Unit 3 AOS 1: GLOBAL LAND COVER Flashcards
PQE
Pattern: observe and identify the general pattern across a map by finding high and low concentration of a particular feature
Quantify: extract specific and accurate information from the map as evidence of pattern. involves statistics, amount, sizes and location
Exception: identify and quantify details that don’t fit the pattern identified ‘anomalies’
SHEEPT
Social: culture and people
Historical: the past
Environmental: climate, landforms
Economic: earnings or spending of money
Political: government
Technological: tech
Land Cover
the physical material covering the earths surface
Land Use
the use people make of the earths surface and it resources
Interconnections b/w Land Cover and Land Use
Land cover is often distributed by humans activity
land use are often distributed by the availability of particular soils, climate, minerals, vegetation, and wildlife
Interconnections b/w Land Cover and Land Use
Land cover is often distributed by humans activity
land use are often distributed by the availability of particular soils, climate, minerals, vegetation, and wildlife
Special Distribution of PRESENT DAY GLOBAL COVER
Forest
Widely distributed in all continents with the exception of Antarctica
● Largest areas of forest as land cover are found in the northern regions of South America, northern Russia, South
East Asia
● Also found in coastal regions of Australia and the Pacific, Central Africa, eastern and inland North
America and northern Europe
Special Distribution of PRESENT DAY GLOBAL COVER
Grassland
● Widely distributed in all continents with the exception of Antarctica
● Over 50% of grassland area is found in the northern hemisphere
● Concentrated areas are located in South America and the eastern coast of Australia
● Not found in northern Africa
Special Distribution of PRESENT DAY GLOBAL COVER
Tundra
● Linearly distributed across the North and Southmost part of the world
● Nearest arctic and antarctic circle
● Found in Canada, Greenland, northern Russia and Antarctica
● Found to be on the coastal regions of these continents
Special Distribution of PRESENT DAY GLOBAL COVER
Barelands
● Densely distributed and not found on all continents
● Distributed between Arctic circle and tropic of cancer linearly
● Almost 60% of barelands are located in northern Africa and the other 40% in Asia
Special Distribution of PRESENT DAY GLOBAL COVER
Wetlands
● Highly uneven distribution → approx 70% concentrated in North America
● Small areas of wetlands are concentrated on the coast of North America and southern South America
● Small and sparse areas of wetlands are found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica
Special Distribution of PRESENT DAY GLOBAL COVER
Ice
● Highly uneven distribution
● Found only in Greenland near the Arctic circle with no major or minor exceptions
Special Distribution of PRESENT DAY GLOBAL COVER
Water
● Widely distributed across the globe
● Largely concentrated in northern America particularly in Canada
● Significant bodies of water in Europe and Asia
● Smaller bodies found on the southern coast of South America and Central Africa
● No bodies are found on the Antarctic
LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM (LGM) - APPROX 20,000 YEARS AGO
Key Facts
● Earth’s temperature was approx 5-9 degrees cooler than present day temperatures
● Cold dry, dust laden atmosphere
● Precipitation was extremely low
● Sea level was approx 125m which in turn exposed land masses that are now (present day) under the sea
LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM (LGM) - APPROX 20,000 YEARS AGO
Ice cover
● Approx 30% of the Earth was covered in large ice sheets
○ They covered large areas of North America, Asia, Europe and Antarctica
● Glaciers were at their thickest and the sea levels were at their lowest
LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM (LGM) - APPROX 20,000 YEARS AGO
Deserts and grassland cove
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● Majority of continents were largely in deserts or semi desert environments
● North Africa was mainly desert whilst South Africa was mainly
● Mid latitudes covered in large areas of grasslands
○ Including Australia
LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM (LGM) - APPROX 20,000 YEARS AGO
Forest cover
● Small areas of tropical forest in the North and South of America as well as south East Asia
● Very small areas of temperate
HOLOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM - APPROX 8,000 YEARS AGO
Key facts
● Interglacial period
● Warmer and wetter climate than present day
● Population grew during this period
● Northern hemisphere was approx 0.5-3 degrees celsius warmer/higher in temp
● Sea levels rose
○ Tasmania was cut off from Australia
