The Anthropocene: Human Impacts on the Environment

Introduction

In this assignment, you will open the link below and participate in a “Click and Learn” Activity. 

http://media.hhmi.org/biointeractive/click/anthropocene/

You may begin by clicking on each impact topic in the left vertical menu. A description of man’s influence or impact on each category is explained.

Next, hover around on the diagram itself, and click to see what changes will occur.  After each click, a graph will show at the bottom of the screen.  The more diagram clicks, the greater the number of human changes are added, and the more graphs show at the bottom.

Assignment:

Select 3 human impacts you are most interested in learning about.

List the following information for how each impact affects ecosystems:

a. Describe how the human impact you selected affects the ecosystem.

b. Summarize some of the quantitative (graph) data that provide evidence of humans’ impact on the ecosystem.

c. Describe specific types of evidence people should look for in their own ecosystem to determine whether humans are changing the local environment.

d. Describe what you can do as an individual to limit your impact.

You may complete the assignment using these directions, or download the word document attached, which has the same directions.  

Assignment submission must be a single document, either in word (.doc, .docx) or pdf format. You may add your work to the bottom of the assignment document, or create your own.