Geography

Question 1

Anthropocene

Answer 1

The current geological age which has been characterised by the signifigant and widespread impact of human activites in the planets systems which include climate, biodiversity, and ecosystems.

Question 2

Biodiversity

Answer 2

The biological variety and variability of life on earth, it is a measure of variation at the genetic, species and ecosystem level

Question 3

Importance of Biodiversity

Answer 3

Creates balance and every life form plays a part in maintaining the balance. Humans rely on biodiversity for things like clean drinking water, food, medicine and a functioning ecosystem also helps to break down waste and regulate the climate.

Question 4

Threats to biodiversity

Answer 4

Temperature spikes, Coral bleaching, Increases in extreme events, changes in rainfall, increased CO2 and plant growth, rising sea levels.

Question 5

Land Cover

Answer 5

The biophysical material on the Earths surface. This includes forests, roads, soil, rocks and water

Question 6

Land Cover - Humans Impact

Answer 6

Humans use land for things like agriculture and urban development, how the way we use the land impacts the land cover

Question 7

Land Cover - Natural Impacts

Answer 7

Natural environmental changes have caused changes in land cover on the earth, examples of natural impacts include cyclones, floods, and or anthropogenic induced causes such as deforestation and urbanisation.

Question 8

Impacts of climate change in WA

Answer 8

Beach Erosion and coastal flooding, coral bleaching and economy, agriculture and extreme weather events, rainfall and weather patterns, water supply, Biodiversity risk

Question 9

What governments can do to help fight climate change

Answer 9

Changing or making new laws that stops companies which are mass emitters , putting more money into solutions for adaptation and mitigation measures, rapid shift away from fossil fuel energy and towards renewables

Question 10

4 S’s of environmental functions

Answer 10

Source, sink, service and spiritual

Question 11

Source

Answer 11

Acts as a provision of natural resources like food, water and raw materials, lumber from trees, gold and other minerals, fish

Question 12

Sink

Answer 12

Acts as waste absorption (e.g. CO2), oceans, soil, trees are a carbon sink

Question 13

Service

Answer 13

Provides life giving cycles/ benefits like pollination, water cycle, photosynthesis

Question 14

Spiritual

Answer 14

Value it holds in terms of psychology, recreation, genetics, aesthetics and spirituality e.g. mountain biking, scuba diving, hiking, meditating, forest bathing

Question 15

What is the climate emergency

Answer 15

Refers to the urgent action needed to prevent severe climate impacts caused by human induced global warming

Question 16

Likely impacts of climate change

Answer 16

Impacts include rising sea levels, stronger storms, biodiversity loss, extreme heatwaves, and changes in rainfall patterns

Question 17

Renewable energy forms

Answer 17

Solar wind, hydroelectric, geothermal and biogas energy

Question 18

Enhanced Green house gas effect

Answer 18

The enhanced green house gas effect occurs due to human activity creating increased amounts of greenhouse gases (through burning fossil fuels fuels, fertiliser, building industry, deforestation and animal agriculture. These trap more heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, which warms the planet more than the natural effect (enhances it).

Question 19

How can renewable energy reduce climate change

Answer 19

They produce little or no greenhouse gases, replacing fossil fuels and lowering atmosphere rich CO2. This in turn reduces the enhanced greenhouse effect which is causing rising temperatures which then causes increased strength and frequency of destructive storms, flooding, fires etc.

Question 20

Climate adaptation

Answer 20

Climate adaptation means adjusting to current or expected climate impacts rather than trying to reduce the cause of the climate impacts e.g. sea walls, drought resistant crops, building adaptations etc.

Question 21

Three most important green house gases

Answer 21

Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4) and Nitrous oxide (N2O)

Question 22

Carbon Dioxides human and natural resources

Answer 22

Human- Fosill fuels

Natural - Volcanoes

Question 23

Methanes human and natural resources

Answer 23

Human - Livestock like cattle and sheep

Natural - Wetlands

Question 24

Nitrous Oxide human and natural resources

Answer 24

Human - fertilisers

Natural - soil bacteria

Question 25

Carbon Cycle

Answer 25

The carbon cycle moves carbon through the atmosphere, land and oceans. Carbon enters the atmosphere, land and oceans. Carbon enters the atmosphere through human and animal respiration, decay of dead organisms, burning of forests and fossil fuels

Question 26

Carbon Sinks

Answer 26

Carbon sinks absorb CO2 to reduce warming, these sinks include forests, soils, algae/seaweed, plants and oceans.

Question 27

The relationship between carbon dioxide and global temperatures

Answer 27

As humans have increased carbon in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels for human activity, the global temperature has also risen due to the greenhouse effect. So the increased carbon in the atmosphere is causing global temperatures to continue to keep rising

Question 28

Climate mitigation

Answer 28

Climate change mitigation refers to efforts that will reduce climate change causes essentially reducing emissions, for example, renewable energy, reforestation, carbon capture, etc