Land cover transformation and climate change

Question 1

Define land cover

Answer 1

used to identify different materials that cover the surface of earth (forest, grassland etc)

Question 2

define land use

Answer 2

used to explain how people use an area for economic, social or cultural purposes

Question 3

Briefly describe nitrogen cycle

Answer 3

absorption of nitrate into plants and animals. Nitrogen is converted into various forms as it passes and circulates through the atmosphere and lithosphere

Question 4

Briefly describe the carbon cycle

Answer 4

processes of carbon dioxide and its movement throughout the atmosphere as well as the contributed human activity

Question 5

Briefly describe the water cycle

Answer 5

processes of water as it moves around the atmosphere and lithosphere causing rainfall

Question 6

define atmosphere

Answer 6

the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Question 7

define lithosphere

Answer 7

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.

Question 8

define hydrosphere

Answer 8

all the waters on the earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds.

Question 9

How do vegetation biomes exist?

Answer 9

As result of climatic environments, created through interactions between global climatic systems

Question 10

What alters natural land cover

Answer 10

drainage, deforestation, intensification of agriculture, soil degradation and water degradation

Question 11

What is an anthropogenic biome?

Answer 11

human modification of environments

Question 12

What are the main climate factors?

Answer 12

latitude, distance to sea, elevation above sea level, proximity to ocean currents

Question 13

What are factors influencing changes in land use?

Answer 13

erosion, soil quality, water access, energy consumption, pollution, elevation, waste, natural hazards, population, proximity to oceans, income, cultural/historical importance

Question 14

What are causes of land and water degradation?

Answer 14

water removal and irrigation, dam construction deforestation for grazing ,cultivation, logging, roads and urban development, over grazing and overcultivation, chemical pollution from discharge and collapse of tailings dams, waste disposal from landfill or illegal dumping, including litter

Question 15

What are effects of land and water degradation on earth’s physical systems?

Answer 15

erosion, excess run-off, pollution, loss of habitat, flooding, increased co2 emissions, increased cyclone activity, increased climatic processes, loss of ground cover, desertification, soil toxicity, loss of wildlife

Question 16

Give examples of anthropogenic biomes

Answer 16

dense settlements, villages, croplands, rangelands, forests and wildlands

Question 17

What are causes of climate change?

Answer 17

human activities warm atmosphere, ocean and land, increased greenhouse gases warm earth, increase co2 emissions, burning of fossil fuels and oil, clearing of land for agriculture, industry

Question 18

What are effects of climate change?

Answer 18

planets average surface temperature risen about 1.18 degrees since late 19th century, melting glaciers and ice sheets, rising sea levels, droughts, floods and extreme temperatures, increase weeds and pests, co2 stimulate plant growth, co2 reduce nutritional value of most food crops, can cause new diseases affecting animals and humans

Question 19

What are implications of climate change?

Answer 19

crop losses and threaten food security, communities at risk of destruction and increased health risks, sever weather events - natural hazards and disasters

Question 20

What is carbon sequestration?

Answer 20

stabilizes carbon in solid and dissolved forms so that it doesn’t cause the atmosphere to warm

Question 21

Briefly explain the two main types of carbon sequestration

Answer 21

biological

• storage of co2 in vegetation, soils and oceans
• colder and nutrient rich parts of ocean are able to absorb more co2
• carbon sequestered in soil by plants through photosynthesis
• wildfires and human activities contribute to dimishment of forests as carbon sink

Geological
- storing co2 in underground geologic formations

Question 22

What are effects of global warming?

Answer 22

thermal expansion of ocean water raises sea levels, as oceans become warmer, mount of water vapour in air will increase this amplifying global warming, glaciers melt more rapidly, changes in air and ocean temperatures effect circulation patterns of air and water

Question 23

What are effects of global warming in Australia?

Answer 23

evaporation increase, extreme wetter and drier seasons, more intense and violent storms producing heavier rainfall due to increase water vapour, wildlife numbers at risk

Question 24

What are indicators of climate change?

Answer 24

1. air temperatures over land increasing (as result, frequency and severity of droughts and heat waves are increasing)
2. air temperatures over oceans are increasing (more floods, hurricanes and extreme precipitation events, oceans evaporate more water)
3. arctic sea ice decreasing (ice cap grow less sunlight, shrinks winter
4. glaciers melting
5. sea levels rising (marine life threatened salt water intrudes into fresh water)
6. humidity increasing
7. ocean heat content increasing
8. sea surface temperature increasing
9. snow decreasing
10. earth’s lower atmosphere temperature is increasing

Question 25

What is albedo?

Answer 25

level of reflection. No ice, oceans absorb sun’s energy and ocean expands. Measured on scale of 0-1, lower number means it is worse off

Question 26

What effect does soot have on sea ice?

Answer 26

soot from carbon darkens surface and speeds up absorption and warms planet

Question 27

When graphing a choropleth, which order does the legend go in?

Answer 27

darkest - highest value

lightest - lowest value