1. PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Human Impacts

2. Bell Ringer
A human impact is an affect that we as humans have on
the environment. Generally, this is negative. For
discussion, write in your notebook:
1.) 3 specific negative impacts that humans have on the
environment. Don’t just list the impacts, give examples
and be able to explain. I’ll be calling on individuals at
random to share.

3. Objectives ForToday:
•Today’s essential questions:
1.)What negative effects do humans have on
the environment
2.)How do we reduce the severity of these
impacts?

4. Agenda
•Bell Ringer
•Negative human impacts
•Tests back

5. TESTANNOUNCEMENT!
•Congratulations to Colin Webster – the only student
to get extra credit on his test for studying and using
the test code “OSHKOSH2014”
•Once again, many people got zeroes on the ORQ
for not following the instructions…

6. Human Impacts on the Environment
•Human impacts - the effects that people have on the
environment that causes change
•Human impacts can be positive or negative, but they are
overwhelmingly negative.We tend to be more destructive
than constructive.
•Examples of Human Impacts:
• Building a Nuclear Reactor for power, and then overheating causing nuclear meltdown
and death of surrounding area (Chernobyl, Fukishima)
• Creating materials that do not break down and releasing them into the environment

7. Human Impacts
•Human Impacts are categorized in three ways:
•Water Usage Impacts – EX: withdrawal of water from
aquifers (*ahem* looking at you, Florida), creation of dams
and levees
•Land Usage Impacts–EX: urban development, agriculture,
removal of wetlands
•Pollution Impacts – Ex: Smog, Algal blooms, Dead zones (not
phones )

8. Water Usage Impacts
•Water usage impacts stem from how we manipulate
water for our benefit (usually at the expense of the
ecosystem)
•Dams
•Levees
•Diversion of water for irrigation

9. Water Usage Impacts
•Aral Sea 1989-2008
•Once the 4th largest lake
on the planet.
•River waters diverted
for agriculture
• So little water reached the sea that
its salinity rose five-fold, killing
most of its wildlife.
• The DailyTelegraph labelled it
“one of the world’s worst
environmental disasters”

10. Water Usage Impacts
•Most of the water
siphoned off evaporated
before reaching farmland.
•What is left is so polluted
and salty that is it useless.
•The thriving fishing
industry was
decimated, bringing heavy
unemployment and
economic hardship to the
surrounding communities.

11. Discussion Break
• As a table, discuss as many ideas as you can for specific Water Usage
Impact problems and record those problems on your group work sheet.
• Feel free to use information from your bell ringer to build ideas.
• Your group will have 3 minutes to discuss with each other and record your
ideas for sharing.
• At the end of class, your group will be responsible for explaining those
problems to the class before stapling them to the board.
• Remember that we are looking for specific problems – Ex: Water held back
by a dams can keep fish from spawning”

12. Land Usage Impacts
•Land usage impacts stem from how we manipulate land
for our benefit (usually at the expense of the ecosystem)
•Humans modify the land for:
•Urban development
•Agriculture
•Removal of wetlands

13. Land Usage Impacts
• Amazon Rainforest
• The amazon rainforest
produces 20% of the world’s
oxygen
• In the past 40 years, 20% of the
forest has been cut down (more
than the previous 450 years
combined.)
• 20% more is projected to be
destroyed in the next two
decades
• If this happens, the forest will
cease to be self-sustaining and
will die on its own.

14. Land Usage Impacts
• SHORT SIGHTED GAINS
•Almost 75% of the land
destroyed in the Amazon is for
cattle ranching.
•The land is not well suited for
cattle ranching and quickly
dries out, forcing ranchers to
burn and clear more forest.

15. Discussion Break
• As a table, discuss as many ideas as you can for specific Land Usage Impacts
problems and record those problems on your group work sheet.
• Feel free to use information from your bell ringer to build ideas.
• Your group will have 3 minutes to discuss with each other and record your
ideas for sharing.
• At the end of class, your group will be responsible for explaining those
problems to the class before stapling them to the board.
• Remember that we are looking for specific problems – Ex: Water held back
by a dams can keep fish from spawning”

16. Pollution Impacts
•Pollution impacts stem from how we abuse the planet
by placing unnatural burdens on its ecosystems that
they are not equipped to handle.
•Air pollution – Smog
•Water pollution – Dead Zones
•Land pollution – Landfills

17. Pollution Impacts•SUPERFUND Sites
•In 1980, so many hazardous
waste sites were sitting and
harming the public that the
government created a program
that forced negligent
companies to fix their messes
on their own dime.
•There are superfund sites in
Jefferson and Oldham counties

18. Pollution Impacts• This is a picture of smog in
Shanghai.
• Smog has become such a
problem in Shanghai that schools
now have “smog days”
• Short term exposure to smog
makes breathing difficult and
makes lungs susceptible to
infection
• Long term exposure to high smog
levels can lead to heart and lung
disease

19. Discussion Break
• As a table, discuss as many ideas as you can for specific Pollution Impacts
problems and record those problems on your group work sheet.
• Feel free to use information from your bell ringer to build ideas.
• Your group will have 3 minutes to discuss with each other and record your
ideas for sharing.
• At the end of class, your group will be responsible for explaining those
problems to the class before stapling them to the board.
• Remember that we are looking for specific problems – Ex: Water held back
by a dams can keep fish from spawning”

20. Exit Slip
•Think about the various impacts that we talked about
today.
•Which one are you most interested in solving? Is it one
that you and your shoulder partner can agree on?