IMPACTS ON THE LAND

Chapter 7 Lesson 2

VOCABULARY

Deforestation
Desertification Urban sprawl Reforestification Reclamation

FOREST RESOURCES
Deforestation: the removal of large areas of forests for human purposes About 130,000 square kilometers of rain forest are cut down annually. Rain forests are home to 50 percent of all species on earth. Deforestation destroys habitat and can lead to extinction of a species. Deforestation also affects soil and air quality.

NITROGEN CYCLE
Nitrogen makes up about 79 percent of the atmosphere. Living organisms use nitrogen to make proteins. When living things die, they release nitrogen into soil and the atmosphere. Nitrogen is converted to a usable form through the nitrogen cycle.

Turn to page 230 in the text book and draw a picture of the nitrogen cycle with brief descriptions of all seven steps.

EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURE AND MINING

Soil erosion occurs when land is over-farmed or over-grazed. High rates of soil erosion cause desertification. Desertification: the development of desert-like conditions due to human activities or climate change. While the ground contains useful mineral, digging in mines can lead to runoff. Runoff can pollute water with heavy metals from mines.

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT-URBAN SPRAWL

Suburbs, residential areas outside of cities, were developed in the 1950s. Urban Sprawl: the development of land for houses and other buildings near a city. Affect of urban sprawls:

Habitat destruction Loss of farmland Increased runoff Decreased water quality

CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENTSROADWAYS & RECREATION

Urban sprawls lead to more motor vehicle use, and consequently, more roadways. Roadways increase runoff and disturb habitats.

Land is also used for recreation. Parks are typically green spaces, which help decrease runoff.

WASTE MANAGEMENT-LANDFILLS
An average person in the United States creates about 230,000,000 metric tons per year. Recycled trash: 31% Trash burned: 14% Placed in landfills: 55% In landfills, trash is buried under soil. Special liners prevent pollutants from leaking into the soil.

WASTE MANAGEMENT- HAZARDOUS WASTE

Some trash contains harmful substances and cannot go in a landfill. If hazardous waste is placed in a landfill, it could cause harm to humans. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sees that hazardous waste is disposed of safely. Examples of hazardous waste:

Band-aids Batteries Needles

POSITIVE ACTION
Some land is set aside and becomes preservations or state parks. Some trees can be cut down selectively, rather than cutting down an entire forest. Reforestation: planting trees to replace trees that have been cut down. Reclamation: restoring land disturbed by mining. Green spaces are natural environments in urban settings. Green spaces improve air quality by removing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Reduce: Use a little bit less of the resources you use. (ex. Use an entire page before starting a new one.) Reuse: Take thing you would throw away and put them to use. (ex. Rather than throwing away an old milk jug, make a bird feeder.) Recycle: It is as easy as placing your garbage in another trash container. Paper, plastic, and aluminum can all be recycled. Trash composts use food scraps or grass clippings to improve soil quality.

ASSIGNMENT

If you were absent, copy these notes into your notebook and show them to one of the teachers for a grade. If you participated and just want to review, thank you for taking the initiative to study!