Strange Days on Planet Earth: Troubled Waters
Answer Sheet
1. What organism is Scientist Tyrone Hayes searching for in the wetlands?
Northern Leopard Frog
2. What deformity is being seen in the organisms collected?
The male frogs have eggs in their testis. They are hermaphrodite.
3. The pattern that Hayes sees in regards to the deformed animals is that the
abnormalities occur when the frogs are in water containing
Atrazine , a
common herbicide used for crops.
4. Why is the beluga whale called the “canary of the seas”?
Because of the songs that they sing.
5. Scientist Robert Michaud believes that
chemical
the cause of the Beluga Whale’s cancers.
mixtures
are
6. True / False
If two chemicals are not toxic by themselves, together they are also not toxic.
7. True / False
The number and combinations of chemicals is something that humans do not
have to worry about.
8. What was the potential cause of the unhealthy levels of sperm in men?
a. Industry and factory pollution
b. Air pollution and greenhouse gasses
c. Poor water treatment systems in rural towns
d. A cocktail of farm chemicals
9. Name 3 sources of chemical exposure we can find right in our own homes.
Food, tap water, carpet, fabrics, detergents, and cosmetics.
10. How do these chemicals make their way out of our homes and into the world where
they can affect wild plants and animals like the leapord frog and beluga whale?
They are washed down the drain and exit through our plumbing.
11. What chemical is contaminating the fish in Lake Hartwell, Georgia?
Mercury or methyl-mercury
10. True / False
In Lake Hartwell, as you go up the food chain the concentration of mercury is
diluted as the fish get bigger.
12. What is Meager using to extract the toxins from the lake?
Plants
13. Water flows into
costal
breakdown of entire ecosystem.
zones where the chemicals may cause the
14. What types of things can runoff of modern day farm fields?
a. Herbicides
b. Insecticides
c. Fungicides
d. Nitrogen Fertilizer
e. Manure
f. All of the above
15. What chemical is believed to be the cause of the outbreaks of the crown of thorns
starfish? Nitrogen
16. Where does the chemical causing these outbreaks come from?
Nitrogen comes from fertilizers and manure runoff.
17. Nitrogen fertilizer is one of the great triumphs of food
has
unintended
production, but it
consequences.
18. What is farmer Vince Vitale doing to help “sop up” his farm chemicals before they
are washed into his stream and get carried out in to the costal waters?
He is planting trees in between his fields and the water’s edge.
19. What strange looking fish is being tagged in order to find out where open ocean
animals spend their time and possibly come into contact with pollutants? What do
these big fish eat?
Mola Mola, and they eat jellyfish
20. Water’s path may twist and turn but the destination is always the same.
Where is that destination?
The ocean
Strange Days on Planet Earth: Troubled Waters
1. What organism is Scientist Tyrone Hayes searching for in the wetlands?
5. What deformity is being seen in the organisms collected?
.
6. The pattern that Hayes sees in regards to the deformed animals is that the
abnormalities occur when the frogs are in water containing _______________, a
common herbicide used for crops.
7. Why is the beluga whale called the “canary of the seas”?
5. Scientist Robert Michaud believes that _______________ ________________are
the cause of the Beluga Whale’s cancers.
6. True / False
If two chemicals are not toxic by themselves, together they are also not toxic.
7. True / False
The number and combinations of chemicals is something that humans do not
have to worry about.
8. What was the potential cause of the unhealthy levels of sperm in men?
a. Industry and factory pollution
b. Air pollution and greenhouse gasses
c. Poor water treatment systems in rural towns
d. A cocktail of farm chemicals
9. Name 3 sources of chemical exposure we can find right in our own homes.
10. How do these chemicals make their way out of our homes and into the world where
they can affect wild plants and animals like the leapord frog and beluga whale?
11. What chemical is contaminating the fish in Lake Hartwell, Georgia?
10. True / False
In Lake Hartwell, as you go up the food chain the concentration of mercury is
diluted as the fish get bigger.
12. What is Meager using to extract the toxins from the lake?
13. Water flows into __________________ zones where the chemicals may cause the
breakdown of entire ecosystems.
14. What types of things can runoff of modern day farm fields?
a. Herbicides
b. Insecticides
c. Fungicides
d. Nitrogen Fertilizer
e. Manure
f. All of the above
15. What chemical is believed to be the cause of the outbreaks of the crown of thorns
starfish?
16. Where does the chemical causing these outbreaks come from?
17. Nitrogen fertilizer is one of the great triumphs of ______________ production, but it
has ____________________ consequences.
18. What is farmer Vince Vitale doing to help “sop up” his farm chemicals before they
are washed into his stream and get carried out in to the costal waters?
19. What strange looking fish is being tagged in order to find out where open ocean
animals spend their time and possibly come into contact with pollutants? And what
do these big fish eat?
20. Water’s path may twist and turn but the destination is always the same.
Where is that destination?