2024 Y9 Yearly Geography PDF

Geo Content: Key Terms: Worldview: A collection of beliefs and values about how people view the world Biodiversity: The variety of different forms of life whether that be plant or animal life Climate change: Long-term shifts in temperatures which are mostly due to forms of pollution Ecological F...

Geo Content: Key Terms: Worldview: A collection of beliefs and values about how people view the world Biodiversity: The variety of different forms of life whether that be plant or animal life Climate change: Long-term shifts in temperatures which are mostly due to forms of pollution Ecological Footprint: The impact of a single person, community or group of people on the environment Photosynthesis: The process by which plants create their food and store it in sugar cubes in their body by using light from the sun Greenhouse Gas: Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contribute to global warming Respiration: When living things take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere Land Degradation: Where the quality of the land goes down drastically Sustainability: If something is sustainable it means that it can be replenished in one human lifetime Biosphere: All the living things on the Earth Atmosphere: The layer of gas that surrounds the Earth Hydrosphere: All the water in the world Lithosphere: All the non-living things in the world such as soil or rocks Marine Environment: An ecosystem that survives under the water that has a mixture of both flora and fauna such as coral reefs. Coral Bleaching: When coral loses its colour due to an increase in water temperatures that cause the zooxanthellae (algae that give coral its colour) in the coral to leave Ocean Acidification: When the pH level of the ocean decreases due to an increase in carbon dioxide Ecosystem: A combination of flora and fauna that work together to sustain the environment Trophic Cascade: When a level in the food chain is removed and has a direct impact on other species, such as an increase or decrease in certain species Interconnections: How people or phenomena are connected Food Chain: A group of living organisms in the order in which they are eaten Fragile: Something that can be changed or broken easily Alpine: Relating to mountains, usually very high-altitude mountains  Introduction to the topic Environmental Change: A change or disturbance of the environment caused by natural and human processes ( environmental degradation) Environmental Management: A process of managing the environment by using strategies that lessen the impact of environmental degradation Worldviews Human-centred worldview: This worldview states that humans are the most important species on Earth. The value of other species is determined by how useful they are to humans. Humans are only obliged to act in ways that benefit them. Earth-centred worldview: This worldview states that nature exists for all species on Earth, not just humans and that humans are equal to other species, they aren’t superior. All forms of life have value regardless of their actual or potential use for humans. Introduction to Carbon Carbon is a magical element that is the basis of life. It is in the atmosphere and is what we breathe out. All living things contain carbon. It is part of a bigger cycle called the carbon cycle which is the moving of carbon throughout all the spheres of the Earth. It is described in the diagram below: The Carbon Cycle and how it affects other parts of the Earth: Now the carbon cycle has changed over time. The natural carbon cycle ensured that everything went the way nature had planned it to but when humans came along, we messed with the natural processes of the carbon cycle. For example, deforestation causes an increase in carbon emissions as trees store carbon and when they are cut down, that carbon is released into the atmosphere. With fewer trees to photosynthesise, there is more carbon going directly into the atmosphere. Now humans have also created factories and other mechanisms that release excess carbon into the atmosphere. Paired with the deforestation crisis, our carbon emissions are through the roof. How The Carbon Cycle Works: -There is carbon in the atmosphere -Plants take in the carbon dioxide to do photosynthesis, after photosynthesis, plants somewhat breathe out carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere but most of the products become oxygen and are breathed in by animals -Animals breathe in the oxygen and breathe out the carbon dioxide back into the air -When animals die then there is carbon dioxide stored in their bodies that is absorbed into the ground -When animals decompose then the carbon dioxide in their bodies is put back in the atmosphere -Animals over time turn into fossils or other things such as coal which is burned by factories that emit carbon into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels Aboriginal Sustainable Practices: Aboriginals used many different sustainable practices that would mould the land to their favour while still keeping the natural environment intact. The 3 most notable practices would be firestick farming, bush tucker harvesting and water resource management. Firestick Farming: - Firestick farming is also called backburning - It is used to facilitate hunting, reduce fire hazards and increase the biodiversity - The Indigenous Australians would use this to mould the land by changing a mainly forest area to a flat land to make hunting easier. They would do this near the primary water sources and set up camp close to them so the food would come to them. - In firestick farming dry weeds and leaves along with some moist shrubs and foliage are burned so that wildfires don’t spread as easily as they do in bushfire season as they have no fuel. Both moist and dry foliage are burned so that the moist foliage can somewhat counteract the spreading of the fire so that when the dry foliage is gone, the fire is extinguished by itself. But as mentioned in the dot point above that is not its usage Bush Tucker Harvesting: - In this technique, the Aboriginals would collect wild shrubs and berries as well as edible resources from the native plants. They would use this as medicines and cures for diseases such as some barks being used as rubs to heal cuts - The food is selectively harvested so that the plants and animals have the opportunity or regenerate, rejuvenate and even thrive again before they are harvested again Water resource management: - This is a technique where the Aboriginals would manage water resources by ensuring that the water sources are used responsibly and not excessively or in a wrong manner - Aboriginals knew about the availability and different types of water sources, this allowed them to manipulate them by creating rock pools of different levels to create fish traps no matter the height of the tide. This is also another way they manipulated the environment. - They also knew how to get water out of places that were considered barren such as from tree roots or water-holding frogs Deeper Look Into Backburning - Undesirable plants such as weeds are eradicated and in their place, useful plants are encouraged to grow, plants that can be eaten or used for medicine. - Firestick farming or back-burning was used to transform the dense country into open hunting grounds - A method used to check by the Aboriginals would be tasting the grass to check for moisture among the dry grass as you can’t burn only dry grass as the backburning could result in an uncontrollable wildfire - Aboriginals would start small strategically placed fires to warn the animals that a fire was coming so that they could evacuate the area - Aboriginals used to burn methodically and intentionally with a purpose - They used to burn in mosaic patterns to let the animals escape - Traditional figures have less heat meaning they have less impact on microbes in the soil - Backburning in comparison to natural fires releases 50% less carbon into the atmosphere Human Impacts: -Human impacts have negatively impacted marine environments by putting increasing pressure on the ocean and the species that live there Overfishing: -If you overfish then there will be a lack of biodiversity within marine ecosystems due to us catching fish at a rate where the fish can’t be replenished Pollution: -Oil rigs and other types of vessels create a constant supply of pollution within the ocean and when spills as well as implosions or sinking occur the water becomes poisonous -Due to constant exposure to pollutants and waste as well as chemical exposure, marine life could mutate genetically Climate change: -Ocean temperatures rise changing the environment underwater causing some species to survive and others to die off -Coral thrives at a certain temperature when that is changed coral bleaching occurs. Yellowstone National Park: Features: - Located in the USA - It features canyons, alpine rivers, forests, and hot springs - Home to hundreds of animal species including bears, wolves and cantaloupes - Humans settled in the environment around YNP. This means they used the land for growing crops and herding animals on farms. The natural predators in the area, the wolves from YNP, were preying on the farm animals. This created a problem so the humans ‘solved’ it by removing the wolves from YNP Why does Coral Bleaching Occur? Coral bleaching is a phenomenon where due to the temperature rising in the ocean, the coral turns white or becomes bleached. Normally corals live in harmony with tiny algae inside of them called zooxanthellae, which are responsible for the coral’s vibrant colours. However, the coral becomes sort of stressed and begins to kick out the algae when the ocean environment changes, most commonly when it gets too hot. The coral appears as white as snow or bleach. If the temperature stays high, the coral will eventually die since it won’t be able to replenish the algae. Climate change and rising ocean temperature is the main culprit for coral bleaching. Coral can release algae and become bleached even with the slightest increase in the waste temp. Additionally, uncommonly low tides, pollution and too much sunlight can cause bleaching. It’s important to understand coral bleaching as its results are catastrophic and irreversible as reefs never fully recover from coral dying. Bleaching of coral affects their capacity to reproduce which worsens entire reef habitats The Crown Of Thorns Starfish: The crown of thorns starfish or COTS is a natural predator of coral as it feeds off of the coral, killing it. The COTS starfish can have millions of children per year and rapidly reproduce. They have also grown to monstrous sizes, this can be attributed to agricultural runoff (when fertilisers run into the ocean). Small animals