people and the biosphere

Question 1

what is an ecosystem

Answer 1

a grouping of plants and animals that interact with each other and their local environment

Question 2

define a biome

Answer 2

global-scale ecosystem

Question 3

name the 9 biomes in order

Answer 3

other/ice 
tundra 
taiga 
deciduos forest 
temperate grassland 
mediterranean 
desert
savannah 
tropical rainforest

Question 4

give examples of global factors

Answer 4

sunshine
temperature
precipitation

Question 5

how do global factors affect the distribution of biomes

Answer 5

e.g desert is very hot and receives little precipitation because it is located in between Hadley and Ferrel cells where hot, dry air descends creating low biodiversity

Question 6

how can the taiga be protected with protected wilderness areas

Answer 6

protected wilderness areas prevent any exploitation of natural resources by informing visitors, researching how to protect the area, and protecting the animals and plants.
However, they cannot protect migrating species, and where the taiga has oil and gas there is a lot of pressure for governments to develop them. If parks are far from cities, few tourists will visit them and money from tourism helps parks fund their conservation

Question 7

what are alternative livelihoods

Answer 7

selective logging
eco-tourism
afforestation
agroforestry

Question 8

what is CITES

Answer 8

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

+large influence +targets correct problem
-hard to enforce rules -difficult to monitor all countries

Question 9

what is REDD

Answer 9

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation

+ large funding
-vague = palm tree plantations are still being funded

Question 10

what are the direct threats to the Taiga

Answer 10

commercial development

logging

Question 11

what are the indirect threats to the taiga

Answer 11

mining
HEP
oil extractions

Question 12

give characteristics of the taiga

Answer 12

the taiga has long extremely cold winters when plants cannot grow
mild summers
less than 500mm rainfall

Question 13

what are the costs and benefits of wind energy

Answer 13

+clean +no air pollution +cheap

-visual pollution -bird deaths

Question 14

what are the costs and benefits of solar energy

Answer 14

+creates jobs +little maintenance + no noise

-takes us farmland -damages desert habitats

Question 15

what are the costs and benefits of HEP’s

Answer 15

+reliable +flexible +can regulate water supply

-flooding -expensive -alters the river

Question 16

why are we exploiting ecologically sensitive areas

Answer 16

growing demand leads to exploitation

provides employment

boosts exploiters economy

Question 17

what are Athabasca tar sands

Answer 17

a place with a large amount of bitumen that can be refined into petroleum.

Question 18

what are the unconventional methods of oil and gas sources

Answer 18

fracking
drilling and injecting water under high pressure, this creates new channels in the rock, allowing the gas to be extracted at higher than traditional rates
Athabasca tar sands
steam out tar so that it can be collected

Question 19

how can we be more energy efficient

Answer 19

solar panels
insulation
green energy suppliers
LED lighting

Question 20

how do accessibility and development affect the distribution of energy resources

Answer 20

places with more money can afford to access and import energy

Question 21

how does geology affect the distribution of energy resources

Answer 21

fossil fuels are found in sedimentary rock

Question 22

how can resources be classified

Answer 22

non-renewable
renewable
recyclable

Question 23

how do relief and climate affect the distribution of energy resources

Answer 23

regions with high rainfall are suitable for HEP’s
places with high wind are suitable for wind turbines
Sunny places are suitable for solar panels

Question 24

what is ESPO

Answer 24

East Siberian Pacific Ocean

pipeline that carries oil from Russia to China but has expanded to the Pacific

Question 25

what is OPEC

Answer 25

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries | governmental organisation of oil exporters and producers that influence oil price and supply

Question 26

how are oil supplies and prices affected by the recession

Answer 26

less demand = prices fall

Question 27

how are oil supplies and prices affected by conflict

Answer 27

prices rise

Question 28

how are oil supplies and prices affected by peace

Answer 28

prices can either rise or fall

Question 29

how are oil supplies and prices affected by an economic boom

Answer 29

prices rise

Question 30

how are oil supplies and prices affected by oversupply

Answer 30

prices fall

Question 31

what can affect oil supply and price

Answer 31

``` peace conflict oversupply undersupply recession economic boom ```

Question 32

how has global consumption of oil changed

Answer 32

it has been rising due to increased demand (since 1990) developing regions have been using more developed regions have been using less

Question 33

what is the distribution of oil reserves

Answer 33

Middle East has the largest reserve

Question 34

what is the distribution of oil production

Answer 34

Saudi Arabia, USA, and Russia are the largest producers

Question 35

what impact does extracting energy resources have on the environment

Answer 35

``` scarred landscapes oil leaks damage to habitats pollution increased greenhouse effect ```

Question 36

what causes variation in energy use

Answer 36

economic development economic sector traditional fuel sources - in many developing countries biomass is used domestically, no direct electricity

Question 37

what are the global patterns of energy use

Answer 37

population and GDP growth over the last 100 years has lead to an increased demand for energy

Question 38

what are the physical factors affecting the development of renewable resources?

Answer 38

``` amount of precipitation amount of sunshine amount of wind relief climate ```

Question 39

what are the human factors affecting the development of renewable resources

Answer 39

cost education change in technology

Question 40

how does the environment affect the development of unconventional oil and gas resources

Answer 40

ecologically sensitive areas | type of rock - needs to be sedimentary

Question 41

why protect the taiga

Answer 41

it has a very fragile ecosystem and takes a very long time to recover from damages highly specialised species that cannot adapt to climate change as quickly a small amount of species so a disease that affects one species can affect the whole ecosystem

Question 42

how can sustainable forestry help protect the taiga

Answer 42

For every tree that has been cut down, another taiga specific tree is planted However, it is costly and long term, so only big companies can afford to do this. Smaller companies want to maximise profits and cut down as many trees before their lease runs out