Geo 3/4 Exam Revision

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Camp Kangiusaq - Greenland local scale response AIM

to provide guests with an immersive experience that allows visitors to connect with Greenland’s natural environment, located in Kangiusaq Fjord, 65km from Nuuk

Camp Kangiusaq - Greenland local social STRENGTHS

Community Involvement: works with local businesses instead of importing, promotes cultural pride, provides jobs for locals

Low-impact Tourism: strives to be low-impact by using 15 tempory modular tents

Camp Kangiusaq - Greenland local environmental STRENGTHS

Low-Impact Infrastructure: eco friendly practices (15 temporary tents)

Use of Renewable Energy: relies on solar energy and other renewable sources to fuel facilities

Camp Kangiusaq - Greenland local social LIMITATIONS

Seasonal and Niche Appeal: employment may be limited to the tourist season so may not provide stable/year long income for locals

Potential Cultural Dilution: increasing tourism can be a risk despite promoting cultural pride

Camp Kangiusaq - Greenland local environmental LIMITATIONS

Emissions from Travel: emissions from tourists travelling (mainly from Europe or North Africa) contributes significant carbon emissions

Limited Resources: the camp relying on solar energy may be less reliable in winter, potentially making long-term sustainability challenging

There is only one trail meaning demand will force more to be made once people have to wait for the one trail when demand rises

GFW - Deforestation global response AIM

GLOBAL FOREST WATCH (GFW) (an online forest monitoring and alert system monitoring illegal deforestation)

to track changes and alert illegal activity/tree cover loss to reduce impacts globally, launched in 2014

GFW - Deforestation global social STRENGTHS

Free and Publicly Accessible Platform: free and publicly accessible

Supports Local Peoples & Communities: mapping via smart phones empowers Baka communities to protect their forest zones

GFW - Deforestation global environmental STRENGTHS

Real-Time Forest Monitoring Reduces Delays in Action: uses near-real time data which can enact quickly on trends

Global View of Forest Change: tracks over 120 million hectares of tree cover loss globally anually

GFW - Deforestation global social WEAKNESSES

Requires Internet and Tech Access: needs access internet and tech which can be confusing especially in Congo Basin or Amazon (no access or digital literacy)

Technical Language Can Be Confusing: website includes technical terms and datasets that can be hard to understand without training, limiting use by non-specialists or local leaders.

GFW - Deforestation global environmental WEAKNESSES

GFW Tracks Loss, But Doesn’t Stop It: only tracks loss, topical forest loss still increased

Relies on External Action to Be Effective: and it still relies on external action from governments, companies, and communities to act on the data

CFL - Deforestation national AIM

(Cameroon Forestry Law 1994 updated 2008) to promote sustainable forest management with use of consessions and protect wildife with ‘permanent forests’, achieved by community forests, consessions, and protected areas

CFL - Deforestation national social STRENGTHS

Recognises Community Rights: groundbreaking in granting legal space for community forests and customary use rights (e.g. for hunting, gathering, fishing) in non-permanent forests

Legal Recognition of Customary Use: respecting traditional lifestyles for Baka promoting social legitimacy.

2008 update allowed NGO and communty leaders to contribute forest governing

CFL - Deforestation national environmental STRENGTHS

Zoning of Forest Land for Sustainable Use: introduced zoning that promotes land-use planning that supports long-term ecosystem preservation

Creation of Protected Areas: 20% of Cameroon landis now under some form of conservation

CFL - Deforestation national social WEAKNESSES

CFL - Deforestation national environmental WEAKNESSES

Weak Law Enforcement: Weak enforcement law due to limited capacity so illegal logging is widespread

Biodiversity Loss Continues: poaching, mining and agriculture still occurs in zoned and protected areas due to weak oversight

Cameroon lost over 1 million hectares of primary forest between 2001 and 2023

PROMICE - Greenland national AIM

(PROgram for Monitoring of the Greenland ICE Sheet) geospatial technology to access changes in the mass balance of the ice sheet, achieved by 21 Automated Weather Stations measuring meteorological parameters, ice ablation, snow accumulation, ice temperatures, ice movement

PROMICE - Greenland national environmental STRENGTHS

Critical Data for Climate Action: provides vital data on the melting of the Greenland ice sheet helping to understand sea level rise which helps shape sustainable global climate policies by addressing climate change at its source

Minimal Environmental Impact: has minimal impact on environment witt non-invasive research practices.

