Human Environment Flashcards
Human Environment
What are biogeochemical cycles?
The various cycles that make nutrients available to lifeCarbonHydrologicalPhosphorusSulfurNitrogen
Carbon cycle
1.Storage:Short-term: atmosphereMedium-term: forests, oceanLong-term: carbonate rocks, coal, oil2.Human intervention: Removal of forestsBurning carbon based fuels
Sulfur cycle
Protein contains sulfur Mostly found in rocks and sediment Burning coal and oil puts sulfur in the atmosphere Sulfur is removed from rock during mining process.
Water cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Most nitrogen stored in atmosphereBacteria needed to access oxygenWe add nitrogen to atmosphere by burning fossil fuelsFertilizers add nitrogen to soil and water
Phosphorus cycle
An important nutrientMostly in rock and sedimentMined for fertilizerFertilizer and animal waste pollutes water systems
What is a natural resource?
Anything useful to humans from the natural environmentMay be a resource or negative resource
What is a negative resource?
Something dangerous to humans, like a tiger could kill us, whereas the pelt is a resource.
What is a natural resource?
It depends. Some cultures use resources like grubs or dung. Anything useful.
What is a continuous resource?
Something that never runs out: wind, solar, tidal.
What is a renewable resource?
Something that will natural renew if removal rates don’t exceed regeneration or no permanent damage: trees, fish, animals.
Non-renewable resource?
Limited quantity and location. Regenerates very slowly: fossil fuels, minerals, groundwater.
What is an extrinsic resource?
All asepcts of the human species, which are renewable: knowledge, skills, people, insitutions.
What are some major environmental issues?
Changing natural distribution of animals and vegetationOverusing soilsDesertificationDeforestationOverfishingWater pollutionAir pollution
Why are there environmental problems?
Human wants and needs lead to misuse of natural resources
How does population impact the environment?
Ever increasing population, especially in lower-developed countries.Rapid population increase can overtax the available resourcesRapid decline can hurt the environment if good stewarship is abandoned.
Why did suburb populations increase from 20 to 60 percent in the 1950s?
social statusdetatched housingprivate landparking spaceretreat from stress (maybe)
Why and where do people live?
Access to ocean; low lying; fertile soil; temperate climate
where are populations sparsest?
Dry landsWet landsCold landsHigh lands
What is arithmetic density?
number of humans divided by land area
What is physiological density?
Number of people divided the amount of ARABLE landHigher physiological density means the land has greater pressure on it.
What is agricultural density?
Number of farmers per area of arable land.This can show how developed the country is. The more people farming, the less developed.
How do populations change?
Crude birth rate (live births per 1000)
minus crude death rate
equals Natural Increase Rate
Doesn’t include immigration or emigration
What is the expansionist worldview?
Associated with the Age of Enlightenment
Technology can overcome resource scarcity through innovation in technology
Malthusian worldview
Thomas Malthus 1766-1834 English economist
Population increase would be greater than food production capacity.
What can technology do for us?
Improved vegetation growth
fossil fuel extraction
Renewable fuel development
Extract more from less
Urban development
Transportation
Negatives of technology?
Political, economic, social values and structures result in uneven distribution of resources and environmental misuse, thought social values think environmental monitoring and regulation is important.
Few wealthy individuals have more power
Wealthy consume more resources
poor accused of misusing resources
wealthy nations have more options
poor victims of environmental issues
