Resource management Flashcards
(42 cards)
1
Q
Biotic factors
A
Living organisms found in an area
2
Q
Abiotic factors
A
The physical, non living environment such as water and oxygen
3
Q
Renewable energy
A
Energy that comes from sources that can be reused or replenished, and so will not run out
4
Q
Non renewable energy
A
Energy sources that, once they have been used, can never be used again
5
Q
How is water exploited?
A
- Fresh water is an essential resource that is needed for people to survive
- As the number of people increase, the need for water will increase
- Water is used for many things including drinking, washing and producing manufactured goods.
- In many countries it is not these uses that expolit water but the misuse of water sources, for example the extraction of minerals
6
Q
How is food exploited?
A
- Farming: with increased population numbers in many countries, farming land is being overgrazed. Over past 40yrs forests have been cleared to make way for cattle ranching (in Amazon).
- Fishing: overfishing in many area due to demand being so great that the fish stocks cannot replenish themselves
7
Q
How is environment exploited for energy?
A
- Extraction of fossil fuels to produce energy can cause a number of problems
- Fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil have been exploited for the energy they provide
- The reserves of natural gas and oil have been dramatically reduced because of this exploitation, although there are still large reserves of coal
8
Q
Changes due to exploitation of water
A
- In many countries groundwater is being used faster than it can be replenished by rain. This causes problems for plants and animals, and could cause a decrease in biodiversity n some areas.
- When minerals are extracted, toxic by-products
9
Q
Changes due to exploitation for food?
A
- If land is overgrazed, the bare soil is left exposed to the weather. The rain and wind can cause the soil to be eroded and either washed away or blown away.
- After deforestation, the land is only fertile for a few years, it is then left to be eroded by the heavy rain tha fals every day.
- Overfishing has led to a reduction in biodiversity in the oceans. As the ocean is a balanced ecosystem, if some fish species are reduced it has a impact on the whole ecosystem.
10
Q
Changes due to exploitation for energy?
A
- The extraction and production of energy from fossil fuels can cause a reduction in air quality because of the gases that it produces, such as sulphur dioxide,carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
- Burning of coal to produce energy in UK has caused acid rain. Trees in forests have died, resulting in a reduction in biodiversity
11
Q
Global variety and distribution of soil and agriculture
A
Type of soil relates to the climate and vegetation of the area
12
Q
Global variety and distribution of forestry
A
Forestry on a global scale is concentrated in certain areas
13
Q
Global variety and distribution of fossil fuels
A
- The countries that have the most oil reserves are Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Canada.
- The countries with the highest gas reserves are Russia, Iran and Qatar
- USA has highest reserves of coal left in the world, though Russia and China also have vast reserves
14
Q
Global variety and distribution of rocks and minerals
A
- Most common rock type on surface of earth is sedimentary rock. This layer is very thin and only goes about 2 km into crust; below this level most are igneous and metamorphic.
- Minerals are distributed around the world. Diamonds are found in Sub Saharan Africa, Russia and Australia
15
Q
UK variety and distribution of soil and agriculture
A
- UK has varied soils, many of which are fertile
- Many different kinds of arable and pastoral farming are practised
- Somme farmers have began to grow vines and british wine is now being produced in Kent, Cornwall and Devon
- Some farmers in cornwall have even begun to grow and make british tea
16
Q
UK variety and distribution of forestry
A
- Woodlands are distributed across UK
- UK has a forestry industry which employs 800,000
- Forestry is concentrated more in the north and west of the country where land and climate is less agreeable and therefore more difficult to farm
17
Q
UK variety and distribution of rocks and minerals
A
- UK has varied rock types and variety of minerals
- Used in agriculture, industry and construction
18
Q
Global patterns of usage and consumption of food
A
- Developed countries have the highest levels of food consumption (most countries in Europe)
- Developing countries have lowest levels of food consumption (some countries in Sub Saharan Africa)
19
Q
Global patterns of energy usage
A
- Developed countries have a higher demand for energy than developing countries
- Emerging countries use large amounts of energy to power their developing industries.
20
Q
Global patterns of water usage
A
Countries like somalia have the least amount of water
21
Q
Global distribution of water
A
- Oceans contain 97.5%
- Only 2.5% of water is fresh water
22
Q
Why some parts of the world have a water surplus or a
water deficit?
A
- Physical surplus or deficit -relating to the amount of rainfall an area receives
- Some regions with reasonable rainfall levels have very high evapotranspiration rates; high temperatures will quickly turn the water into vapour, which rises back into the atmosphere
- Economic surplus or deficit-relating to whether the government can afford to supply water.
23
Q
How and why the SUPPLY for water has changed in DEVELOPED countries, in the past 50 years?
A
- Little change in past 50 years
- although variations in rainfall have had an impact on the amount of fresh water available in some developed countries.