PROMICE - Greenland national economic STRENGTHS

International Funding and Support: International funding and support from government agencies and environmental organizations

Cost-Effective Data Collection: data collection is cost-effective with use of remote sensing technologies, satellite monitoring, and other advanced tools, making it relatively low cost compared to traditional research methods

PROMICE - Greenland national environmental WEAKNESSES

Carbon Emissions from Research Activities: Whilst non-invasive, transportation to remote research sites still require burning of fossil fuel (flights, snowmobiles, and power generators) which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions

Vulnerability to Environmental Change: PROMICE’s ability to monitor is increasingly compromised due to changing weather patterns and unstable conditions as melting ice can make research locations inaccessible or change the conditions necessary for monitoring

PROMICE - Greenland national ecomomic WEAKNESSES

High Operational Costs: operational costs are still high as transporting personnel, equipment and supplies into remote areas can prove expensive long term

Dependence on External Funding: PROMICE relies heavily on external funding which creates financial uncertainty and vulnerability - changes in funding priorities or global economic conditions could impact PROMICE’s ability to maintain operations

COP29 - Greenland Global AIM

To determine how much money wealthy nations should provide to help developing countries tackle climate change

COP29 - Greenland Global environmental STRENGTHS

Global Emission Reduction Goals: the Paris Agreement set goals to keep global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Countries must submit and update their NDCs every five years, encouraging ongoing commitment to sustainable practices

COP29 - Greenland Global economic STRENGTHS

COP29 - Greenland Global environmental WEAKNESSES

COP29 - Greenland Global economic WEAKNESSES

birth rate (crude birth rate)

the number of live births per 1000 people in a population in a given year

death rate (crude death rate)

the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population in a given year

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years.

Child Mortality Rate (CMR)

the number of deaths of children under age 5 per 1,000 live births

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The total number of deaths in a year among infants under one year of age for every 1,000 live births.

exponential growth

growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size.

Malthusian Theory

focuses on how the exponential growth of a population can outpace growth of the food supply and lead to point of crisis

Neo-Malthusians

People who believed in Malthusian Theory and in the idea that population was not only outstripping food but other resources; tend to be anti-natalist to curb growth.

Demographic Transition Model

A sequence of demographic changes in which a country moves from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates through time.

Ageing population

demographic dividend

the accelerated economic growth that may result from a decline in a country's mortality and fertility and the subsequent change in the age structure of the population.

dependency ratio

The number of people under age 15 and over age 64 compared to the number of people active in the labor force

Dependant population

The part of the population that does not work and relies on others for the goods and services they consume (0-14, 65+ years).

migrant worker

a person who moves from place to place to find work

population dynamics

The study of how and why populations change over time.

Population structure

How the population is made up of people of different ages, and of males and females.

replacement rate

the total fertility rate needed for a population to replace itself (2.1)

Sustainability

the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of the future (economic, social, environmental)

Youthful population

a population in which there is a high percentage of people under the age of 15

Infiltration

Downward movement of water through soil.

Deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

tropical forest

A terrestrial biome characterized by high levels of precipitation and warm temperatures year-round.

Spatial Association

The relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature.

Afforestation

Planting seeds or trees to make a forest on land that has not been a forest recently, or which has never been a forest.

Reforestation

planting trees to replace lost forestland.

Clearfelling

the removal of all of the trees in an area.

forest fragmentation

the subdivision of large natural landscapes into

smaller, more isolated fragments. Fragmentation affects the viability of wildlife populations and ecosystems

Spatial Association

The relationship between the distribution of one feature and the distribution of another feature.

ablation

the loss of snow and ice on a glacier by melting

accumulation

the addition in amount of snow and ice to a glacier or ice sheet

Albedo

Ability of a surface to reflect light. The higher the albedo, the less heat is absorbed by the surface.

