Environmental Change and management Flashcards
Forms of degradation to the lithosphere
- Soil degradation
- Soil erosion
- Ecosystem decline
Soil degradation
- Loss of fertility of the soil, often due to a chemical change
- Becoming compacted by machinery or hooved animals
- Becoming acidic from buildup of fertiliser
Soil erosion
- Soil being gradually worn away by natural processes e.g rivers, rain, wind
- Clearing vegetation and human activities accelerate erosion by making the land more vulnerable to wind, gully (water) and sheet erosion (loss of topsoil)
Ecosystem decline
- Degradation of ecosystems e.g forest, streams
- Can be through loss of vegetation, alien species (weeds, pests etc)
- Can lead to desertification
Forms of degradation to the atmosphere
Air pollution
- Concentrations of fine particles from traffic exhaust, factory and power plant emissions and fires
- Fires from cooking and heating- use fossil fuels like coal and dried animal waste
- Also caused by rapid growth and expansion of cities- increased demand for cheap energy (fossil fuel)
Types of degradation to the hydrosphere
- Damming rivers
- Pollution
Damming rivers
- 2/3 of the worlds rivers have been changed by dams
- Dams disrupt the flow of water, flooding and drying areas
- Disrupts ecosystems management of soil and water
Water pollution
- Contamination of our rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, seas and oceans
- Can be human activity near or far from the water
- Near: shipping, fishing, oil drilling
- Far: use of fertilisers and pesticides, littering, clearing land, landfill, processing sewerage and industrial activity
Impacts of environmental change
- Loss of biodiversity/ habitat
- Desertification
- Soil salinity and acidity
- Loss of clean drinking water
- Sea level rising/ acidification
etc
Greenhouse effect
- Short wave radiation from the sun enters the atmosphere and some bounces off back out of the atmosphere in longwave radiation.
- Some head gets trapped by the gases in the atmosphere, keeping the Earth at a temperature hospitable for life.
Enhanced greenhouse effect
- Due to humans use of fossil fuels, there are more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than before.
- This means that more heat is trapped in the atmosphere, leading to rising temperatures.
Spacial technology definition
Digital tools used to measure change and inform management of environments.
GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)
Satellites which send their information of the location to Earth to a receiver e.g smart phone.
GIS (Geographic Information System)
Database linked to the Earth, viewing information in different layers of the data imputed
RS- Remote sensing
Remotely sensed data collected from space/ aircraft. Includes satellite images and aerial photos. Can be used in a GIS map
Location of blue-green algae in Murray-Darling Basin
The river goes through parts of South Australia, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Queensland. Latitude: -35, Longitude: 143
Nature of change- blue-green algae in Murray-Darling Basin
Heat, stagnant water and fertiliser runoff has caused an increase in Blue-green algae blooms in the Murray- Darling Basin. It is an ongoing issue, with the first one being recorded in 1983
Social causes of blue-green algae in Murray-Darling Basin
Farmers using fertiliser to boost crop yield- societal norms historically to farm
Environmental causes of blue-green algae in Murray-Darling Basin
- Excess growth of cyanobacteria from excess nutrients- eutrophication.
- Fertiliser, sewerage runoff and ash from bushfires can provide the high levels of nutrients the blue-green algae needs to thrive.
- This, along with damming and building weirs causes stagnant water which also helps the algae grow
Economic causes of blue-green algae in the Murray-Darling Basin
dams built to provide water to nearby agricultural towns e.g Shepparton, which rely on the river system to fund their economies.
Political causes of blue-green algae in the Murray Darling Basin
MD Basin is overseen by 4 states and a territory. Management could be poor due to bureaucracy and bad communication
Impacts of blue-green algae on Murray-Darling Basin
fish kills, loss of wildlife, turns water to be undrinkable, health impacts if consumed, unable to perform recreational activities in the river system, as the water is unsafe. This can have economic implications for the Sunraysia regions etc.
