Case-In-Point Analysis
Marine algae and krill are very important to the environment in the Antarctic. Raven, P., Berg, L., and Hassenzahl, D. (2010) presents the case study “How Humans Have Affected the Antarctic Food Web” to examine the problem. The purpose of this paper is to identify any unintended consequences of humankind’s activities that have led to environmental problems, describe how scientific or technological activities are exacerbating or improving the existing situation, discuss how a proper application of the scientific method could have helped the problem, and address any alternative solution beyond the scientific method.
Unintended consequences There are multiple human activities that have led to environmental problems. The first is the thinning of the ozone layer. This is the cause of man-made compounds, such as halocarbons. The Global Climate Change and Ozone Layer Protection (2005) website states “Halocarbons are formed when halogen gases such as fluorine, chlorine and bromine become attached to carbon. The smaller halocarbons turn into a gas quite easily and are the prime suspects in ozone depletion (What causes Ozone Layer Depletion?, para. 2). The depletion to the ozone layer leads to a global climate change. Raven, P., Berg, L., and Hassenzahl, D. (2010) explain:
“As the water has warmed in recent decades around Antarctica, less pack ice has formed during winter months. Large numbers of marine algae are found in and around the pack ice, providing a critical supply of food for the krill, which reproduce in the area” (How humans have affected the Antarctic food web, para. 5).
Because there is less krill, this causes the food chain to be disturbed. As the years pass with a lowered amount of krill, other animals are reproducing less. A third human activity leading to unintended consequences is the commercial aspect. Humans are collecting