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semester 1 flashcards > exam cards 135 > Flashcards

exam cards 135 Flashcards

1
Q

what are the four broad categories for deserts

A

Polar, Subtropical, Coastal, Cold

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2
Q

How many goals does the agenda 21 have

A

17 goals

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3
Q

What does agenda 21 refer to

A

a global agenda for the 21st century

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4
Q

what % is the total world land forest

A

30%

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5
Q

what % is total world land drylands

A

40-45%

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6
Q

definition of a desert

A

Extremely arid at least 12 consecutive months without rainfall

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7
Q

What type of system does the USA use to approach to sustainabilty

A

“country led”

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8
Q

What is a bottom-up approach and give a example of one

A

goals set for the individual citizen to follow, local agenda 21, think global act local

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9
Q

when was the millennium summit

A

2000

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10
Q

what was the pairs agreement

A

In effect once >55 countries that produce >55% of greenhouse gases are ratified, Every country should set targets to reduce emissions, like the UK’s car emission 2035

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11
Q

list the layers of forest from top to bottom

A

emergent layer, canopy cover/drip cover, understory, forest floor

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12
Q

List five countries, that make up half of the forested land

A

Brazil, Russia, China, Canada, United States of America

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13
Q

list the type of forests

A

open forest (over 40% covered, usually tropics), closed forest (10%-40% covered, Boreal), other wooded land (less than 10%, subtropical)

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14
Q

definition of deforestation

A

“Deforestation is the conversion of forest to another land use OR the long-term reduction of tree canopy below the 10% threshold.”

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15
Q

list some deforestation stats

A

Deforestation: temperate (35%) > savannah (25%) > rainforests (5-10%), Perhaps 90% of deforestation happened before 1950

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16
Q

what is the main reason for deforestation taking place

A

Creating agricultural land to grow crops (e.g. soya, palm oil) or pasture for animals

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17
Q

list methods of deforestation

A

logging (people manually cutting trees), Fire (lighting fires to burn the wood and plants over a large area), dieback (climate change)

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18
Q

list some of the effects of deforestation

A
  • C cycle, local & global climate change
    • Degradation of land quality, fertility
    • Soil erosion by splash erosion, and exposure to wind, increased dust storms
    • Impacts of fires
    • Effects on biodiversity, forest edges
    • Impact on the local and global water cycle and evaporation
    • Increased flooding especially along marine and fluvial coastlines
    • Increased hunting, catching and selling of animals, along with illegal logging
    • Impact on land stability, giving more landslides
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19
Q

estimate carbon store with living trees globally

A

300 billion tones

20
Q

impact on soils deforestation has

A
  • Forests associated with very low erosion rates
    • Loss=>Degradation, less organic matter, (higher T, absence of shade).
    • Prime causes of soil erosion ARE deforestation and agriculture
      Soil erosion costs world $400 billion per year
21
Q

Biological Impacts of Deforestation

A
  • Habitat loss and food sources
    • Biodiversity reduction including species not yet discovered
    • Injuries to animals from burning wood.
      Isolation of species by breaking down migration routes
22
Q

definition of Afforestation

A

“The process of sowing seeds or planting trees in an area that does not have trees to create a forest…. The conversion of bare or cultivated land into forest.”

23
Q

definition of Reforestation

A

The process of re-establishing forest formations after a temporary condition with less than 10% canopy cover.

24
Q

list the benefits and Disadvantages afforestation

A

Benefits of Afforestation:
- Enable the creation of an alternative source of timber and timber materials
- Enable growing certain types of trees
- Developing new ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity
- Reduce land degradation and soil erosion
- Improve air quality
- Carbon capture and storage.
- Reduce floods

Disadvantages of Afforestation:
- Monoculture trees are more susceptible to pests
- Biodiversity is associated with mature forest
- Negatively affect original ecosystems
- Driving up food prices while taking land from agricultural processes
- Introduction of invasive and non-native species
Use a large amount of land and water resources

25
Q

list the benefits and disadvantages of reforestation

A

Benefits of Reforestation:
- Save natural forests from deforestation.
- Restoring ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity
- Improve land degradation and soil erosion
- Improve air quality
- Carbon capture and storage
- Support local and indigenous people to work with the forest

Disadvantages of Reforestation:
- Reforestation naturally or by humans?
- The maturity of the forest is important
- No economic or political motivation
- A large number of seedlings fail
- Difficult to measure how much carbon the new trees are taking from the atmosphere

26
Q

what is agroforestry

A
  • Agroforestry is the combination of trees and agriculture.
    • “Silvo-pastoral agroforestry”: combining trees with grazing animals.
    • “Silvo-arable agroforestry”: combining trees and crops.
    • It can happen on an industrial scale, or in small farms / gardens.
27
Q

what are the benefits and disadvantages of agroforestry

A

Benefits of Agroforestry?
- Improve soil quality
- Improve biodiversity
- Create additional crops (e.g. nuts, fruits) and stabilize income
- Tree roots are deeper than normal crops so less competition for water supply and nutrient circulation through the soil
- Symbiotic relationships between different crops and trees
- Improving resilience
- Support the movement of animals across farmland
- Shelter animals in inclement weather

Disadvantages of Agroforestry?
- Growing crops and keeping animals is very different from growing trees
- Some farms run on a short-term tenancy that stops farmers making long-term changes
- The cost of replacing the trees can be expensive

28
Q

What is Silviculture?

A
  • Silviculture is the process of growing and conserving trees and forests.
    • The process of Silviculture is modified depending on the location, the local climate, and what type of trees grow.
    • Forestry work includes planting, restoration, deforestation
    • Restoration may be natural or human.
29
Q

what is REDD+

A

‘Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. The ‘+’ stands for additional forest-related activities that protect the climate,

30
Q

What is the definition of desertification

A

Desertification is the diminution or destruction of biological potential of land, and can lead ultimately to desert like conditions

31
Q

What conference took place for the growing concern about desertification?

A

UNCOD, Nairobi 1977

32
Q

Conclusions from UNCOD, Nairobi 1977 on the cause of desertification

A

Drought only has indirect effect on desertification

Land management main cause

Can happen anywhere not only areas bordering deserts

33
Q

What is the “the brown agenda”

A

An approach which states that approach to sustainability have only concentrated on environmental issues to western countries i.e global warming and finite resources

34
Q

How is sea level rise measured

A

Originally by suveys but current through satellite monitoring

35
Q

What are the short term affects of regional sea rise level

A

Variations of sea level on periods ranging from mintues to weeks e.g. storm surges, wave runup, wave set up, astronomical tides and fresh water input

36
Q

What are long term causes for sea level rise on global scale

A

Thermal expansion
Ice melt
Land water storage

37
Q

how does ice melts add to rising sea levels

A
  • Due to warming atmosphere and ocean, ice sheets and mountain glaciers are melting resulting in the addition of fresh water into the oceans
    • Ice loss was the largest contributor to sea level rise during the past few decades and will contribute to rising sea levels for the century to come
38
Q

how does thermal expansion add to rising sea levels

A
  • Warming of Earth is primarily due to accumulation of heat trapping greenhouse gases
    • > 90% of this trapped heat is absorbed by the oceans
    • As heat absorbed – oceans temperatures rise, and water expands
    • Since 2004 warming of the upper ocean caused one third of the global sea level rise
39
Q

how does changes to land water storage affect rising sea water

A

due to human involvement, and changes to the environment, causes less land water storage meaning that there is more runoff and water return to the ocean and in circulation meaning rising water levels.

40
Q

what are some of the physical changes for rising sea levels

A
  • Permanent inundation – deltas, coral reefs and islands, coastal wetlands, other vulnerable areas
  • Flooding by high tides and surges
  • Increased coastal erosion – cliff coasts, beach coasts, salt marshes
  • Salinisation
41
Q

what are some of the impacts on biodiversity due to rising sea levels

A

Habitat loss (e.g. mangroves) due to permanent flooding

Corals cannot grow quickly enough and therefore die

Saltmarshes are flooded. The marshes need sufficient space to move inland, and an adequate supply of sediment

42
Q

what is the definition of earth observation

A

Earth observation involves gathering information about the physical world by detecting radiation which is reflected or emitted from it

43
Q

what are the key advantages to satellite monitoring for environmental change

A
  • Measurements at regular intervals over a number of years
  • Global coverage and consistent
  • Remote or inaccessible areas (eg polar, remote ocean)
  • Gives numbers needed for modelling (not just maps/videos!)
  • Increasingly precise and available – you can use them!
44
Q

what measurement are UV rays (for ozone layer, stratosphere) received at

A

10 nm - 400 nm

45
Q

what measurement are VIs and NIR waves (for vegetation) received at

A

400nm - 1400nm

46
Q

what measurements are Thermal IR (for Temperature) received at

A

3 - 15 micro m

47
Q

what measurements are VIS, NIR, Thermal and microwave (for precipitation) received at

A

100 um - 10cm

semester 1 flashcards (2 decks)

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