People need less water to survive.
According to the image below, what is one way that humans impact the hydrologic cycle?
Humans increase the number of divides.
Humans increase the percentage of water stored as groundwater.
Humans cause more precipitation to be in the form of snow and ice.
Humans build dams and reservoirs that can disrupt the natural flow of water.
Motor vehicles emit exhaust fumes as they operate. Exhaust fumes contain carbon dioxide and particulate matter, which is a combination of fine particles and liquid droplets than can remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long timel
The table below provides data on the production of vehicles in several different countries and the concentration of each vehicle's particulate matter emissions in micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) of air.
Which country's vehicle production has the greatest impact on air quality?
China
United Kingdom
Brazil
Russia
Many industrial pig farms turn pig waste into a liquid and spray it onto fields as fertilizer for plants. How can this method impact oceans?
The waste can erode rocky shorelines and wash sediment into oceans.
The waste can enter waterways as runoff and flow into oceans.
The waste can increase soil fertility in oceans causing increased plant growth.
The waste can increase the amount of sunlight that reaches the ocean floor.
Agricultural runoff from a farm carries sediment, nitrates, and phosphates to a nearby river. Where might some of these substances end up?
in the nearby river
in a distant river downstream
in an ocean hundreds of miles downstream
all of these
There are many sources of air pollution in the United States and around the world. Some are natural sources, and others come from humans. Which of these examples is a human source of air pollution?
dust storms
volcanic ash
industrial emissions
forest fires caused by lightning
The table shows the amount of several air pollutants called greenhouse gas released in an hour by different energy sources.
Which action will help decrease air pollution, and why?
Use less wind energy; it produces the least greenhouse gas.
Use more coal energy; it produces the most greenhouse gas.
Use less gas energy; it produces more greenhouse gas than coal.
Use more water energy; it produces less greenhouse gas than coal.