Environmental Change

Land Changes

Atmospheric Changes

Cities, towns, farms have all caused changes to natural landscapes

Deforestation for agriculture

one quarter of natural forests remaining

Land degradation - loss of productivity and decline in fertility

Cleared land stores less carbon

Soil Degradation

compacted due to poor farming practices/animals

salinity a major problem in Australia

Soil Erosion

Soil gradually worn away by wind and water

Clearing/farming accelerates erosion

Ecosystem Decline

Degraded forests, rivers, streams through loss of vegetation or alien invasion

can lead to desertification

Wind storms

Atmosphere - Combination of gases that surround the earth

Protects the earth from UV and freezing

Dumping ground for gases and chemicals leads to climate change, ozone layer

Air pollution has significant health impacts

Air pollution

World's worst environmental health risk - asthma, lung disease. 3.5 million deaths per year

Traffic, industry, indoor heating and cooking

Tougher restrictions are helping in the developed world except Asia and Africa where it is getting worse

Expansion of cities is the major cause due to an increase in burning fossil fuels

Half of the worlds 40 most polluted cities are in India

70% of India's electricity comes from coal

Water Changes

Ozone Layer

3 atoms of oxygen - protects from UV radiation - skin cancer

Hole over Antarctica thanks to CFC's

Ban on CFC's since 1987

Fresh water vital to life on earth and human survival. Mostly for the food we eat through irrigation

Damming of rivers and water diversion has serious consequences

Pollution of waterways also has series consequences for animal and plant life

Aquifer - store of underground water

Leads to shrinking lakes and lower river flows

Damming Rivers

2/3 of the largest 232 rivers have been dammed or diverted

Damming disrupts and alters natural ecosystems through flooding/drying areas

Changes the flow of the river at the mouth

Pollution

contamination of lakes, rivers, estuaries, oceans

Caused by human activity like oil refining, shipping, fishing, farming, fertilisers, landfill and clearing

Consequences - limited drinking water, fish kills, food chain alteration

Coral bleaching, destruction of natural habitats

Eutrophiction

Algal blooms caused by excess nutrients in river systems

Ecosystem Services

Benefits humans receive from natures ecosystems

Sources - provisioning services . Products that can be converted for human use

Sinks - regulating services - absorb waste

Services - supporting - natural services that don't produce anything eg: forests absorb carbon

Spirituality - cultural services - the deep connection with the land

Sustainability - Economic, Social, Environmental

Environmental World views

Egocentric - I am the most important creature on earth. Human centred

Anthropocentric - Humans are the most important species. We use nature to support our lifestyle

Ecocentril - We should do whatever we can to minimise our impact and preserve the earth's biodiversity

Biocentric - We have a responsibility to use the earth's resources in a sustainable way

Rivers Keywords

Meander - A bend in the river

tributary - a smaller stream that joins a river

oxbow lake - lake that forms in a u shape when a meader is cut off

ephemeral - a river that sometimes flows

perennial - a continuously flowing river

delta - large area at the mouth of major river systems