Transcript Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability

Patterns in environmental quality
and sustainability
Unit 3
Create a definitions list using the handout
Weather
Climate
Atmosphere
Insolation
Short-wave radiation
Long-wave radiation
Albedo
(Natural) Greenhouse Effect
Heat budget
Ozone
Diffuse radiation
Acid rain
Heat transfer (vertical and horizontal)
Latent heat
External Forcings
Atmosphere and change
Aims:
To understand how the atmosphere functions
and how its components are being altered
Page 100 and 101 – Planet Geography : Read
and answer question 1 on back of definitions
page (with diagram)
GREENHOUSE EFFECT –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzCA60WnoMk
Radiation balance = The atmosphere, which contains gases such as water vapour and carbon
dioxide, absorbs the Earth's long-wave radiation and subsequently reemits long-wave radiation
in all directions. This is known as the "greenhouse effect," which is just one part of the energy
exchange process between the surface and the atmosphere. Without it we would be 60F cooler
Our atmosphere
HEAT BUDGET
Net Radiation Received, W m-2
Heat Budget
• Incoming solar radiation is not
evenly divided over the earth
• Net surplus of radiation in tropics
and deficit at high-latitudes
• This leads to a transport of heat by
the oceans and atmosphere from
the equatorial regions to the poles
• This need to redistribute heat is
the main driving force the oceanic
and atmospheric circulation
Why differences in the amount of solar radiation?
1) Angle of impact of solar
radiation
2) Solar constant
3) Distance from the sun
4) Tilt of the planet
5) Wobble
CHANGES IN
SOLAR RADIATION
AFFECT OF CLOUDS
(AN EXAMPLE OF
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK)
POSITIVE FEEDBACK – melting of the ice,
more seawater, increase in albedo, less
heat reflected, more heat abosrbed –
LINKS TO FUTURE SLIDE
CHANGES IN ALBEDO
(Quantitative
measure)
About 50 million sq km of the
Earth's terrestrial surface undergo
a transition each year from freeze
to thaw. This change can be
detected by the amount of
sunlight that is reflected by the
Earth's surface at various
wavelengths.
0 (none is reflected) – 1 (all is
reflected)
Examples?
Deep ocean water = 0
Fresh snow = 1
Examples of albedoes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Oceans and lakes
Sea ice
Fresh snow
Tundra
Conifer forest
Broadleaf forest
Desert
0.03-0.10
0.30-0.45
0.75-0.95
0.15-0.20
0.09-0.15
0.15-0.20
0.20-0.45
The snow – albedo feedback loop
Increases in
temperature
Decreases in
snow cover
Increase in
heat absorption
Decreases in
albedo
CHANGES IN LONGWAVE
RADIATION
CLIMATE CHANGE – CAUSE AND EFFECT
(including solutions)
Composition of Earth's Atmosphere
Nitrogen
78.1%
Oxygen
20.9%
Argon
0.9%
Carbon dioxide, Methane,
Rare (inert) gases
0.1%
Water vapor
Ash cloud
CLIMATE CHANGE –
CAUSES
CLIMATE CHANGE - AIR
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/inter
active/2009/oct/22/climate-change-carbonemissions
CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER
CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER
CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER
CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER
http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=16.3412,97.3388&
z=12&m=7
CLIMATE CHANGE - WATER
CLIMATE CHANGE – EFFECTS: PEOPLE
Natural
Earth would be frozen -19
degrees Celsius (present
15 degrees). Venus 462
degrees! Mars too cold.
80-90% of greenhouse
gases is water vapour
CLIMATE CHANGE – RESPONSES: KYOTO
CLIMATE CHANGE – RESPONSES: COPENHAGEN
Global weirding
Causes:
Human – before the industrial revolution Earth had roughly 280 ppm of CO2. Today – 384 ppm.
Natural – earth’s orbit is not circular, its an ellipse – cycle of 100,000 yrs. Also, earth’s tilt –
creates seasons but every 40,000 yrs it changes slightly. Also, earth’s orbit changes very slightly
every 21,000. These 3 are called the Milankovitch Cycles.
Looking back over the last 670,000 yrs using ice data, ave temp has varied by 6 degrees
centigrade. This is to large to be explained by natural factors alone. In the last 50 yrs, CO2
particles inclreased from 280ppm to 284ppm – not coming from the oceans but burning fossil
fuels. IPCC report in 2007 stated that with 90% confidence greenhouse gas emissions were due
to inudstry and agricultural. If increase to 550 ppm then = 3 degree rise. 450 ppm = 2 degree
rise.
Effects – bleaching of coral /acidification due to carbonic acid being produced – CO2 plus H20.
China has accelerated emissions in the last 5 yrs though.
Political interference has altered some IPCC reports though plus models can be unreliable.
Western Siberia – carbon could be released from peat bogs – 500bn tonnes if the ice thaws .
Need to understand that climate change is not always going to behave in a linear fashion –
exponential instead.
P.131 – detail for Montana.
Global warming is not uniform like the term implies. Its uneven.
Solution – local meteorologists can educate ppl. Controversial though.
Soil and Change
Aims:
To identify the causes and effects of soil
degradation as well as evaluate solutions
S.D. = Negative process often accelerated by
human activities (improper soil use and
cultivation practices, building areas) that leads to
deterioration of soil properties and functions or
destruction of soil as a whole, e.g. compaction,
erosion, salinization. (E.U.)
Drought: a deficiency of precipitation over an
extended period of time, usually a season or
more
Drought and desertification: case
study India and Pakistan
• Processes and human and physical causes:
Drought due to physical structure of the region (NATURAL)
Monsoon rains fall in certain parts of the region but not in other
which causes drought and desert conditions (NATURAL)
Increasing population creating pressure which is faster than
overall growth of India (HUMAN)
irrigation is diverting water from the North and South (HUMAN)
Greater amounts of animals – increased by over 50% between
1983 and 1997 (HUMAN)
More land is being sown also (HUMAN)
Erosion from wind (3%) and water (18% land) 18% forest degraded, salting
(2%) waterlogging (1%) (HUMAN?)
ARAVALLI HILLS: Eastern boundary of the Thar desert (meeting point of humid
and arid areas). Rainfall not declining and slight variations in Monsoon rainfall ut environmental pressure =
hills exploited for marble and limestone and metal ores (destruction of vegetation). Between 1972-84, 42% of
forest has been removed and sand dunes have taken their place. Run off is now more rapid with overgrazing
and population increase.
Environmental damage in a LEDC – Case study : The Sahel
The Sahel regions are areas which experience
desertification.
So what has caused this?-Us!
S
O
D
U
Soil exhaustion (planting too many
crops)
Overgrazing (too many cattle)
Deforestation (cutting down trees)
Up and down ploughing
Why does the Sahel suffer from desertification?
DESERTIFICATION
Increase in cattle
Increase in population
Deforestation for fire wood
Grassland grazed more intensively
Roots no longer hold soil together
Roots may be eaten as well as grass
Leaves no longer protect soil from weather
Less vegetation means less protection from
weather
Loose top soil blown away by wind
Loose top soil blown away by wind
(Soil Erosion)
(Soil Erosion)
= DESERTIFICATION
=
SOIL DEGRADATION - SOLUTIONS
Notes(Guajarat):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkYhW9AUCG8
Excellent video about how water problem is being solved by women
AUSTRALIA’S DRY RUN
Farmer – now only has 70 cattle when 5 yrs ago
had 500. Have to feed on roadside grass since has no grass. He cannot buy grain since
$000,000’s in debt. Only him and his wife working on the farm used to have 5 farmhands.
"The last three years we've had essentially no water. That's what is killing us.“ Water is present along
the Southern Main Canal, an irrigation channel from the Murray River. The farmer is allowed to draw 273m gallons a water
a yr after paying for a permit. City of Adelaide, corporate farms and protected wetlands
all take the water also. Due to drought in last 3 years, the farmer is not
allowed to take water. Still pays for water but cannot use it. All farmers are facing difficulties. Current 7 yr drought is worst
in Australia’s 117 yr history. When rainfall
happens it can sometimes miss the areas that need it plus towns of Queensland get flooded. 3/4s of a degree temp increase
over the last 15 years so greater evaporation is
taking place. This area is one of the least fertile places on Earth. Soi is old and fertile because it hasnt been stirred up by
glaciers within the past million years. Colonial powers
felled 15bn trees which could cope with the arid conditions and introduced crops not suited to a desert ecosystem as well
as animals. Endless plowing degraded the soil
further. Murray River has been affected by weirs, locks and barrages so irrigation can take place. Unnatural – run high when
it should low, runs low when it should be high –
increased salinity so poisons wetland and makes land unfit for cultivation. There is conflict for the water. Communities are
becoming ghost towns. Whole farming sectors
such as rice collapse.
Riverland district of South Australia – farmer can only use 16% of their water allocation. He has to choose one crop over
another. One farmer states that the government encouraged unsustainable farming practices.
