Islands Identify ecological effects of the oil spill.
Increasingly, humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology and consumption. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes and other factors is threatening global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected. Suggested time One class period Procedures 1. Ask students if they have ever heard or read about the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, when an oil tanker went aground on a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Discuss the disaster's effects on the thousands of birds, sea mammals and fisheries in the area.