called phytoplankton eat these fertilisers that run off into the ocean and the phytoplankton become somewhat a superfood. After eating this, the COTS grows to unnatural sizes therefore increasing its appetite and causing a decrease in coral since more coral is being eaten. Now there have been initiatives that have been started to control the population of these starfish. The way that divers handle these is by killing them by using a long injection gun that is filled with bile salts that kill the starfish quick Types of Pollution: -Air pollution: This type of pollution includes chemicals; or particles in the air that can harm the health of humans, animals and plants. This also can damage buildings -Water pollution: Contamination of water sources. This can include oil spills and leaks from oil pipelines or from hydraulic fracking operations that can degrade water quality and supply -Soil pollution: The contamination of soil with unknown amounts of toxic substances -Visual pollution: Things that obstruct or take away from natural or man-made landscapes. The pollutant itself is usually man-made as well. -Noise pollution: Any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the health and well-being of humans and other organisms -Light pollution: Either the excessive or poor use of artificial outdoor lights such as torches, car lights or lights inside houses Air Pollution: -What causes air pollution? Air pollution comes from different sources, It may come from natural sources such as volcanic eruptions or wildfires, but more air pollution comes from human activities such as energy used in agriculture -What are the man-made types of air pollution? Greenhouse gases emitted by burning fossil fuels Smog. Which is a type of air pollution that reduces visibility and has serious health effects Toxic pollutants. These are chemicals such as mercury, lead, dioxins and benzine. They are released when burning coal -What are some solutions to air pollution? A solution to air pollution is decreasing the use of fossil fuels -How does air pollution impact humans? Air pollution leads to a dirtier environment but it worsens human health. Toxic air pollution can cause cancer, reproductive complications and birth defects. Light Pollution: -What is light pollution? Light pollution is the over-illumination of cities and night skies by artificial lighting -What causes light pollution? It is caused by the abundance of light sources emitting light outside -What are the types of light pollution? The types of light pollution include: Glare: A disruptive light that shines horizontally Light trespass: The unwanted shining of light onto nearby areas Sky glow: Artificial lighting that can be observed in the atmosphere through the scattering of light particles, such as the glow that cities make -What are the impacts of light pollution? Nocturnal animals (animals that sleep during the day and wake up at night) have had their sleeping patterns disrupted. Light pollution damages the retina, overwhelming photoreceptor cells, it also disrupts natural sleep cycles. It also results in additional carbon emissions. -Why does light pollution increase each year? Light pollution has increased 6-10% every year in the last decade which can be attributed to a larger population and an increase in urban development. Most Populated Countries In Each Continent: Africa: Nigeria Asia: China Europe: Russia South America: Brazil North America:USA Skills: Topographic Mapping: -Topographic maps represent the geographical features of a region including hills and valleys and other changes of elevation. -It shows the altitude of a landscape which can not be seen on a normal map -Shows 3D features on a 2D map -It uses something called contour lines which represent different heights on Earth’s surface. The contour lines are the curved lines you see on topographic maps. -The closer together the contour lines are, the steeper the land -The further apart the contour lines are, the flatter the land is -The distance between each contour line is called the contour interval, it is sometimes given but sometimes you have to figure it out yourself. Graphing: Column Graphs: Column graphs have something that is called non-negotiables, this means that you must do these things to get full marks for the graph. These non-negotiables are 1. The title 2. Labelling the x and y axis 3. The numbers go up by the same amount each time 4. Use a ruler and pencil 5. A legend AR and GR: AR stands for Area reference and GR stands for Grid reference. AR is used on maps to see the approximate location of something such as a landmark or a hotel. GR is much more precise, it is used for finding something that needs more accuracy. In AR there are only 4 numbers, the first 2 are for the bottom and the next 2 numbers are for the numbers on the side. GR has 6 numbers, with the first 3 indicating the number at the bottom and the nex t 3 indicating the number on the side. It is tough to explain on a doc so I’ll link a video and some resources to practise below. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pOv-_0e55Y&ab_channel=KRS- Worksheets: https://www.liveworksheets.com/w/en/social-studies/619417 https://www.liveworksheets.com/w/en/geography/528154 Human Wellbeing: What is human wellbeing?: Human wellbeing refers to the overall quality of an individuals life. It refers to a person’s ability to live a quality life and can include physical, economic, social, environmental, mental and emotional, cultural and spiritual, and political well-being. It considers both material and non-material dimensions of life. What constitutes human wellbeing differs for each community as it reflects the community’s overall values, culture and economic conditions Factors of Human Wellbeing: -Physical: Access to clean water, nutritious food, adequate healthcare, safe housing, and sanitation. -Economic: Income levels and employment opportunities -Social: Social support, community engagement , relations with family and friends -Environmental: Air and water quality, protection from environmental hazards -Mental and emotional: Ability to cope with stress and adversity, positive self-image, sense of purpose -Cultural and spiritual: Sense of identity, ability to practise beliefs -Political: Ability to vote participate in government processes Regional Disparities: A regional disparity in human wellbeing is the differences in quality of life, opportunities, and access to resources among different regions or areas of the world. There are many subcategories within regional disparities such as: - Income disparities: A difference in pay between different regions or places of the same region - Educational disparities: A difference in education between different regions or places of the same region - Pollution disparities: A difference in air quality between different regions or places of the same region - Happiness disparities: A difference in happiness between different regions or places of the same region Measuring Human Wellbeing: Human wellbeing can be measured through surveys done in most countries. If the survey can not be done it is also based on the living conditions of the country, economic stability, food security, average annual salary and many other factors Human Development Index: The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical tool used to evaluate the level of individual human development in each country. The HDI is a number between 0 and 1. The closer the number is to 1 m. The more advantaged a country is and thus have a higher human wellbeing. The HDI measures health, wealth and education. What and how does the HDI measure: The HDI measures health, wealth and education. It measures health by the life expectancy rates. Wealth is measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the measure of a country's production of goods. Wealth is also measured by the standard of living as well as living. Education is obvious, it is measured by literacy rates. The literacy rate is the amount of people that have gotten an education. Sustainable Development: Sustainable development refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs -The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development -These goals are designed to address a wide range of global challenges and improve well-being for people and the planet -They build upon the work of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were in place from 2000 to 2015 -While the MDGs mainly focused on issues related to poverty and basic human needs the SDGs focused on a broader range of global issues List of the Millenium Development Goals: 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development List of Sustainable Development Goals 1. No poverty 2. Zero hunger 3. Good health and wellbeing 4. Quality education 5. Gender equality 6. Clean water and sanitation 7. Affordable, clean energy 8. Decent work and economic growth 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 10. Reduced inequalities 11. Sustainable cities and communities 12. Responsible consumption and production 13. Climate action 14. Life below water 15. Life on land 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions 17. Partnerships for the goals Practice Questions/ Research Activities: Q1: Distinguish between human-centred and earth-centred world-views (5 Marks) Q2: Demonstrate the importance of an earth-centred worldview to manage environmental change (5 Marks) Q3: Explain how strategies used by Indigenous Australians can be used to help manage the environment. (5 Marks) Q4: Using an example of a management strategy, explain the worldview of Indigenous Australians (5 Marks) Q5: Using an Australian example, explain how human activities have impacted coral reefs (4 Marks) Q6: Explain how coral bleaching impacts humans and wildlife (4 Marks) Q7: Explain how humans have impacted and rectified issues in Yellowstone National Park as a result of the wolves destroying the human crops and preying on the animals (5 Marks) Q8: How can the factors of human wellbeing either enhance or hinder a person’s quality of life? ACTIVITY 1: Choose TWO countries and explain how the differences in their average income can affect their human wellbeing. ACTIVITY 2: Choose TWO countries and explain how the differences in their average years of schooling can affect their human wellbeing. ACTIVITY 3: Choose TWO countries and explain how the differences in their air pollution can affect their human wellbeing. ACTIVITY 4: What is Australia’s HDI? Why is it this number? Research: health (life expectancy), wealth (gross domestic product) education (literacy rates) ACTIVITY 5: Research the following for each country: Average life expectancy Average years in schooling Gross domestic product (GDP)