Science: Human Impact on Earth's Systems Flashcards

Question

How do we use wind to generate electricity?

Answer 1

Wind turn blades inside turbines connected to generators, which transforms energy into electric energy.

Answer 2

There is an electric grid made up of a system of wires that connect energy sources (such as power plants) to end users in homes, offices and businesses.

Answer 3

Fossil fuels are buried under the land, so to reach them, humans need to mine or drill below the surface. This changes habitats for living organisms and might harm them. Even harnessing renewable energy could affect the environment. For example, hydroelectric dams change the flow of water, wind turbines can harm birds, and solar farms use land that could otherwise be used for other purposes such as farming.

Answer 4

It prevents cool air from air conditioning (or warm air from heaters) from escaping and thus saves energy from additional cooling (or heating). But on warm days, opening windows could help to cool the air, and thus could save energy from not needing to use air conditioners.

Answer 5

Atmosphere: burning fossil fuels release substances into the air. Biosphere: cutting down trees or farming changes the biosphere. Geosphere: building homes or buildings often changes the geosphere. Hydrosphere: build hydroelectric dams change the hydrosphere. Human activity often impacts more than one system at a time, because earth's system are all interconnected.

Answer 6

False. Most living organisms use natural resources and impact the earth's systems in order to survive. But humans do use up more natural resources than any other living organism, and have far more impact on the earth's systems.

Answer 7

Using fewer resources by being more efficient - for example setting reasonable temperatures for air conditioning or heat, adding insulation to homes, turning off lights or appliances when they are not needed, riding bikes or taking public transportation instead of driving, etc. Using more renewable energy to reduce the use of nonrenewable energy - for example, using solar and wind energy, using electric vehicles instead of gasoline powered vehicles, etc. Re-using means fewer resources are need to product goods - for example re-using canvas shopping bags instead of using plastic shopping bags from the grocery store, re-using glass jars, re-filling re-usable water bottles, etc.

Answer 8

They preserve natural areas with rare features. For example, the Grand Canyon National Park preserves canyons. Other national parks protect forests and wetlands.

Answer 9

They gather data about human activity's impact on earth's systems and share their findings to encourage conservation efforts. Some scientists also design new devices that are more energy efficient or use renewable energy, to reduce our energy usage.

Answer 10

Recycled materials are re-used, which reduces waste and the need to produce new goods.

Answer 11

Hmmm somewhat true. Electric cars still require electrical energy to run - that electricity might be generated from fossil fuels. But, electric cars do have smaller environmental impact when compared to gas-powered cars.

Answer 12

No. There are natural causes as well. For example, when volcanoes erupt, they release certain gases such as carbon dioxide and dust particles into the atmosphere, which can causes changes to the weather near the eruption. Greenhouse gases such as methane are also produced during a cow's digestive process. But, the primary cause of an increase in greenhouse gases is the burning of fossil fuels by humans, which causes excess carbon to be released into the atmosphere, resulting in increasing temperatures and global warming.

Answer 13

Deforestation: humans clear forests for agriculture and to develop urban areas. This leads to habitat loss for certain living organisms, as well as climate change when carbon is released into the atmosphere. Pollution: various human activities produce pollutants such as industrial emissions, waste and agricultural run-off (pesticides and fertilizers), which harm the ecosystem as well as human health. Climate change: burning fossil fuels (as well as deforestation) increases greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to changing weather patterns and global warming.