Summary
Examines how human activity in cities — heat islands, pollution, habitat destruction — changes local and regional ecosystems, using New York City as the case study.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What is an urban heat island? Why do cities get hotter than surrounding countryside?
- How does paving over land with roads and buildings change water runoff?
- What animals have adapted to live in cities? What adaptations help them?
- What could urban planners do to make cities more ecosystem-friendly?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: urban heat island, habitat, runoff, impervious surface, biodiversity, adapt.
Try it: Compare two aerial photos: your town center vs. a nearby rural area. List three visible differences in land cover. For each difference, write one environmental consequence.