● Ice sheets in the northern hemisphere melted and retreated
HOLOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM - APPROX 8,000 YEARS AGO
Ice cover
● Two large ice sheets covered Antarctica and Greenland
● Glaciers were widely distributed in high altitudes and latitudes
○ Distribution is very similar to present day
● In the Himalayan region lots of ice cover melted [rapid retreat]
● Lots of ice cover located on the borders/coastal lines of countries retreated
HOLOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM - APPROX 8,000 YEARS AGO
Deserts and grassland cover
● Smaller percentage of land cover is deserts and grassland compared to the LCM
● Concentrated on the east coast of South America and Central Asia, small areas of central Australia, the Middle
East and northern Africa
● Present day Sahara desert was predominantly temperate grassland
HOLOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM - APPROX 8,000 YEARS AGO
Forest
● Natural vegetation grew were desert previously covered the land
● 47% of the Earth’s surface was covered in forest → biomes thrived with more water vapour
● Both temperate and tropical forest increased in size during this time period
● Large areas of North and South America, the east and north coast of Australia, and large areas of Europe, Asia (in
particular China), and southeast Asia were covered in forest
HOLOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM - APPROX 8,000 YEARS AGO
Agriculture
● Occurring predominantly in Asia, Europe and the America’s
PRESENT DAY
Key facts
● Ice cover has almost diminished but fluctuates each year
● Over 1.9 million forests have been cleared
● Less forest cover, even though temperatures are still warm and rising
● 31% of land cover is forests whilst deserts have expanded
● 90% of ice cover is concentrated in the arctic
● If all of Greenland’s glaciers melt, sea levels will be 7 metres above present day
what are the types of distribution of land cover (8)
- cultivated and managed
- natural and seminatural vegetation
- cultivated aquatic or regularly flooded areas
- natural and semi natural aquatic land cover or regularly flooded vegetated area
- artificial surface and associated area
- bare areas
- artificial water bodies, snow and ice
- natural water bodies snow and ice
Distribution of land cover
- Cultivated and Managed
people must have removed the natural vegetation and replaced it with another type of vegetation. further human activity is needed to sustain this land cover
eg. market garden, wheat farm, oil palm plantation
Distribution of land cover
- Natural and Seminatural vegetation
land cover is made up of
natural vegetation: developed as a result of interconnection b/w climate, soil, hydrology, landforms, animals and plant life
semi natural vegetation: influenced by human activity such as grazing on natural grassland, vegetation that has grown back after the original vegetation has been cleared
Distribution of land cover
- Cultivated Aquatic or Regularly Flooded Areas
predominantly aquatic crops, purposely planted, cultivated and harvested. areas developed for irrigation and require continuous watering
eg. wet rice cultivation
Distribution of land cover
- Natural and Semi Natural Aquatic Land Cover or Regularly Flooded Vegetated Area
strong interconnection b/w vegetation and water. vegetation has adapted to water that is either close to or on the surface of land. often protected by human because of its unique and important habitat for plants and other life forms
eg. coastal wetland supporting mangroves and salt marshes
Distribution of land cover
- Artificial Surface and Associated Area
the natural cover that once covered areas like urban areas has been replaced with a variety of constructed surfaces
also includes transport, network of roads, airports, water port facilities, waste dump, from urban areas, factories, and mines
Distribution of land cover
- Bare Areas
Areas with less then 4% vegetation cover are considered to have a bare land cover
hot deserts: Simpson desert, Aus desert, the Sahara
climatically cooler deserts: Atacama desert
Distribution of land cover
- Artificial Water Bodies, Snow and Ice
Dams on river forms, reservoirs of water or artificial bodies of water that serves urban, industrial or rural needs
- natural lakes maybe dammed to regulate outflow and thereby expand their surfaces
eg. lake Nassar formed from damming the Nile
-canals with water and where snow and ice are manufactured
Distribution of land cover
- Natural Water Bodies Snow and Ice
wide ranging land cover category has developed in response to particular characteristics of the earths natural environment. where large volumes of water have accumulated. natural water bodies are formed
eg. lakes, the ocean, snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets
