Applied Science: Impact of Human Activities & Natural Factors

This essay examines the impact of human activities, such as fuel usage, deforestation, and farming, on the Earth's surface and atmosphere, discussing their ethical implications, benefits, drawbacks, and risks. It also identifies natural factors like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and describes how they have altered the Earth over millions of years. The essay further explores the environmental effects of farming and deforestation, highlighting the loss of habitats, climate change, and soil degradation. It also delves into how volcanoes, tectonic plate movements, continental drift, and the evolution of the early Earth's atmosphere have shaped the planet over vast periods. The essay concludes with recommendations for mitigating the negative impacts of farming and deforestation through sustainable agricultural methods and responsible environmental practices. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar essays and solved assignments for academic support.

Running head: APPLIED SCIENCE
Applied Science
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1APPLIED SCIENCE
Task 1: Identification of a range of human activities that affect the earth’s surface and
atmosphere
Human Activities Ethical Implication Benefits Drawbacks Risks
Usage of Fossil
fuel
Since this activity is
imposing a severe
negative impact on
the earth, this
activity is unethical.
The chief reason
behind the usage
of fossil fuel by
humans is the
number of
facilities that are
obtained from it.
Some of the
benefits associated
with usage of
fossil fuels include
high efficiency and
availability of
coal, natural gas
and petroleum.
By burning
materials like fossil
fuels, humans have
added more than
400 billion tons of
Carbon dioxide
within the year
1870 to till date. In
the resent year, the
atmospheric level
of carbon dioxide is
a high as it was
800000 years ago
(Rhodes et al.
2015).
As
result of
excessive
carbon
emission, global
warming is
increasing along
with the risk of
misbalancing
the food chain
and oceanic
ecosystems.
Deforestation Due to its high
negative impact on
the environment,
deforestation is
highly unethical in
this era.
Deforestation is an
activity which
initiated in the
primitive age when
human being
started cutting
trees in order to
The most crucial
negative impact of
deforestation
includes lost of
habitat for a huge
number of species.
Other drawbacks of
According to
scientists,
deforestation is
one of the most
crucial reasons
behind global
warming

2APPLIED SCIENCE
clear space for
residential and
farming purposes.
Farmers practice
deforestation in
order to enhance
the room for
cultivation. Major
civilizations took
place after cutting
forests.
deforestation
include soil erosion.
Since trees are
considered to be
highly beneficial
for the atmosphere
due to their
capability to control
carbon emission
and maintain the
water cycle,
deforestation has
resulted in
enhancement of
carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere
(Glasson and
Therivel 2013).
(Rhodes et al.
2015).
Farming Farming is a
crucial human
activity that is
required to sustain
a livelihood. From
time immemorial
till now farming is
Some of the major
negative impacts of
farming include
loss of land
conservation and
habitat, soil
degradation, soil
The potential
environmental
risk associated
with farming
includes
infertility of the
soil and

3APPLIED SCIENCE
the only process
used by the human
beings to produce
the food required
or consumption.
erosion, climate
change and
pollution (Röös et
al. 2013).
earthquake.
Table 1: Human activities and their effects
Source (wwf.panda.org 2018)
Task 2: Identification of the natural factors that have changed the surface and atmosphere
of the earth
A huge change in the surface as well as the atmosphere of the earth can be evidenced due
to natural activities like an earthquake and volcanic eruption. A major earthquake like the
Tsunami in Asia and Japan in 2004 can bring about major dramatic change at the Earth’s
Surface. While ground movement can be considered as a major change, other surface changes
include mudflows, landslides and flow of groundwater. The earthquake has the capability to
cause significant damage to the building, bridges, railways, pipelines, embankments, dams and
other structures. Underwater earthquakes result in giant waves known as Tsunami (Wei et al.
2014). Violent shaking in the seafloor produces waves that get spread over the water surface and
form ever-widening circles. Tsunami hampers the life of a huge range of aquatic animals along
with human beings. The volcano is another natural activity that affects the earth’s surface and
atmosphere. Volcanic eruption includes releasing of lava or molten rock from the depth of the
earth. The gases and dust particle that are thrown into the atmosphere during a volcanic eruption
are not only poisonous to the living creatures on the earth’s surface but also impose a high
negative impact on the climate. Volcanoes have also contributed to global warming over millions