Goyder Line – bounadary that marks the limit of sufficient rainfall for crops to grow in South Australia. Settlements,
irrigation and crop land was established on the wrong
side of the line, where grassland gave way to bush. Crops became a large part of exports. Water was used without any limits
(used to wash away soil, irrigation was leak
proof). Water rights culd be sold by farmers that didnt use them. Industrialists were offered tax incentives to create
superfarms, e.g. Olive groves. Late 90s New South Wales
And Queensland handed out many licenses to extract water. Increased drought meant decreased allocations. The mouth of
Water and change
• How is water utilized at a regional level
• Human and environmental factors affecting
physical water scarcity and economic water
scarcity
• Safe drinking water
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywBE4qCU-E
Dubai History:
DEWA
.
Aral Sea
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan
Tajikistan
Kyrgyzstan
1918
1930
1970s
1980s
1987
Moynaq,
Uzbekistan
Economic water scarcity
Indian Caste
System
Israel and
Palestine
Biodiversity and change
Aims:
To understand the concept and importance of
biodiversity and examine the causes and effects
of reduced biodiversity
...defined as a forest in the tropics receiving
4-8 meters of rain each year
The importance of
tropical rainforests
RAINFOREST PHARMACY
ANIMAL HABITAT
HOME FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
REGULATING CLIMATE
1992
2006
National Geographic article notes
Amazonia – last 40 years approx 20% of Amazon has been cut down (more than last 450 yrs)
altho doesnt count selective logging. An additional 29% could be lost. This will mean less rain,
more drought and more fires and more greenhouse gases.
CAUSES – 1)Road building (105,000 miles of unauthorised roads) created by loggers. Ranchers
and others move in once loggers have gone. They then claim rights to the land, (titles are
fraudulent). Brazil’s agricultural dept found that >62k claims were fraudulent.
IBAMA – env agency. Has only a handful of inspectors. Overwhelmed and have to deal with
violence.
Post Stang – Gov had a crackdown, suspending logging permits. Uncovered corruption within
IBAMA; selling millions of endangered hardwoods to US, EU & Asia. Brazil using satellites to
track clearings but inadequate resources on the ground.
History – 1970s – Brazil’s military gov had a poLicy of ‘occupy it or lose it’ to get ppl out of the SE
to Amazonia. Poor settlers rarely given title to the land though whilst those well connected
given large blocks which encouraged logging and ranching. Had to productively use the land
within 5 yrs though or risk losing ownership. If no productivity then ppl moved in and conflict
took place.
Mato Grosso – Blairo Maggi – ‘King of Soy’ + governor of the state. Built a city, Sopeal, to service
a plantation. Hey buys soy from 900 mid-size farms. Brazil is an agricultural powerhouse – the
world leader in beef exports, 2nd to the US in soy beans. Brazil is the only country where soy
expansion can take place. Maggi is working with environmentalists though and supports
international environmental & social standards, (no slave labour. No illegally cleared land, no
spraying near streams). Further info here also! Soy beans need large amounts of chemicals
Could be Long term economic and env problems though since unknowns re acidification of soils.
In Mato Grosso, farmers can clear up to 20% of their land with the remainder left as reserve. If
veg is a mixture of savanna and trop rainforest then up to 50% can be cleared. Laws are flauted
though. American MNCs who produce agri procts – tractors, also benefitting.
Feb 2006 – President Lula announced protection of 16m acres - only environmental friendly
logging can take place. This and other measures have reduced deforestation by 30% in 2005.
Indians patrol areas using satellite tech and have weapons.
7 dams are planed to be built on the Xingu and Madeira rivers as well as other large projects.
Dams will power aluminium smelters.
US NC Cargill is being sued for poor EIA of the port of Santarem. However last summer Cargill
and 2 other big soy traders agreed to a 2 yr moratorium on buying soy beans from newly
deforested land.
Sustainable development /
environmental sustainability
Aims:
To understand the concept of environmental
sustainability and evaluate a national strategy
CASE STUDY – SOUTH AFRICA
(plus Hippos)
Definition – sustainable development
‘…..development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs. ‘
Brundtland Report 1987
Local environmental sustainability –
case study Hippos
http://www.hipporoller.org/
Problem:
Keeps children out of school
Health problems – 20l – spine / childbirth
Landmines
Need a secure water source for economic
growth and poverty reduction
Solution:
Can carry more water
90kg of water now 10kg
Moves over most types of terrain
South Africa: Kgautswane
Kgautswane, South Africa. Rural area where 120,000 residents depend on a small
number of wells to provide them with water. Not enough and only provide water once or
twice a week. Have to spend as much as 7 hours a day collecting water.
Community leaders responsible for organising Hippos who prioritises needs, (old, AIDS)