Difference between revisions of "HS-ESS3-4"

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{{Navlinks|HS-ESS3-3|HS-ESS3-6|← HS-ESS3-3|HS-ESS3-6 →}}
 
{{learningstandard
 
{{learningstandard
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| topic = Reducing Human Impact on Natural Systems
 
| ls = Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
 
| ls = Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
 
| cs = Examples of data on the impacts of human activities could include the quantities and types of pollutants released, changes to biomass and species diversity, or areal changes in land surface use (such as for urban development, agriculture and livestock, or surface mining). Examples for limiting future impacts could range from local efforts (such as reducing, reusing, and recycling resources) to large-scale geoengineering design solutions (such as altering global temperatures by making large changes to the atmosphere or ocean).
 
| cs = Examples of data on the impacts of human activities could include the quantities and types of pollutants released, changes to biomass and species diversity, or areal changes in land surface use (such as for urban development, agriculture and livestock, or surface mining). Examples for limiting future impacts could range from local efforts (such as reducing, reusing, and recycling resources) to large-scale geoengineering design solutions (such as altering global temperatures by making large changes to the atmosphere or ocean).
 
| ab =  
 
| ab =  
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}}
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== {{Assessmentheading}} ==
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{{assessmentmessage}}
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{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center"
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! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Exam
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! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Cluster
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! style="padding: 0.5em 1.5em;" | Question
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|-
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[August 2026 Earth and Space Science Exam|August 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Dams on the Colorado River|Dams on the Colorado River]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Dams on the Colorado River#q4|Question 22]]
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|-
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| rowspan="2" style="background-color:white;" | [[June 2026 Earth and Space Science Exam|June 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle|The Slow Carbon Cycle]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|Question 13]]
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|-
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Lake Nyos|Lake Nyos]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|Question 36]]
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|-
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| rowspan="2" style="background-color:white;" | [[January 2026 Earth and Space Science Exam|January 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State|Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|Question 16]]
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|-
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State|Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q5|Question 18]]
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|-
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| rowspan="2" style="background-color:white;" | [[August 2025 Earth and Space Science Exam|August 2025 Earth and Space Sciences Regents]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:The Power of Water|The Power of Water]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|Question 8]]
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|-
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide|Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|Question 50]]
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|-
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| rowspan="2" style="background-color:white;" | [[June 2025 Earth and Space Science Exam|June 2025 Earth and Space Sciences Regents]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River|New York State's Hudson River]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|Question 24]]
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|-
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Tectonics of Hawaiian Islands|Tectonics of the Hawaiian Islands]]
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| style="background-color:white;" | [[Questions:Tectonics of Hawaiian Islands#q5|Question 50]]
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|}
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== Vocabulary ==
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Terms from the [[Earth & Space Science Glossary]] that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it.
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<div class="vocab-subhead">From this standard</div>
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<div class="vocab-list" style="column-width:14em;">
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* atmosphere
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* biomass
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* complex real-world problem
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* constraints
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* cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics
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* criteria
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* design solution
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* Earth
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* ecosystem degradation
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* feedback
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* geoengineering
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* geoscience problem
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* global temperatures
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* human activity
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* human impacts
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* impacts of human activities
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* land surface use
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* livestock
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* natural systems
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* ocean
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* pollutants
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* pollution
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* prioritized criteria
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* recycling
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* social, cultural, and environmental impacts
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* species diversity
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* surface mining
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* technological solution
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* urban development
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</div>
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<div class="vocab-subhead">From released exam questions</div>
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<div class="vocab-list" style="column-width:20em;">
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* [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|alkaline]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|atmospheric oxygen]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q5|blending ratio]] – Jan 2026
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* [[Questions:Dams on the Colorado River#q4|canyon]] – Aug 2026
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|carbon]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|carbon dioxide]] – June 2026, [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|Aug 2025]]
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q5|carbon emissions]] – Jan 2026
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* [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|carbon mineralization]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|contaminated sediments]] – June 2025
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* [[Questions:Dams on the Colorado River#q4|dams]] – Aug 2026
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* [[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|degassing pipes]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|deposition]] – Jan 2026
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* [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|dredging]] – June 2025
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|drinking water]] – Jan 2026
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* [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|enhanced rock weathering]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:Tectonics of Hawaiian Islands#q5|erosion]] – June 2025
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* [[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|fossil fuels]] – June 2026, [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|Aug 2025]]
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|geologic time]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q5|global warming]] – Jan 2026
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|hydrogen]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|hydrosphere]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|mafic]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|magma]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|mineral weathering]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|minerals]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:Dams on the Colorado River#q4|model]] – Aug 2026, [[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|June 2026]], [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|Aug 2025]], [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|June 2025]]
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|ocean acidification]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|ocean floor]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|outgassing]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|pumped storage reservoir]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|reclamation]] – Jan 2026
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* [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|renewable resource]] – Aug 2025
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* [[Questions:Dams on the Colorado River#q4|river]] – Aug 2026, [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|Jan 2026]], [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|Aug 2025]], [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|June 2025]]
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|runoff]] – Jan 2026
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* [[Questions:Tectonics of Hawaiian Islands#q5|sea level rise]] – June 2025
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* [[Questions:Tectonics of Hawaiian Islands#q5|seawall]] – June 2025
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* [[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|sediment]] – Jan 2026, [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|Aug 2025]], [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|June 2025]]
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* [[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|shoreline]] – Aug 2025, [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|June 2025]]
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* [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|Superfund site]] – June 2025
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* [[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|ultramafic]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|volcanic eruptions]] – June 2026
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* [[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|water quality]] – June 2025
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* [[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|water vapor]] – Aug 2025
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</div>
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{{PerformanceLevel}}
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{{PLTable
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| Level5 = Use scientific information to generate a number of possible refinements to a technological solution. Describe and quantify the criteria, constraints, and tradeoffs of the solution to the problem that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
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| Level4 = Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
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| Example4 = <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:Lake Nyos#q5|June 2026 · Q36]]</span> <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:The Slow Carbon Cycle#q5|June 2026 · Q13]]</span> <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:New York State's Hudson River#q4|June 2025 · Q24]]</span>
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| Level3 = Given a technological solution, describe the geoscience problem being addressed and how the solution reduces the impact of human activities on a natural system.
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| Example3 = <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:Tectonics of Hawaiian Islands#q5|June 2025 · Q50]]</span>
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| Level2 = Given a technological solution to a geoscience problem, identify how the solution reduces impacts of human activities on the natural system <b><u>or</u></b> identify how the solution reduces the impact on humans.
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| Example2 = <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:Dams on the Colorado River#q4|Aug 2026 · Q22]]</span> <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q3|Jan 2026 · Q16]]</span> <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State#q5|Jan 2026 · Q18]]</span> <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide#q5|Aug 2025 · Q50]]</span>
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| Level1 = Given a technological solution, identify the natural system that is being impacted by human activity <b><u>or</u></b> identify how the solution reduces the impact on a natural system.
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| Example1 = <span class="pld-chip pld-chip-ess">[[Questions:The Power of Water#q3|Aug 2025 · Q8]]</span>
 