Biodiversity

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biome

A group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms

climate change

a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.

Climate Variability

Change in average state of the climate on all spatial

and temporal scales separate from singular weather

events

Occur with or without human actions

cryoconite

grey to black coloured mineral composed of windblown sediments that comprises small rock particles, soot, dust and microbes. The dark matter reduces the albedo and accelerates surface ice melt.

Cryosphere

A term referring to all water that is frozen in polar ice caps, snow, permafrost, and glaciers on surface of Earth and ocean

Elevation

height above sea level

Enhanced greenhouse effect

Rising global temperatures due to greenhouse gases being put into the atmosphere because of human activities

Anthropocene

the modern geological era during which humans have dramatically affected the environment

Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)

refers to a period in the Earth's climate history when ice sheets were at their most recent maximum extension, between 18-20,000 years ago, marking the peak of the last glacial period. During this time, vast ice sheets covered much of North America, northern Europe and Asia.

glacier

A large mass of moving ice and snow on land

glacial retreat

when glaciers melt, it retreats (moves back up) up the valley from which it flowed

global warming

An increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere due to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

enhanced greenhouse effect

the additional warming produced by increased levels of greenhouse gases that absorb solar radiation

Holocene Climatic Optimum

- 8000 years ago, warmer temperatures than today by a few degrees.

Climate was wetter, sea levels higher and coasts further inland. uneven warming throughout the world ranging from 1-4 degrees warmer.

- predominantly growth in forest (47%), less desert

ice sheet

a very large, thick mass of glacial ice flowing outward in all directions from one or more accumulation center(s). aka 'continental glacier'. Typically more than 50,000km sq in scale. Greenland and Antarctica two largest.

land cover

the physical material covering the surface of the Earth, various classifications with specific land cover categories.

land use

the use people make of the Earth's surface and its resources.

land use classification

A system for classifying and designating the appropriate use of land use.

Meltwater

melted ice flowing from a glacier

terminal moraine (end moraine)

a moraine deposited at the point of furthest advance of a glacier or ice sheet.

lateral moraine

moraine that forms along the side of a glacier

glacial till

sediment transported by flowing ice and deposited beneath a glacier or at its snout (end).

moulin

vertical cylindrical shaft in ice where meltwater flows down from surface to the base of the glacier

Peri glacial

remnant (left over) glacial landform features evident in landscape e.g. eskers. Or more recently, deep layers of permanently frozen soil (permafrost)

sea level rise

one result of global climate change, due to melting glaciers and ice caps

thermohaline circulation

an oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water and deep water

Accumulation zone of a glacier

the top of a glacier where inputs of snow (precipitation) is added to a glacier.

ablation zone

the lower portion of a glacier where there is a net annual loss of ice due to melting and sublimation.

mass balance of a glacier

the difference between snow gain (accumulation) and snow and ice loss (ablation)

Plucking

The process by which a glacier picks up rocks as it flows over the land

Abrasion

The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind (like a sandpaper effect)

Arete (ridge)

a steep ridge formed by erosion in glacial landscapes

Horn

steep, triangal face divided by sharp ridges

tributary glacier

a smaller glacier that flows into a larger glacier

Cirque

Bowl shaped landform in the side of a mountain, which is caused by erosion from a glacier.

crevasse

A deep crack or fissure in the ice of a glacier.

Relative length of Australia

4000 km

Agricultural expansion

Agricultural expansion for food source and economic gain

Population growth

Increased demand for land and resources

Forest management improvements and some reforestation issues

Programs like UN-REDD+ have prompted sustainable forestry and tree planting, helping to reduce emissions and restore degraded areas.

What constitutes artificial surfaces and associated areas in land cover?

This category includes constructed surfaces such as buildings, transport networks (roads, railways, airports), and waste dumps.

What is the relationship between land cover and human activity?

Human activity often disturbs land cover, and land uses are influenced by the characteristics of the land cover available.

What types of vegetation are included in natural and semi-natural vegetation?

Natural vegetation develops without human influence, while semi-natural vegetation is modified by human activities, like grazing or logging.