Human Events and the Environment Answers

Tillage can cause an eventual loss of soil production. Tillage causes the movement of material in soil which can result in pollutants accumulating in top soil, where they can then be carried into nearby water sources. Tillage can also cause an increase in erosion rates, which leads to higher rates of sedimentation for local water sources. Soil quality is also decreased by the destruction of earthworm pathways and root channels caused by tillage.

Global warming can lead to changes to the Earth’s surface through the melting of glaciers. This can lead to rising sea levels, causing flooding. Antarctica’s land mass is being decreased by the process.

Sedimentation adds soil particles to water, making it cloudy and reducing the sunlight available to aquatic plants. The sediment can settle over the bottom, smother habitats and eggs, and harm aquatic organisms. It can also reduce water quality and make waterways shallower.

Global warming can melt glaciers and ice sheets, causing sea levels to rise and coastlines to change. Changes in rainfall and more intense storms can increase erosion and flooding, while hotter, drier conditions can expand deserts and dry out lakes and rivers. These processes reshape Earth’s surface.

Sedimentation causes increased turbidity, which results in lower levels of light being able to pass through bodies of water. This leads to lower plant production. Sedimentation, therefore affects the food web. Also, sedimentation leads to erosion and habitat loss. Sedimentation in wetlands can lead to a loss of wetland function, which includes the filtration of pollutants from water.

Continued deforestation will likely cause the loss of plant and animals species, resulting in an increase in the number of endangered, extinct, and threatened species. This arises from the widespread loss of habitats that results from deforestation.

Fertilizer can have a negative impact on the environment, because of its high nutrient content. When fertilizer enters waterways as runoff, it causes waterways to have an excess of nutrients. This excess of nutrients causes increased algae growth. When these algae decay, they deplete the oxygen in the water, negatively impacting organisms that rely on the oxygen in the water for survival.

Tillage loosens and exposes soil, making it more likely to be carried away by wind or rain. It can damage soil structure, reduce moisture and beneficial soil organisms, and cause sediment and farm chemicals to enter nearby waterways.

Continued deforestation will destroy and fragment habitats, leaving plants and animals with less food, shelter, and space to reproduce. Populations will likely decline, biodiversity will decrease, and more species may become endangered or extinct.

When fertilizer washes off fields into rivers and lakes, excess nitrogen and phosphorus can cause algal blooms. As the algae die and decompose, oxygen levels can fall, harming or killing fish and other aquatic life. Fertilizer runoff can also make water unsafe or unpleasant for people and wildlife.