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U-1 Ch.13
Environmental Geography
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Atmosphere | thin layer of air right over earth’s surface |
Atmosphere Functions | Supplies oxygen,Protection from sun’s harmful rays, Moderates temperatures, Brings moisture from ocean à land |
1883: Krakatau erupts in Indonesia resulting in | 2.5 cubic miles of ash/rock in atmosphere, all traces disappear |
1980 Mount St. Helen erupts where in NW U.S. resulting in | similar but smaller result as Krakatau |
Global warming | tropospheric pollution à Earth retains more heat |
Early 2000s computer models predicted | 3.57°-5.57°F increase |
3.57°-5.57°F increase could be enough to... | raise sea levels up to 6 inches |
March of 2002: Rhode Island-sized ice chunk broke off of... | Antarctica |
Change in climate à changes in hydrologic cycle would affect | precipitation cycles, change to agricultural patterns, animal habitats |
Amounts of “greenhouse gases” increase ___% per decade? | 2 |
“greenhouse gases” include | carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, methane |
Acid rain result of | pollutants in atmosphere |
sulfur dioxide + nitrous oxides + water vapor equals | acidic precipitation |
Results of acid rain | acidification of lakes/streams à fish die, stunted forest growth, loss of crops in affected areas, (also accelerates building/monument corrosion in cities) |
industrial areas (i.e. U.S.) enacting legislation for clean-air standards with some positive results such as | In Canada + Scandanavia, recovery from acid rain damage faster than expected |
Deforestation affects | oxygen cycle |
1980: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of UN study of rate of forest depletion showed | 44% tropical rainforest already been affected |
over ___% of rainforests being logged every year? | 1 |
second-growth forest lacks dying trees, why important? | many species depend upon |
Soil Erosion | loss of potentially productive soil |
Causes of Soil Erosion | population growth à cultivation of more lands à increased erosion |
Results of Soil Erosion | farmers unable to leave parts of land fallow, shortened field rotation cycles (soil unable to fully recover),unsuitable dry land farmed anyway |
2004 report: over 10 hectares of agricultural lands lost to... | erosion |
U.S. biggest producer of... | solid waste, debris, garbage |
In US, about __.__ pounds solid waster per person per day | 3.7 |
160 million metric tons of this per year | solid waste |
open dumps replaced by | sanitary landfills |
In U.S., landfill capacity reached in about ___ states | 12 |
U.S., EU, Japan export solid waste to... | Africa, Middle and S. America, E Asia |
1989 treaty to control exporting waste required | consent of recipient country |
toxic waste | danger from chemicals, infectious materials, etc. |
Low level Radioactive | give off small amount of radiation anddisposed of in steel drums in special gov. landfills |
High-level: strong radiation (nuclear plants/factories) | radioactive for thousands of years;no satisfactory place/way of disposal found;put in special drums in 100 sites |
U.S. developing 2 major sites for radioactive removal | Yucca Mountain in Nevada and New Mexico |
Biodiversity | The diversity of all aspects of life found on the earth. |
How many species are there? | Estimates of numbers of species range from 10 million to one hundred million. 1.75 mil species have been identified |
-Humans have dramatically increased rates of extinction over the last _____ years | 100 |
Percentages of extinct species in last 100 years | 8%plants, 5%fish, 11%birds, 18%mammals |
Extinction depends on… | 1.) The range of the species 2.) Its scarcity 3.) Its geographic concentration Ex: If a species with a small range, high degree of scarcity, and a small geographic concentration has its habitat threatened, extinction may follow. |
How have humans’ impacted biodiversity? | -Domestication of animals + agricultural domestication of plant life-Caused changes in human relationships with other species-Birds and mammals have been hunted as food and as resources |
Ex: In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, beaver populations were drastically reduced as the beavers were trapped and skinned for their... | pelts |
Birds were hunted for their feathers to... | decorate fashionable hats. |
Elephants and walruses continue to be hunted for their... | tusks to make ivory. |
In the last 400 years… | *650 species of plants have become extinct *480 animals have become extinct |
Human travel has had these effects | 1.)Introduced new species to areas around the globe: Ex: Rats; devastating effects on ocean islands -New species cause competition with native species, and prey on the native species Ex: Dodo bird; hunted to extinction by humans |
Introduced species brought over new _____ | diseases |
Diseases caused decimation and extinction of _______ _______ | native species |
What is responsible for the expanding impact of humans on the environment over the past two centuries? | 1.)Dramatic growth of human population 2.)Consumption 3.)Technology |
What is political ecology? | As described by Gray and Moseley, “political economy; power and history in shaping human environmental interactions.” |
I. G. Simmons said a hunter-gather could | rely on the resources that could be found within an area of about 26 square kilometers; today people get resources from all over the world. |
The amount of energy used from person to person depends on... | where you live |
In Taipei they have envelopes of smog caused by... | internal combustion engine and mechanized manufacturing |
Important parts of technologies that contribute to environmental problems are two critical sectors of the economy: | transportation and energy. |
1972 U.N. Conference | located in Stockholm; discussed on environmental policy. |
UNCED(United Nations Conference on Environment and Development)- | held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992; framework guide in international activity in environment- Delegates of UNCED gave Global Environment Facility important authority over environmental action on global scale. |
Ozone Layer | ozone creates smogozone layer helps protects Earth from sun rays |
1985- British scientist found ozone layer in South Pole and was shrinking. Cause was | CFC( chlorofluorocarbons |
Protection of the Ozone layer began | in 1985 with Vienna Convention of the Protection of the Ozone Layer |
Montreal Protocol | stop production of CFC(signed in September of 1987 by 105 countries and the European Community |