Strange Days on Planet Earth
(5 points)
Dirty Secrets (Pd 2)
“Something is amiss in our global world water supply: Striped bass are succumbing to flesh-eating bacteria in Chesapeake Bay; seabird chicks are starving in Hawai‘i; coral reefs are weakening under a growing assault of invisible contaminants and an increasing variety of aquatic animals are showing signs of developmental disorders. Experts and citizens are racing to find clues to the causes—and the solutions. Find out how we all can make a difference.”
Group 1: Buried Trouble
1. How has the Yucatán Peninsula changed in the last 3 decades?
2. What are two ways that tourists and developers threaten the coral reefs?
3. How are the coral reefs threatened by seeps?
4. What are the cenotes in Yucatán?
5. How are scientists mapping out the freshwater’s path to the ocean?
6. What do scientists ultimately want to accomplish through this mapping?
Group 2: Monsters in Our Waters
7. What is happening to the Atlantic Striped Bass (Rockfish) in Chesapeake Bay?
8. Where do the fish like to spend their summers?
9. Why are the fish weakened or stressed making them more susceptible to infection?
10. What is causing the dead zones in Chesapeake Bay?
11. How many seasonal or persistent dead zones are there around the world?
12. What are 3 actions shown in the video that can be taken to prevent these dead zones?
Group 3: Pollutant Soup
13. This section of the video says that cars spill oil everyday. How much oil is draining into our seas every 8 months because of this?
14. What is Michelle Hester finding in albatross across the North Pacific and how did she find where it was coming from?
15. What is the North Pacific Gyre and what is Charles More finding there?
16. What abnormalities in water animals are Fredrik vom Saal and Don Tillett finding in America’s water?
17. What is the most likely suspected chemical that is causing it?
18. What products does this chemical appear in and what happens over time with these products?
19. How much plastic is recycled according to the video?
Group 4: Plastics
Go the websites listed below and explain what you learned about plastics and food storage. http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/going-green-environment/green-home-makeover/plastics-green-guide.html
20. What are problems with BPA?
21. What should you heat things in the microwave?
22. Make sure plastic wrap is PVC free. What are 3 types of wrap?
http://www.thegreenguide.com/food/safety-storage/safest-plastics
23. What are the safest plastics for holding food and water? Give the recycle number. Is it able to be recycled easily? Can it be reused multiple times?
24. What are the plastics that should be avoided for holding food and water? Give the recycle number. Why should it be avoided?
Final Reflection
25. What are ways to reduce and eliminate plastic water bottle usage in your life?
Group 5: Why Should We Care?
26. Spend some time at the following website. http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/episodes/dirtysecrets/care/index.html
27. Explain the four reasons of why we should care:
o Water Supply
o Safe Water
o Recreational Opportunities
o Healthy Coasts
Group 6: Dangerous Brew
28. What happened to the favorite coral reef for the diver in the video?
29. What has happened to ocean temperatures and what effect does that have on the coral?
30. Explain ocean acidification.
31. How and why is ocean acidification changing?
32. What is predicted by the IPCC for the pH of the ocean in the future? The following website will provide additional information: http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/episodes/dirtysecrets/experts/dangerousbrew.html
Extension question 33
Read the following article from the Fremont Gazette and answer the question that follow
Deadly Pollutant Kill Children in India and China
“Contaminated industrial sites in India and China top a new ranking of the world’s most polluted places, where millions of people are threatened by various chemical pollutants.” Said Dr. Egguen, president of Fremont Friends of the Planet, an environmental advocacy organization. She said that the industrial town of Vapi, India, is a new addition to the list of worst-polluted places on Earth, based on the magnitude of the pollution and the number of people who are put at risk. She said, “Thousands of children, who are especially susceptible to toxic pollutants, are sick and dying in these top ten polluted places.”
Dr. Egguen pointed out that mining and unregulated industrial production are the major culprits behind the menacing pollution. She described Vapi as a region overwhelmed by more than 50 chemical manufacturers that poison the local soils and groundwater with toxic pollutants such as PBCs, mercury and lead. In fact, levels of heavy metals found in local produce are 60 times greater than those found in produce grown in unpolluted areas.
1a. Choose any ONE of the three pollutants mentioned above and respond to each of the following.
(i) Describe one specific source, other than the local chemical plants, for the toxic pollutant you choose.
(ii) Describe how the pollutant you chose enters the human body and one specific effect it can have on human health
(iii) Described TWO specific steps, other than on outright ban, that a city or nation can take to reduce the threat posed by this pollutant.
b. give reason why Dr. Egguen is correct in asserting that children are particularly susceptible to toxic pollutants.
c. An important contributor to global climate change is the release of carbon dioxide form the rapidly increasing number of coal-burning power plants in China. Assume that the coal burned at these plants to provide the power to manufacture a single MP3 player releases 40 kg of carbon dioxide and that costs $0.75 to capture 1 kg of carbon dioxide and keep it from entering the atmosphere. Determine the cost, in dollars, to capture the total amount of carbon dioxide released from manufacturing one MP3 player.
d. Coal-burning power plants also release other pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulates. Select one of these pollutants and identify one technology that can be used to remove it from the waste stream of coal-burning power plants.
e. Discuss TWO reasons why a multinational company would choose to build a manufacturing facility in India and/or China rather than in the United States or Europe.