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