1. Human Impact on the Lithosphere

2. Obtaining Resources
In order to obtain resources humans must utilize one of the following methods:
Harvesting – Fruits, Vegetables, Meat, Wood, Peat
Mining – Coal, Metals, Minerals, Uranium/Plutonium
Drilling – Oil, Natural Gas
Each method has an impact on the lithosphere and the environment.

3. Agriculture Overview Agriculture takes land space.
Land must be fertile, meaning it must contain enough minerals and nutrients to produce crops.
Different crops require different minerals and nutrients. So, planting the same crop again and again can hurt the soil’s overall fertility.

4. Agriculture overview continued
Use of chemical pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers can contaminate soil and affect soil fertility.
Organic fertilizers are best for maintaining fertility, and crop rotation is essential.

5. AGRICULTURE
Agriculture-Humans cultivating other life forms for food purposes. (ex. Growing plants and raising animals)
Land must be cleared for agriculture.  This makes the land less biodiverse.
Monoculture-Farming of only one species of crop.

6. Monoculture’s positives and negatives
Easier for farmers to maintain.
More cost efficient.
BAD FOR BEES!!!
Can hurt biodiversity in other areas.

7. Pests and Pesticides
Pesticides- Chemicals designed to protect crops from parasites.
Pesticides can runoff into streams or seep into the groundwater.
Pesticides can harm organisms and disrupt food chains.
BAD FOR BEES!
Biological pest control is the best alternative. Examples: pheromones, entomopathogenic fungi, bacteria and viruses, insect breeding interference, and natural pest predators and parasites.

8. Irrigation
Irrigation- Process where farmers supply water to dry land in order to help the crops grow.
Prevents farmers from having to rely on regular rainfall.

9. Problems with Irrigation
Groundwater can be used up. (Aquifer depletion)
Ground can sink due to depleted aquifers (San Joaquin Valley).
Over irrigation may cause water to mix with pesticides and cause groundwater pollution.
Can contribute to groundwater that chemically weathers bedrock and causes sinkholes.

10. Overgrazing
Overgrazing is the removal of excessive amounts of plant growth by animals. This accelerates erosion and strips away topsoil, resulting in infertile soil that can no longer grow plants.
Avoid overgrazing by rotating animals among different pastures.
Overgrazing by sheep in Patagonia, Chile has lead to major erosion.

11. Tree Cutting and Deforestation
Trees are cut in order to clear areas for construction, or to obtain wood for producing products such as paper, furniture, building materials, firewood, etc.
Clear Cutting- Process where trees are removed and not replanted.
Deforestation: The destruction of forest ecosystems due to the cutting down of trees.

12. Deforestation and Erosion
Vegetation and roots help hold soil in place.
As trees and other vegetation are removed, the topsoil is weakened and erosion increases.

13. Deforestation and the Atmosphere
If more trees are cut down then:
CO2 Increases
Oxygen decreases.
Photosynthesis removes CO2 and releases O2.
Less trees = less photosynthesis.
If trees are burned that also releases carbon dioxide which could contribute to global warming/man-made climate change.

14. Selective Cutting
Selective Cutting is an alternative to clear cutting that can prevent deforestation.
Instead of cutting all trees in an area, only mature, older trees are cut, and new trees are immediately replanted.
This method is good for the health of the forest, and for business.

15. About Clear cutting
Clear cutting in action

17. Harvesting Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation.
It can be burned for fuel, or used to add nutrients and minerals to soils to make them more fertile.
Peat is renewable, but harvesting it can disrupt the ecosystems where it is found.

18. Harvesting Peat Continued
Advantages
low sulphur and mercury content
low ash output when burned
Value is equivalent to coal, less expensive than oil and natural gas, and price competitive with other biofuels.
Machines that burn coal to produce electricity can be updated to be able to burn peat as well. (Coal/Peat blend, or pure Peat)
Since peat forms near to the surface of the Earth, it requires less digging to harvest.
Bill Nye- Peat

19. Mining
People need minerals to live, but we also have wants that require minerals.
Underground mining requires digging out large areas, increasing the risk for sinkholes and cave ins.
Strip mining destroys the environment.

