Key Words

Question 0

Place

Answer 0

a particular position, point, or area in space; a location. Places may be natural, or highly modified. They provide us with the services and facilities we need in everyday life. What places are like can effect quality of life and wellbeing

Question 1

Space

Answer 1

a continuous area or expanse which is free, available, or unoccupied.
Everything has a location on the space that is the surface of the earth.

Question 2

Interconnection

Answer 2

The interconnection between people and environments in one place can lead to changes in another location. For example, the damming of a river upstream can altar the environment downstream and affect the people who depend on it

Question 3

Change

Answer 3

Make or become different. Topics studied in geography are changing all the time, either over long or short periods of times.

Question 4

Environment

Answer 4

the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. There is a strong relationship between humans and the natural and urban environment. People depend on the environment for the source, sink, spiritual, and service functions it provides.

Question 5

Scale

Answer 5

Scale is a useful tool for examining issues from different perspectives, from the personal, to the local, regional, national and global. Scale is also used to look for explanations or compare outcomes.

Question 6

Source function

Answer 6

Natural recources, which includes renewable, non-renewable and continuous recources such as food, fuel, fibre, fresh water

Question 7

Sink function

Answer 7

The safe absorption of wastes and pollutions, humans depend on the environment to breakdown, recycle and store waste safely

Question 8

Service function

Answer 8

Services that support life without requiring human action. Natural cycles and processes such as nutrient cycling, provision of habitat, soil formation, production of oxygen, water cycling and photosynthesis.

Question 9

Spiritual function

Answer 9

An ecosystems ability to provide for recreational activities, aesthetic appeal, spiritual value. Spiritual and religious values- these give us sense of place.

Question 10

Sustainability

Answer 10

Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Question 11

Spaceship earth

Answer 11

Spaceship earth is a world view term usually expressing concern over the use of limited resources available on earth and encouraging everyone on it to act as a harmonious crew working toward the greater good.

Question 12

Aesthetic value

Answer 12

The value of a landscape based on its attractiveness or beauty

Question 13

Emotional value

Answer 13

People often develop a deep emotional attachment to a place or landscape. E.g. Remembering with fondness places where we went for holidays

Question 14

Spiritual value

Answer 14

Landscapes hold special spiritaual significance for some people. Many aboriginal people recognise that features of the landscape have a spiritual value. Through these features, indigenous Australians connect to the dreaming.

Question 15

Economic value

Answer 15

Many landscapes also have an economic value. Some such as agricultural or urban landscapes, are the product of economic activity.

Question 16

Global warming

Answer 16

a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere

Question 17

Ecological service

Answer 17

Any beneficial natural process arising from healthy ecosystems, such as purification of water and air, pollination of plants and decomposition of waste.

Question 18

Stewardship

Answer 18

Protecting the environment and benefitting people

Question 19

Bio capacity

Answer 19

Biocapacity is the capacity of an area to provide resources and absorb wastes. When the area’s ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity, unsustainability occurs.

Question 20

Climate change

Answer 20

a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels

Question 21

Enhanced greenhouse effect

Answer 21

The enhanced greenhouse effect is an enhancement in the natural process, which is brought about by human activities. It also includes greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide which are released into the atmosphere.

Question 22

What is the carbon cycle?

Answer 22

Carbon is the fourth most abundant element on Earth and is a basic component of all living organisms. Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make their own food and grow. The carbon becomes part of the plant. Plants that die and are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal and oil over millions of years. When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Question 23

Geological carbon cycle

Answer 23

Long term cycle that results in the bulk of carbon being locked in rocks or in sediments as fossil fuels

Question 24

Biological/physical carbon cycle

Answer 24

Short term cycle that occurs over days weeks months years and involoved the cycling of carbon through photosynthesis and cellular respiration

Question 25

Where is carbon stored?

Answer 25

In sinks like decomposed organic matter, rocks,

Question 26

The hydrologic cycle

Answer 26

Evaporation: the sun causes water on earth to evaporate. condensation: as water vapour in the clouds cool down it becomes water again
Precipitation: water falls from the sky in the form of rain, snow, hail
Collection: oceans and lakes collect the water that has fallen

Question 27

What is the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 27

Most plants get the nitrogen they need from soil. Many farmers use fertilizers to add nitrogen to the soil to help plants grow larger and faster. Both nitrogen fertilizers and forest fires add huge amounts of nitrogen into the soil and nearby lakes and rivers. Water full of nitrogen causes plants and algae to grow very fast and then die all at once when there are too many for the environment to support.

Question 28

Nitrogen fixing bacteria

Answer 28

Fix or convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into nitrate ions, nitrite ions and ammonium ions.

Question 29

Denitrifying bacteria

Answer 29

Are able to return nitrogen back into the atmosphere

Question 30

Ozone layer

Answer 30

A thin part of the earth’s atmosphere and absorbs almost all of the Suns harmful ultra violet light. The ozone layer is getting thinner due to chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons.

Question 31

Millennium development goals

Answer 31

Eight development goals developed in 2000

Question 32

Fire stick farming

Answer 32

The australian country is very flammable in the dry season, so aboriginal people altered the pattern, developing complex fire stick management regimes.

Question 33

Deforestation

Answer 33

Deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use