}}
 
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| SEP1 =  
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| SEP1 = Constructing explanations and designing solutions: Design or refine a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and tradeoff considerations.
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| DCI1 =  
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| DCI1 = Human impacts on Earth systems: Scientists and engineers can make major contributions by developing technologies that produce less pollution and waste and that preclude ecosystem degradation.
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| CC1 =  
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| DCI2 = Developing possible solutions: When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
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| CC1 = Stability and change: Feedback (negative or positive) can stabilize or destabilize a system.
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| CC2 = Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World: Engineers continuously modify these systems to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks.
 
}}
 
}}
 
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Latest revision as of 09:46, 18 October 2026

Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Clarification statement: Examples of data on the impacts of human activities could include the quantities and types of pollutants released, changes to biomass and species diversity, or areal changes in land surface use (such as for urban development, agriculture and livestock, or surface mining). Examples for limiting future impacts could range from local efforts (such as reducing, reusing, and recycling resources) to large-scale geoengineering design solutions (such as altering global temperatures by making large changes to the atmosphere or ocean).

Regents Exam Questions

Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-ESS3-4 are listed here by exam and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.

Exam Cluster Question
August 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents Dams on the Colorado River Question 22
June 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents The Slow Carbon Cycle Question 13
Lake Nyos Question 36
January 2026 Earth and Space Sciences Regents Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State Question 16
Mined and Mineral Resources of New York State Question 18
August 2025 Earth and Space Sciences Regents The Power of Water Question 8
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Question 50
June 2025 Earth and Space Sciences Regents New York State's Hudson River Question 24
Tectonics of the Hawaiian Islands Question 50

Vocabulary

Terms from the Earth & Space Science Glossary that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it.

From this standard
  • atmosphere
  • biomass
  • complex real-world problem
  • constraints
  • cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics
  • criteria
  • design solution
  • Earth
  • ecosystem degradation
  • feedback
  • geoengineering
  • geoscience problem
  • global temperatures
  • human activity
  • human impacts
  • impacts of human activities
  • land surface use
  • livestock
  • natural systems
  • ocean
  • pollutants
  • pollution
  • prioritized criteria
  • recycling
  • social, cultural, and environmental impacts
  • species diversity
  • surface mining
  • technological solution
  • urban development
From released exam questions

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Regents exam question on HS-ESS3-4 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: Given a technological solution, identify the natural system that is being impacted by human activity or identify how the solution reduces the impact on a natural system. Aug 2025 · Q8
Level 2: Given a technological solution to a geoscience problem, identify how the solution reduces impacts of human activities on the natural system or identify how the solution reduces the impact on humans. Aug 2026 · Q22 Jan 2026 · Q16 Jan 2026 · Q18 Aug 2025 · Q50
Level 3: Given a technological solution, describe the geoscience problem being addressed and how the solution reduces the impact of human activities on a natural system. June 2025 · Q50
Level 4: Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems. June 2026 · Q36 June 2026 · Q13 June 2025 · Q24
Level 5: Use scientific information to generate a number of possible refinements to a technological solution. Describe and quantify the criteria, constraints, and tradeoffs of the solution to the problem that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-ESS3-4.

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NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-ESS3-4 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices
  • Constructing explanations and designing solutions: Design or refine a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and tradeoff considerations.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • Human impacts on Earth systems: Scientists and engineers can make major contributions by developing technologies that produce less pollution and waste and that preclude ecosystem degradation.
  • Developing possible solutions: When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
Crosscutting Concepts
  • Stability and change: Feedback (negative or positive) can stabilize or destabilize a system.
  • Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World: Engineers continuously modify these systems to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks.
Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard
Earth and Space Science | HS. Human Sustainability