Geography

Question 1

What are the four main ways humans have altered natural environments?

Answer 1

1) Removing natural tree cover for farming/cities
2) Damming/diverting rivers for electricity and water
3) Mining for minerals and energy resources
4) Polluting land, air, and water with waste materials

Question 2

What are the three main categories of environmental change?

Answer 2

Changes to the land, atmosphere, and water

Question 3

How has urban spread affected the environment?

Answer 3

Urban spread has altered soil and plant life across Earth

Question 4

What are remaining forests under pressure from?

Answer 4

Remaining forests are under pressure from expanding populations in Africa, Asia, and South America

Question 5

What happens to fertile soil with overuse?

Answer 5

Overuse leads to loss of fertility, soil erosion, and increased salt in regions

Question 6

What are two key protective functions of Earth’s atmosphere?

Answer 6

It protects Earth from cold conditions and ultraviolet rays

Question 7

How has fossil fuel burning affected the atmosphere?

Answer 7

It has changed natural levels of certain gases in the atmosphere

Question 8

What environmental issues have resulted from airborne chemicals?

Answer 8

Increased acidity of rain, global warming, and partial breakdown of the ozone layer

Question 9

What percentage of total water is used for irrigation?

Answer 9

About 70% of total water is taken from rivers, streams, and underground sources to irrigate crops

Question 10

What are two consequences of river damming and diversion?

Answer 10

Water shortages and impacts on the natural environment

Question 11

How has water pollution affected wildlife?

Answer 11

It has created problems for animals, birds, fish, and plants that need water to survive

Question 12

What is land degradation?

Answer 12

The loss of productivity and decline in fertility of land-based environments due to human activities

Question 13

What proportion of the world’s land is affected by land degradation?

Answer 13

One quarter (¼) of the world’s total land area and 38% of farmed areas

Question 14

How does degraded land contribute to climate change?

Answer 14

Degraded land stores much less carbon than natural land cover like rainforest

Question 15

What causes soil degradation?

Answer 15

Chemical damage, soil compaction from machinery, acidification from fertilizer build-up, and loss of nutrients from intensive farming

Question 16

What is Australia’s greatest soil problem?

Answer 16

Build-up of salt in the topsoil (salinity)

Question 17

What is soil erosion?

Answer 17

When soil is gradually worn away by natural phenomena such as rivers, rain, waves, glaciers, and wind

Question 18

How does clearing trees accelerate erosion?

Answer 18

It makes land more vulnerable to wind erosion, gully erosion, and sheet erosion

Question 19

What factors can cause ecosystem decline?

Answer 19

Loss of vegetation, invasion of alien plant and animal pests, and decline in stream quality

Question 20

What extreme environmental condition can result from ecosystem degradation near deserts?

Answer 20

Desertification

Question 21

What pollutants disturb the natural balance of gases in the atmosphere?

Answer 21

Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur released from factories and transport

Question 22

What health impacts result from air pollution?

Answer 22

Increased rates of asthma, lung, and heart disease

Question 23

Why do developing countries in Asia and Africa rely on fossil fuels?

Answer 23

They are the cheapest and most reliable source of energy in these countries

Question 24

How have human activities affected water resources worldwide?

Answer 24

They’ve reduced the quality and quantity of clean fresh water

Question 25

What negative impacts do dams have on ecosystems?

Answer 25

They disrupt water flow, flood some areas, stop water reaching other systems, and disrupt ecosystem services

Question 26

What are possible extreme consequences of water pollution?

Answer 26

Lost access to clean drinking water, decline in aquatic life, lost food sources, and potential widespread food shortages and famine

Question 27

Where is oil typically found?

Answer 27

In Earth's crust, either on land or seabed

Question 28

What range of environmental risks are associated with oil?

Answer 28

From oil spills at mine sites to greenhouse gases produced when oil is used as fuel

Question 29

Which two countries are large suppliers of coltan?

Answer 29

Australia and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Question 30

What critical issue do humans face regarding ecosystem services?

Answer 30

Humans can degrade the environment to such an extent that ecosystem services on which we rely become limited

Question 31

What are the four S's of ecosystem services

Answer 31

Sources, sinks, services and spirituality

Question 32

Sources in ecosystem services + example

Answer 32

Natural products that can be used or converted by humans for our use e.g. turning coal into fuel

Question 33

Sink in ecosystem services + example

Answer 33

Those processes in the natural environment that absorb our waste e.g. Micro-organisms in the ocean breaking down oil spills

Question 34

Services in ecosystem services + example

Answer 34

Things done for us by the natural environment that don't produce consumable resources e.g. Forests absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen

Question 35

Spirituality in ecosystem services + example

Answer 35

The personal relationships that human beings have with the environment e.g. The connection that Indigenous Australians have with the land

Question 36

What layers of the Earth's atmosphere are closest to Earth?

Answer 36

Troposphere and stratosphere

Question 36

What two gases are Earth's atmosphere mainly composed of?

Answer 36

Nitrogen (78%) and Oxygen (21%)

Question 37

Why is the atmosphere essential to life on Earth?

Answer 37

It contains the gases living things need, protects planet Earth and regulates Earth's climate

Question 38

The greenhouse effect

Answer 38

Natural process, SILO - shortwave in, long wave out, Incoming solar radiation (short-wave) passes through the atmosphere, outgoing radiation (long-wave) from Earth gets trapped by the atmosphere, keeping Earth warm

Question 39

Natural causes of climate change

Answer 39

Solar radiation (sunspots), milankovitch cycle, volcanic eruptions and asteroid strikes

Question 40

Solar radiation (sunspots)

Answer 40

Areas that appear darker on the surface of the sun, affect Earth's climate, more sunspots equals more radiation

Question 41

Milankovitch cycle

Answer 41

At times Earth's orbit becomes more oval, the angle of its axis changes and Earth can wobble on its axis: The Milankovitch cycle, result in changes to the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth, resulting in warmer and cooler periods e.g. ice age

Question 42

Volcanic eruptions

Answer 42

Some very large volcanic eruptions send ash and gasses high into the atmosphere, where they can spread around the world. Scatter and reflect solar radiation back into space, cooling climate, e.g. eruption of Tambora in 1815

Question 43

Asteroid strikes

Answer 43

Have a catastrophic global impact by ejecting massive amounts of particles into the atmosphere, reducing the incoming solar radiation and causing global cooling e.g. the asteroid strike that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago

Question 44

How do scientists find evidence of past climates?

Answer 44

Tree rings, Ice cores, Historical records. These can be combined with more recent direct measurements of temperature and CO2 data to build a comprehensive record of climate change.

Question 45

What human activities have recently contributed to climate change?

Answer 45

CO2, Methane, Nitrous oxide. These gases trap additional heat in the atmosphere, creating the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Question 46

What has happened to global temperatures and greenhouse gases in recent times?

Answer 46

Global temperatures have risen steadily, at the same time as greenhouse gases have increased, especially CO2 – which is considered the most important and dangerous greenhouse gas.

Question 47

What are the main sources of CO2 emissions?

Answer 47

Burning fossil fuels for transport, industry and homes (about 75%) Farming and land use change (deforestation)