Daily changes to coastal environments
- Position of the shoreline due to tides (2 x low tides & 2 x high tides every day)
- Exposure of sandbars and wave-cut platforms at low tide
- Change in wind direction and speed
- Changes in the size, frequency, and energy of waves
Seasonal changes to coastal environments
- Changes in the amount of sand on a beach
- Formation of sand bars
- Frequency of strong winds and storm surges
- Cyclonic activity in tropical waters
- Changes in direction of longshore drift due to seasonal wind direction
Yearly changes to coastal environments
Equilibrium between erosion and deposition on sandy beaches
Causes of natural climate change
- variations in the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface due to sunspots, the slow change in the earth’s axial tilt, rotation, and path of orbit around the sun
- variation in atmospheric gases and particulates
- volcanic eruptions
- changes in the pattern of ocean circulation due to movements of the continents
Causes of anthropogenic climate change
- Combustion of fossil fuels
- Increasing dependance on agriculture
- Deforestation
Impact of sea level rising on coasts
- The rising sea levels can cause more coastal erosion, as the water can reach higher levels than before, causing towns to be under threat.
- Low lying areas can be at risk for more flooding, especially in storm surge events and also saltwater can enter aquifers and freshwater rivers, causing drinking water supply to be at risk.
Impact of sea surface temperature rising on coasts
- There are more algal blooms in waterways, as the algae thrives in warmer water conditions.
- This can lead to toxic algae affecting water supplies and causing outbreaks that are hard to contain.
- The increase in temperatures causes the coral to be unable to tolerate the conditions, leading polyps that live on them to die, and bleach the coral to a white colour.
Impact of increased frequency/intensity of natural disasters on coasts
- This causes an increase in the speed and severity of coastal erosion.
- This can lead to destruction of habitat and towns.
- These extreme weather events also damage reefs and coral, and with the increasing frequency of cyclones and storms, the reefs do not have time to recover in between.
Impact of ocean acidification on coasts
- The acidification of the ocean leads to less carbonate being available for marine animals which need it to build shells and skeletons.
- Polyps which build coral and reefs need carbonate to build these structures, and without enough, puts reefs at risk of being unable to rebuild.
Impact of changing rainfall patterns- changing sediment supply on coasts
- Pesticides and herbicides from the agriculture industry runs into rivers and estuaries, where it can run into the oceans.
- With more severe storm events, there is more water flowing, meaning more chemicals make their way into the ocean in the floodwaters.
- These can smother marine plants and threaten reefs.
Biodiversity definition
The variety of plant and animal life in a specific habitat.
Causes of loss of biodiversity
Human activities such as:
- destruction of habitats
- overexploitation of ecosystem services
- pollution
- climate change
- introduction of invasive species
Sustainability definition
Sustainability is the ongoing capacity of the Earth to maintain all life.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander coastal management practices
- Moving around to not overuse one area
- Only taking what is needed
- Working with other agencies to create management plans for modern day problems
Wellbeing definition
The recognition that everyone around the world, regardless of geography, age, culture, religion or political environment, aspires to live well.
HDI Definition
The Human Development Index (HDI) is an index of social indicators (life expectancy and education) and economic indicators (per capita income/gross national income). The United Nations also has added environmental indicators (access to fresh water, deforestation rates, clean air, etc) as impacts of environmental degradation does have an impact on our mental and physical wellbeing.
Characteristics of a country with high HDI
- The lifespan, education levels and gross national income of its people on average is higher.
- Environmental degradation is less prevalent in the society.
Gender Inequality definition
Gender inequality is where people are not treated equally, or discriminated against on the basis of gender. It can be in education, workplace, healthcare, social settings etc
Maternal mortality rate US
23.8 per 100,000 live births
GII (Gender Inequality Index) rating US
0.179 in 2021
How much does a woman earn for $1 of a man in the US?
82c
What is roe v wade
- The case that established that women in the United States had a legal right to abortion.
- Established on January 22, 1973, and stood for nearly 50 years (ruled that states could not pass laws restricting abortion rights)
- The case was about a pregnant woman (Jane roe which was a fictional name to hide the identity of the true female) who wanted an abortion, but in Texas where she lived abortions were illegal except to save a women’s life.
- Roe initiated a lawsuit against the Texas Federal Court (wanting to prevent the district attorney Henry Wade from enforcing the ban of abortions)
- The U.S. supreme court ruled in favour of roe.
- This was then overruled in 2022 by the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which stated that each state could decide on the fate of women’s legal right to abortion.