24
Q
How and why the SUPPLY for water has changed in DEVELOPING countries in the past 50 years?
A
- Supply of piped fresh water to households has increased in the past 50 years
- This has been carried out by many charities such as water aid
- Between 1990 and 2012 approximately 2.3 billion people gained access to improved drinking water.
- But in 2012 11% of global population still did not have access to clean drinking water
25
How and why the DEMAND for water has
| changed in DEVELOPED countries in the past 50 years?
- Technological advances
- Changes to personal hygiene
- Sport and leisure has increased
26
How and why the DEMAND for water has
| changed in DEVELOPING/EMERGING countries in the past 50 years?
- An increase in water for irrigation
| - Increase in manufacturing industry
27
Proportion of water used in agriculture
World - 70%
Developed - 30%
Developing - 82%
28
Proportion of water used in industry
World - 22%
Developed - 59%
Developing - 10%
29
Proportion of water used domestically
World - 8%
Developed - 11%
Developing - 8%
30
Why are there differences in water usage between
developed and emerging or developing countries?
AGRICULTURE
Developed countries where rainfall is low, use irrigation systems which require a lot of water
31
Why are there differences in water usage between
developed and emerging or developing countries?
INDUSTRY
- In developed countries companies use millions of litres of water, eg; walkers crisps use 700 million litres of water a year in their factory in Leicester.
- In developing countries industry is more scale ; cottage industries use much less water
- However, due to large multinational companies moving production to emerging and developing countries the percentage of water usage for industry will increase rapidly
32
Why are there differences in water usage between
developed and emerging or developing countries?
DOMESTIC
- In developed countries, water is used for showering, laundry, kitchen appliances, car washing and filling swimming pools.
- In developing countries people do not have access to piped water and has to be fetched. Therefore, water use is restricted to what they can carry and its use is for cooking and personal hygiene
33
Why the UK has water supply problems:
| imbalances of the supply and demand for rainfall
- Rainfall received in UK is varied.
- Since north and west recieve highest amounts of rainfall, water supply in north and west is plentiful.
- However one third of population live in out East which is the driest.
- There is an imbalance between areas with a plentiful supply and highest demand
34
Why the UK has water supply problems:
| seasonal imbalances
-UK receives most of its rainfall in winter but demand is highest in summer
35
Why the UK has water supply problems:
| an ageing infrastructure (sewage and water pipes).
- Most pipes that supply water to households and industry are over 100 years old
- Always be leaks on water pipes due to environment and pressure of road traffic as most of our water mains go down roads
- In 2009, water firms in UK lost 3.29 billion litres of water due to leaks; third of the water that was supplied
- Sewage leaks occur usually when old drains collapse due to heavy road traffic as they were not built to withstand the volume and weight of today's traffic
36
Why emerging or developing countries have water supply problems:
access to only untreated water
- Many people still do not have access to clean water due to lack of piped water to households
- Between 1990 and 2012 2.3 billion people gained access to improved drinking water
- 748 million people still lack access to improved drinking water
37
Why emerging or developing countries have water supply problems:
pollution of water courses
- Many people in emerging and developing countries still use rivers for their drinking water
- These rivers are being polluted in many ways:
Untreated sewage - 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged into rivers, lakes and coastal areas
Mineral waste - In Amazon regions waste materials from mining and oil extraction industries are washed into the river.
38
Why emerging or developing countries have water supply problems:
low annual rainfall
- Many developing/emerging countries are in parts of the world which have a low annual rainfall
- This means that as the population increases, these countries will have a physical scarcity of water
39
```
How technology (desalination) can resolve water resource
shortages
```
- Many places have a shortage of water from rainfall
- Desalination is a process whereby salt is removed from sea water, making it drinkable
- However it takes a lot of energy to desalinate a litre of water
40
Why do water resources require sustainable management?
- There is an increase in the demand for meat globally. Meat production require 8-10 times more water to produce than cereal crops
- 800 million are still without access to clean water
- By 2050 the demand for water globally is likely to increase by 55%
41
How has the UK attempted to manage their
| water resources in a sustainable way
- Government has passed policies that ensure that water companies manage water sustainably. They have to produce 25 yr plans which show their sustainable management of water sources
- Government set efficiency targets for water companies
- Websites sponsored by government are available to help people save water in the home
- Government begun to lower licenses granted to water companies for water extraction to allow groundwater supplies to be replenished
42
How has China attempted to manage their
| water resources in a sustainable way
- Water is being directed from wetter south to drier north by the South-To-North water diversion project
- Charities work with farmers in rural china to improve irrigation methods that will save 65% of annual water consumption and improve crop production
- Water saving campaign with olympic athletes going into schools
- Beijing has water conservancy museum
