Semester Exam Flashcards
1
Q
What are the 4 spheres
A
Biosphere
Geosphere/ lithosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
2
Q
Atmosphere
A
- gasses
- 5 layers
3
Q
Hydrosphere
A
- all water on earth
- lakes, rivers, glaciers
- rain, snow, hail
4
Q
Biosphere
A
- biomes
- plants, animals, terrains, climates
- Desert Forests
- living organisms
5
Q
Geosphere / lithosphere
A
- rocks and minerals
- landforms from rocks
- skeleton of planet
- non - living organisms
- volcanoes, beaches, canyons
6
Q
What are ecological services
A
What nature provides
7
Q
What is the ecological footprint
A
- one way of measuring human demand for ecological services
- takes into account regenerative capacities of biomes and ecosystems (bio capacity)
- no, in hectares of productive land and sea
- 6 factors: ~ carbon. ~ forest. ~ fishing ground. ~ crop land. ~ grazing land. ~ built up land
8
Q
What ecological services do we get
A
Supporting —> Provising
Supporting —> Regulating
Supporting —> Cultural
9
Q
What is supporting
A
- foundation for all services
- breakdown of organic waste, water purification, soil formation, nutrient cycling
- all forms of primary production
10
Q
What is provising
A
- goods people use or harvest from nature
- water, edible food, timber, medicine
11
Q
What a regulating
A
- control of natural processes
- eg. flood and drought
- ability to regulate climate, soil, water purification and moderate disease
12
Q
What is cultural
A
- benefits people obtain from nature
- EG. religious, spiritual, aesthetic, educational, recreational, tourism
13
Q
What 6 factors contribute to the ecological footprint
A
- carbon
- forest
- crop land
- grazing land
- fishing ground
- built-up land
14
Q
How ,Amy planets does it take to sustain our life now
A
1.6 planets
15
Q
How long does it take to regenerate what we take each year
A
19 months
16
Q
How has biocapacity been able to increase over the past 50 years
A
- more intensive agriculture (yields)
- GMO
17
Q
How do countries cause an increase in their ecological deficit
A
- use more resources than they have
- more exports and imports
- emit more CO2 than their environment can absorb
18
Q
What is an ecosystem
A
- a biological community of interacting living and non-living organisms and their physical environment
- biotic and abiotic factors interacting with one another
19
Q
What are the two types of ecosystem
A
Land (terrestrial)
Water (aquatic)
20
Q
What is environmental change
A
Changes to the environment that are either natural or human induced.
- eg. Deforestation (human induced), Earthquake (natural)
21
Q
The environment is constantly changing over time. These changes can occur:
A
- instantly (hours, days)
- over a short period of time (months, years)
- over a long period of time (decades, centuries)
- over a long period of geological time (thousands of years plus)
22
Q
Changes can occur at different :
A
Scales.
- localised on a small scale
- globalised
23
Q
What are some human induced changes
A
- deforestation
- dams
- agriculture
- greenhouse gas emissions
- mining
- urbanisation
- industry
- overfishing / overgrazing
24
Q
Homocentric worldview
A
- human centred
- environment is only valued because of its usefulness to us, economies or services provided
25
Ecocentric worldview
- earth centred
| - environment is valued regardless whether it is useful to us or not
26
What is utilitarianism
- describes when things are valued based on their usefulness (utility)
27
Social impacts of Gulf of Mexico oil spill
- mental health issues and stress from financial situation
- loss of livelihood
- health problems
- breathing problems
- 11 People died
28
Economic impacts of Gulf of Mexico oil spill
- fishing, tourism and hospitality industries significantly impacted
- fishing and tourism $3.5-4.5 bill per year lost
- $4 bill t clean up and $4-5 bill in penalties
- $23 bill in tourism lost
29
Environmental impacts of Gulf of Mexico oil spill
- biodiversity decreased
- oil seeped into environment and remained for decades
- plants and animals died and got injured
- salinity and pH levels impacted
- 40% méthane in oil released in atmosphere
- 82,000 (102 species) birds killed
- 6,165 turtles killed
- 25,900 Marine mammals killed/injured
30
Air pollution is....
- considered to be 9ne of worlds greatest health risks
- leads to inc rates asthma, lung and heart disease
- 4.3 mill deaths per annum indoor pollution
- 3.5 mill darts per annum - outdoor pollution
31
Troposphere
- 80% air on planet and weather
- up to 10 km above sea level
-1st layer
- cumulonimbus clouds
- stratocumulus clouds
- mt Everest
Commercial jets
32
Stratosphere
- absorbs harmful sun rays (ozone layer)
- ozone found within
- 2nd layer
- 10km to50 km above sea level
- weather balloons
- commercial jet
- spy plane
- cirrus clouds
33
Mesosphere
- coldest
- no breathable air
- 3rd layer
- 50-approx 85km
- meteors
- sprites
- noctilucent clouds
- sounding rockets
34
Thermosphere
- satellites
| - 4 Th layer
35
Exosphere
Still earth’s atmosphere but beyond is space
| - 5th layer
36
Ozone layer
- absorbs suns harmful rays that increase skin cancer and other diseases risks
- protects from uv rays
- made up of 3 oxygen atoms
- 3-5mm thick
- protects life on earth
- deteriorates from cfc’s and N02 (nitrogen oxides)
37
Ozone hole
- thinner area
- not actual hole
- sudden, marked depletion of ozone
- loss of 50% or more total column ozone
38
Causes of ozone depletion
- emissions of set of chemicals:
- CFCs
- HCFCs
- Halons
- methyl bromide
- carbon tetrachloride
- methyl chloroform
39
Impacts of ozone depletion
- skin cance (melanoma and non melanoma)
- premature aging of the skin
- skin problems
- cataracts
- eye damage
- immune system suppression
- genetic disorders
40
Levels of carbon,......
