Land Transformation - C Flashcards
Land use change
conversion of existing natural ecosystems to other forms of landscape, typically for human eeds
deforestation and carbon cycle
carbon sequesration and growth slows as trees reach max height
deforestation means carbon stored in wood is returned to atmosphere through decomposition
with agriculture replacing forests, annual plants do not sequester as much carbon as trees
deforestation and hydrological cycle
major part of recycling of green water
cloud-seeding secondary chemicals
influence cloud cover
can create flying rivers (moisture traveling over large area as a result of wind currents and significant plant transpiration)
slash-and-burn agriculture + nutrient cycle
removal of woodland through fire and farming that land using nutrient rich ash as fertilizer
there is high precipitation so new soil nutrients get lost and areas burned become unproductive very quickly
deforestation and radiation budget
cropland (no trees) do better for albedo than tree cover
deforestation and biodiversity
forests have high biodiversity
most significant cause of species extinction risk
high diversity at equator
grasslands
most endangered biome
seized for cropland and pastures
grasslands store more carbon in soils, keep that carbon during forest fire unlike trees
wetland loss (5)
drained for agricultural production
1. loss of biodiversity 2.change in sedimentation
3.soil degradation,
4.more GHGs
5.loss of water filtration and flood prevention
urban expansion impact on environmental systems
all of them!
local radiation budget
hydrological cycles
carbon cycles
nutrient cycles
biodiversity loss
Urban heat island
increased temperature in cities resulting from heat radiating from dark man-made structures
surface mining
removes forest, wetlands, grasslands (any landscape)
dramatically alter morphology of landscape
toxic chemical contamination
mountaintop removal
removal of all biomass, modification of the geology of a region
permanently alters the topography of a landscape, plants are slow to recolonized land especially with compromised soil
toxic chemical contamination
desertification
biological productivity of soil is lost
high winds strip soil and create deadly sandstorms
because no trees
reforestation
replanting trees
aims to improve soil
but current soil is very bad, lack of other plants to help support tree growth, short growing season so slow growth
does not replicate natural species richness
does not replace dependent species
some will return, but others will not naturally reoccur
permeance
ability to let light or water through
plants have less permeance because they are smaller