4APPLIED SCIENCE
of years during the history of the earth. At primitive age, a huge amount of volcanism occurred
on the surface of the earth resulting huge release of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
Task 3: Effect on the environment due to Farming
Farming areas both on water as well as on land provide crucial habitats for a good
number of wild plants and animals. When farming land is managed sustainably, it helps to
preserve critical habitats, improve soil health, water quality and restore habitat. However, if
farming is practised without being it has the capability to impose a highly negative impact on the
environment. It has been found that 70 percent of the planet’s accessible freshwater is consumed
by the agricultural sector and a good portion of it gets wasted. Excessive irrigation also enhances
the salinity of the soil. The pollutants and sediments which get washed into the river cause
immense damage to the aquatic species and freshwater ecosystems.
Effect on the environment due to deforestation
Deforestation imposes a highly negative impact on the global environment. Considering for the
fact that 80 percent of the animals and plant are found in the forests, deforestation results in huge
loss of species. Not only that, deforestation also results in climate change. The soil of the forests
quickly dries out due to lack of sun-blocking tree cover. Trees are also responsible for
maintaining the water circle of the environment. Without trees to fill these roles, several former
forest lands quickly become barren lands.
Task 4: Description of how the following natural activities have changed the earth surface
and atmosphere over millions of years

5APPLIED SCIENCE
A) Volcanoes: According to scientists, undersea volcanic activities have resulted in the
massive extinction of aquatic life and buried a thick mat of organic matters on the sea
floor about 93 million years ago (Zhang et al. 2013). Since the climate was too warm
back in the mentioned era, the current of the ocean was highly sluggish and it buffered its
magnetic pulse. The underwater volcanic eruption was found to have two consequences.
Firstly, nutrition was released which allowed mass feeding of animals and plants.
Secondly, due to a volcanic eruption, oxygen depletion occurred under the water. This
further result in the death of a huge amount of aquatic animals. A volcanic eruption is
also suspected as a major reason for the extinction of dinosaurs from the earth’s surface
65 million years ago. Massive volcanic activities, millions of years back had resulted in
spreading an enormous amount of chlorine and Sulfur into the atmosphere. According to
researchers, the eruption had resulted in 30 billion pound of sulfur and more than 9
billion pounds of Hydrogen chloride for each cubic mile of Lava (Chenghua et al. 2016).
B) Movement of Tectonic plates: The crust of earth Is broken into several pieces. Each of
these pieces is known as tectonic plates. These plates are consisting of two different type
of materials, namely the less dense continental crust and the highly dense oceanic crust.
Both the types of crusts rest on the top of a solid mantle and are free to float. Volcanoes
and earthquakes are the direct results of movement of tectonic float around the Pacific
Ocean basin. During the time of lateral slipping tectonic plate movement, the pressure, as
well as the force resulting from the collision of the two types off movement, caused
earthquakes to occur (Seinfeld and Pandis 2016). Due to the frequent volcanic eruption,
these specific ocean basins is called the ring of fire. Millions of years ago the tectonic
plates used to collide with each other and as a result, Fold Mountains were created. For

