 |
For the last several decades,
the changes made by human activities in Lake Erie's fish fauna, algae,
bacterial populations, bottom conditions and oxygen concentrations have
been especially profound. Without exception, the key to understanding these
changes lies in a study of the activities of people who have been dwelling
in the lake's drainage basin since early 1800s.
It should be noted that scientists today are concerned that the world's climate is changing at an unprecedented rate because of human activities. If global climate change occurs as predicted, it will have a dramatic effect on many of the living and nonliving parts of the Great Lakes, such as the sugar maple population found in the Great Lakes region. Refer to the figures introduced below. |
|||
 |
1. According to Elliot J. Tramer
(1993), the modern history of Lake Erie and its people can be divided into
five time intervals, corresponding to events that caused major changes
in the lake's ecology. What would those time periods be?
2. Discuss how humans use maple trees and the products we get from them. How might your life change if there were no more maples? 3. How do human activities relate to appearance of invader species? To answer this question, you may refer to a map introduced below. |
|||
|
|
||||
 |
1. EP-078 Global change scenarios for the Great Lakes region. Scenarios on global change in the Great Lakes explore water resources, biological diversity, shipping, agriculture, airborne circulation of toxins, estuaries, eutrophication, recreation, fisheries, and forests. The 10 scenarios (2-4 pp.) and an introduction explaining climate models are packaged in a file folder. | |||
|
|
||||
 |
1. The Great Lake Erie
2. Earth Systems - Education Activities for Great Lakes Schools Water Movement
|
|||
|
|
||||
 |
Figures. Changes
that may occur in the range of sugar maple trees if atmospheric CO2 were
to double.
Source: Zabinski
and Davis (1989)
Map of the route which invaders pecies were introduced |
|||
|
|
||||
 |
1. Impacts of Changing Land Use, State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference 1996 http://www.cciw.ca/solec/land-use/intro.html 2. Land Cover Mapping, Illinois Department of Natural Resources http://dnr.state.il.us/ctap/map/landmap.htm 3. Sea Grant Nonindigenous Species Site http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/sgnis/ 4. Changing Great Economy: Economic and Environmental Linkages http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/solec/94/economic/index.html |