Need to be balanced
41
How much carb9n in atmosphere
180-280 parts per mill = good
- levels increased by 40% since indust revolution to 400 parts
- more than 90% heat trapped in atmosphere absorbed by oceans leading to 30% more acidic oceans
- more intense weather systems and changing climate - rapid next 50 ears
42
Deforestation
The permanent removal of trees to make room for something besides forest. This includes the clearing of land for agriculture or grazing or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing
42
Ozone layer
Region/layer of earth’s atmosphere that absorbs most of the suns ultraviolet radiation
- protects the earth from those harmful uv rays
- made up of 3 oxygen atoms
- 3-5mm thick
- protects all life on earth
42
Social factors
Factors that effect and influence people, individuals and the community.
- people affecting factors
- effects on people
42
Economic factors
Factors that affect the economy and money
| - interest rates, tax, rates, Laws, policies, wages,
42
Environmental factors
- factors that impact land, ocean, plants, animals and any other aspects of the environment
42
Atmosphere
The gasses surrounding the earth
42
Habitat
The natural home or environmental of an animal, plant or organism
42
Gyres
In oceanography are large systems of rotating ocean current
42
Climate change
Induced and naturally occurring processes including the warming of the planet and impacts of this warming. Eg. Melting glaciers, changing weather patterns
42
Global warming
Specifically the increase in earth’s average surface temperature. Can cause extreme high or low temps
42
Degradation
The processs of becoming damaged and of poorer quality due to the effects of pollution, industry and modern agricultural methods
42
Corilolos effect
The curvature of wind and ocean currents causing the nothern hemisphere current to be clockwise and the southern hemishoere , anticlockwise
43
Communities could use micro grids (solar)
| -
```
buy and selling of energy remains local
- money stays in kicks ecinomy
- increased hygenin
- makes local happy
- great for environment
- makes locals proud
- not controlled by gov
- more local jobs
- less need for kerosine which is harmful
- can study in light at night
- better education
- reduced climate change and air pollution
-
```
44
Traffic
- electric cars and shared vehicles
- reduced air pollution
- safer - driverless vehicles
- less room needed for cars - more space for green areas in cities
- extra space in cities for
- remanufacing factories to convert old cars (more jobs)
- extra space to build low cost sustainable housing
- urban food farms in old car parks
- no frustration and road rage - increased happiness
- cleaner air
- less fossil fuel use
- cheaper
- old oil areas transformed and re habilitated (oil not needed petrol—> electric)
- increase animal diversity again in cities
45
Agricultural changes
| - agriculture - leading cause of environmental change
Use plants to fix soil and draw carbon out of atmoshoere
- use grazing animals to eat and fertilise unwanted plants that are used only to fix soil
- better soil - less run off, more water retained when rains, less runoff or chemicals into water ways
- reduced need for chemicals (natural feriloser)
- regenerative farming
46
Marine permaculture
- restore seaweed
- restore fish pop
- seaweed draws carbon out
- can be used as food, fertiliser, animal feel, biofuel, fish habitat
- water qualitly x better, less acidic
- fastest growing plant
47
Exxon valdez oil spill
```
Social
-fishermen lost livelihood
-Increased stress and mental illness from financial troubles
-increased domestic violence and alcoholism
-health problems - oil toxicity
- 4 people died in the cleanup efforts
- long term health effects like cancer
Economic
- collapse of salmon and herring fisheries
-fishermen - bankrupt
-economies of shoreline towns suffered
-economic loss of $2.8 billion
-fish stocks never recovered, causing loss of industry for decades
Environmental
- killed 250, 000 seabirds
-killed 3,000 otters
-Killed 300 seals
-killed 22 killer whales
-killed 250 bald eagles
-oil still remains in area
-killed 40% otters in area and didn’t recover for 25 years
```
48
What is source
The source function is how the earth provides natural resources that can be used for people eg. Water, soil, minerals, fossil fuels
- these resources are unevenly distributed due to deaths systems
49
What is sink
The sink function is how the earth absorbs waste and pollution eg. Absorption of carbon dioxide by vegetation
50
What is service
The service function is how the earth provides the services that support life. Eg purifying air
51
What is spirituality
The spirituality function is how the earth provides the recreational, aesthetic and spiritual value we get from it eg. Ablility to climb a mountain, admire a sunset or view and bathe in the sacred waters of a river