6APPLIED SCIENCE
instance, the gradual widening of the Great Rift Lakes in Eastern Africa and the still
rising height of the Himalayan mountains is the result of a collision between the tectonic
plates. Not only the rise of mountains, plate movement had also resulted in the formation
of oceans. When two plates drifted apart from each other, the ocean was formed. The
continents which are embedded in the plates used to get drifted passively with them and
as a result, significant changes in the Earth’s geography can be noticed. It should be
noticed that the drift of the tectonic plates has not stopped even in this era. A major
example of the continuing drift even in this era is the still increasing heights of the
Himalayan Mountain range.
C) Continental drift: Continental drift had affected the earth in various different ways over
time. The major areas that have got affected by continental drift include geographical
positions, the evolution of animals and the climate of the world. Other horrifying effects
of the continental drift include Tsunamies and Earthquakes (Field 2012). At the very
beginning, the surface land of the world was accumulated in one region of the glove
known as Pangea. About 245 to 208 years ago, during the Triassic Period, the Pangea
plate got split apart. This split had resulted in three continental plates, namely Southern
landmass, Northern landmass Laurisa and Gondwanaland. By the end of the Cretaceous
period, a continental split took place again and as a result landmasses took the form of the
continents. The effect of continental drift can be classified into the following:
 Effect on Climate: Three factors that were responsible for the effect of continental
drift on climate are Antarctic cooling, net poleward movement and the changed ocean
current.

7APPLIED SCIENCE
 Effect on the evolution of animals: due to the rearrangement as well as the
displacement of the vast landmasses, diversities were created. Without these
diversities, the percent life on the earth surface would have been different and
unsustainable. Due to collaboration and isolation that had to happen during the drift
of the land masses, distinguishing in the species had taken place. Millions of years
ago, animals belonging to a certain species used to get isolated due to continental drift
(wwf.panda.org 2018). As time went on, their features used to get changed due to the
difference in the climatic condition that prevailed in the specific continent. After a
period of time, the two group became totally different both anatomically and
genetically. As a result, each landmass, now known as continents, has special species
who reside in it.
D) Evolution of early earth’s atmosphere:
In the beginning, the earth was devoid of the atmosphere due to the loss of helium,
hydrogen along with other hydrogen-containing gases due to the radiation of the sun. The
atmosphere was first formed when the gasses got trapped in the interior of the early earth. The
changes associated with the composition of atmosphere and ocean are intimately linked with the
geophysical changes on the earth surface. About 4.5 billion years ago, during the formation of
the earth, gasses started to escape in the form of volcanoes and thus the solid earth crust as
created (Field 2012). During the cooling of the crust, water condensed and the process of water
pooling into the seas, lakes and ocean took place. Factors that have affected the formation of
early earth’s atmosphere include chemical changes, weathering and movement of the tectonic
plates. The oxygen used by an organism is the result of the evolution of the early earth’s
atmosphere. Initially, the atmosphere was highly dense and was dominated by carbon dioxide.

8APPLIED SCIENCE
However, due to the evolution of the atmosphere, the percentage of oxygen got increased and the
earth became a sustainable place for living creatures.
Task 5: Recommendation to eradicate the issues related to farming and deforestation
Firming and deforestation can be considered as two of the most crucial factors that have
the ability to cause the immense destruction of the environment. However, both of the human
activities are needed to sustain life and hence cannot be stopped completely. Thus it is highly
crucial to develop and implement strategies that can reduce the negative impact of the above
mentioned human activities on the environment.
In order to reduce the impact of farming on the environment, the sustainable agricultural
method should be followed. The three chief objective of the sustainable environment is a healthy
environment, economic profitability and economic as well asocial equity. In this system, each
hand everybody associated with the farming process, namely growers, food processors,
distributors, consumers, retailers and finally the waste managers are involved. Amongst the
several processes involved for sustainable agriculture, the farmers also known as ‘growers’
implemented methods that have the ability to reduce environmental issues like soil erosion,
excessive usage of water and high prolusion levels of the firms. Retailer and consumers ensure
that the foods are grown using methods that are environment-friendly (Chenghua et al. 2016). It
can understand that if the production of food involves degradation of the environment, the ability
of the future generation to use environmental resources for farming purposes will get decreased.
In order to prevent soil erosion and water wastage during firming, the following steps should be
followed:

9APPLIED SCIENCE
1. Plantation of vegetation as ground cover: In order to cover and bind the soil farmers
should plant grasses and tree. Plants prevent water as well as wind erosion by binding the
soil with their roots. The best choices for plantation, in this case, are wild flowers, herbs
and small trees. Creeping plants are also considered to be an excellent solution to prevent
soil erosion.
2. Application of Mulches: Mulching is referred to the process o putting dead leaves and
shredded woods on the soil. This process allows water to reach to the deepest layers of
soil slowly and thus the impact of heavy watering and rainfall gets reduced (Wei et al.
2014). Mulching prevents the soil from turning acidic. Mover, it also enhances the
fertility of the soil since the process involved usage of organic materials.
3. Contour farming and terracing: The mentioned process of a firm is considered to be
another effective way of reducing water wastage a soil erosion. This process involves
tilling sloped land along the lines of consistent elevation, Contour firming acts as a
process of catching and reserving rainwater for future use. Not only that, his process also
ensures enhanced filtration and more uniform distribution of the water.
In this era of modernization, global warming is a major issue and needs to be prevented in order
to sustain life on the earth, the negative impact of deforestation needs to be reduced. The
following solutions are provided in order to reduce the impact of deforestation on the
environment.
1. Green business
The chief concern of green business is reusing and recycling. Deforestation can be reduced
immeasurably by focusing on the production as well as utilization of resources that involves

10APPLIED SCIENCE
green methods. The green business focuses on the production of paper, plastic and wood.
According to researchers, re-usage of paper, woods and plastic will reduce the dependency of
human beings on natural resources. along with that, it will also reduce the practice of companies
and government to import raw materials from forest regions (Röös et al.2013).
2. Eco-forestry
The above-mentioned method is focused on saving the forests present in the world. This process
accepts the fact that it is inevitable for a human being to use trees for the various purpose of their
life. However, this usage can be significantly reduced by cutting trees in a planned and
environmentally friendly manner. Selected trees should be fell and transported to minimize the
damage to a forest area.
3. Law and Regulations
In order to stop excessive deforestation, the government should implement laws and
regulation. This will make individual aware of the negative consequences of deforestation.
Several individuals who are involved in randomly felling of trees in order to gain a financial
advantage should be arrested and highly penalized. People should be made aware of the fact that
illegal deforestation can lead to long-term imprisonment (Glasson and Therivel 2013).

11APPLIED SCIENCE
Reference list:
Chenghua, O., Rui, R., Chaochun, L. and Haiyan, Y., 2016. Multi-index and two-level
evaluation of shale gas reserve quality. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 35,
pp.1139-1145.
Field, C.B. ed., 2012. Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate
change adaptation: special report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge
University Press.
Glasson, J. and Therivel, R., 2013. Introduction to environmental impact assessment. Routledge.
Rhodes, P., Brain, C., Gale, P., Goodfellow, D., Hocking, S., Author, M., Llewellyn, R.,
Matthews, J. and Musa, I., 2015. BTEC Level 2 First Applied Science Student Book. Pearson
Education Limited.
Röös, E., Sundberg, C., Tidåker, P., Strid, I. and Hansson, P.A., 2013. Can carbon footprint serve
as an indicator of the environmental impact of meat production?. Ecological Indicators, 24,
pp.573-581.
Seinfeld, J.H. and Pandis, S.N., 2016. Atmospheric chemistry and physics: from air pollution to
climate change. John Wiley & Sons.
Wei, L., Haiyong, Y., Wangshui, H., Geng, Y. and Xuan, X., 2014. Tectonic evolution of
Caledonian Palaeohigh in the Sichuan Basin and its relationship with hydrocarbon
accumulation. Natural Gas Industry B, 1(1), pp.58-65.
Wwf.panda.org. (2018). WWF - Building a future in which humans live in harmony with nature..
[online] Available at: http://wwf.panda.org/ [Accessed 18 Apr. 2018].