Name: ______Period: ____

Human Effects on the Environment – Online Research

Greenhouse Effect à http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6662932

DIRECTIONS: Go to the link above. Watch the interactive clip and answer the questions below.

  1. What is the greenhouse effect?
  1. The heat that earth absorbs from the sun is radiated back into space as what type of radiation?
  1. What percent of earth’s atmosphere is composed of greenhouse gasses?
  1. What are the major greenhouse gasses?
  1. What average temperature do these greenhouse gasses keep earth?
  1. What would our planet be like without greenhouse gases?
  1. What is the average temperature of Mars? ______
  1. What is the main greenhouse gasses produced from agriculture? ______
  1. Where does most of the methane come from? ______
  1. How do trees help to slow global warming?
  1. In what two ways is the carbon released from trees into the atmosphere?
  1. What percent does the burning of fossil fuels contribute to carbon dioxide emission? ______
  1. What are some of the uses of these fossil fuels?
  1. What are the three types of fossil fuels?______

“Engineering a Cooler Planet” à http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17032586/

DIRECTIONS: Go to the website address found above. Scroll down and look on the right side of the page for the “Cooling the Planet” interactive. Read the various descriptions and answer the following questions.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17032586/

  1. Volcanic Dust:
  2. How would we get the volcanic dust into the atmosphere?
  1. How could volcanic dust help cool the earth?
  1. Would using the volcanic dust actually take CO2 from the atmosphere? ______
  1. Solar Umbrella
  2. How would putting these refracting (reflecting) disks out in space help global warming?
  1. What would be the two main problems?
  1. Geritol Effect
  2. Putting tons of iron ore in the ocean would cause what? ______
  1. How would the above answer help stop global warming?
  1. What are two problems of this technique?
  1. Artificial Trees
  2. What is the point of the artificial trees?
  1. What do you have to do with the CO2 after you capture it?
  1. What are some problems when using this technique?
  1. Carbon Capture
  2. What is the general idea of the carbon capture proposal?
  1. What are the five locations we could possibly store the carbon?
  1. What are three problems with this technique?

DIRECTIONS: Please use google.com to find and answer the following questions.

  1. What is coral bleaching?
  1. What are some factors that could cause coral bleaching?
  1. Define desertification:
  1. What are some causes of desertification?
  1. What is acid precipitation (rain)?
  1. What causes acid rain?
  1. Please EXPLAIN at least three effects of acid precipitation.
  1. What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
  1. What is the difference between a threatened and an endangered species?

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