20. Mine operators are required to perform reclamation after finishing with the mining site. This means they must put the land back together and restore it to its original condition.

21. Coal Mining There are 2 major methods of coal mining:
Surface Mining
Underground mining
Coal mining is harmful to the environment because:
It disrupts the landscape and causes erosion.
Leaves behind toxic substances that can pollute air and water.

23. Mountaintop removal

24. Contour mine

25. Auger mine

26. Uranium/Plutonium Mining
There are 3 methods for mining Uranium and Plutonium:
Open Pit Mining
Underground Mining
In-Situ Leaching
All of these methods create health risks for workers and the environment. Uranium mine video

28. Mining and Mountainsides
Mountaintop Removal Mining-Destructive form of surface mining that blasts away the tops of mountains to acquire resources.
Similar to strip mining
Done in the Appalachian Mountains.
Massive transport trucks = large amounts of CO2 emissions.
Burning coal for power releases pollutants.
Mountain top removal video

29. Other Human Activities and Mountainsides
Erosion on mountainsides is increased by:
Blasting away rock to build roads.
Building houses and other buildings on slopes.
Clear cutting trees.

30. Drilling for Oil and Natural Gas
Oil and Natural Gas are nonrenewable resources that will eventually run out.
They are contained inside of rock that prevent them from escaping.
Oil rigs are used to drill inside the rock and pump the oil and gas out.
Drilling disturbs the lithosphere, and may contribute to earthquakes.
Oil spills can damage ecosystems and kill wildlife.
Soil and groundwater contamination are also risks.

31. Drilling disturbs the lithosphere, and may contribute to earthquakes.
Oil spills can damage ecosystems and kill wildlife.
Soil and groundwater contamination are also risks.
Shell drilling video

33. Hydraulic Fracturing
Also known as “Fracking”. It is a hot political topic because it involves environmental risks.
Pressurized chemicals and water are injected into the ground enabling access to natural gas.
Environmental Effects:
Produces hazardous waste that must be properly stored and disposed.
Mistakes/accidents can cause groundwater pollution.
May contribute to tectonic disturbances.
What is fracking video
True footage of fracking site
Fracking water on fire

35. URBANIZATION
Urbanization is the growth of cities as more people move from rural areas to urban areas.
70% of people in North America live in a city.
By 2025: 5 Billion people will live in cities worldwide.

36. Urbanization
Destroying natural areas can reduce the beauty of an area and the amount of land available for producing food.
Rapid development can result in very high levels of erosion and sedimentation in river channels.
Pollution of soils is possible due to leaking vehicles and other chemical spills.

37. Urbanization Continued
Destroys ecosystems – Forests are cleared and wetlands are filled.
More factories  More emissions  More greenhouse gases.
Increased runoff which increases erosion and groundwater pollution.

38. Shanghai 1990

39. Shanghai 2010

40. Mitigation Efforts
Install barriers around construction sites to catch eroded sediment.
Modernize landfills to minimize leakage.
Establish wildlife refuges and parks.
Upgrade industrial equipment to reduce CO2 emissions. cipher out toxic gases

41. Landfills
Solid household wastes that cannot be recycled, or are not properly separated for recycling, are buried in landfills.
Even well constructed landfills with modernized liners and vents have the potential to leak.
If hazardous chemicals and/or heavy metals leak out, the soil and/or groundwater can be contaminated.

42. Human Activity and Shorelines
NC is well known for its beaches and Outer Banks. As more and more people retire, there is more development on our coast.
Removal of vegetation at the coast can cause serious erosion. The plants help hold the sand in place.
Man made erosion control, like sandbags, can make erosion worse down shore.
Erosion causes houses to be condemned and potentially fall into the ocean.

43. This house is on our coast and was used in the movie “Nights in Rodanthe”. Notice how the water is coming up under the house and it is in danger of falling in the sea.
The area around the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse experienced extreme erosion, so it was moved about a ½ mile inland.