ELS A-level Geography

Why is water important for people and animals?

Water makes up 65-95% of all living things Water is the medium for all chemical reactions in the body Water circulates oxygen and nutrients around the body Sweating and panting causes cooling via evaporation

What lead to over extraction in the Aral Sea?

The soviet union had a failed economic plan to build canals and divert water to local ares to irrigate cotten and rice farming.

What is an example of negative feedback in the water cycle?

Temperatures rise, evaporation increases, water vapour in atmosphere
Increases, more clouds, more energy reflected back, temps fall

What is an example of negative feedback in the carbon cycle?

CO2 in atmosphere increases , CO2 increases plant growth, plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere, CO2 in atmosphere decreases.

Does the Amazon have a large hydrological spacial impact?

The whole of South America is reliant on moisture from the Amazon.

Does Alaska have a large carbon spacial impact?

Alaska stores 1500 billion tonnes of the earths carbon in its permafrost , thats 3x in all of the earth’s forest and 2x the current atmosphere

How much oil is TAPs producing?

TAPs has produced over 18 billion barrels of oil since 1960

How has human activity effected the Arctic Tundra?

The active layer has deepened by 7m in the past 26 years and is thawing faster than ever before.

How much deforestation does cattle ranching account for in the Amazon?

60%

How many acres of farmland does CRESS cover?

1500 acres, planting over 30000 trees and sequestering 50 tonnes of carbon.

How much did deforestation decrease as a result of ARPA?

37%

How can deforestation cause areas to face drought?

As deforestation takes place, theres less tree coverage so air temps rise meaning a higher evaporation rate from soil. The soil becomes drier and less vegetation can be supported leading to less ET and less rainfall meaning less tress.

How significant is human impact on the carbon cycle in the Amazon?

20% of the amazon is now emitting more carbon into the atmosphere than its absorbing.

How does melting in the Artic Tundra lead to a positive feedback loop?

As ice melts, more carbon is released which is a greenhouse gas and locks in heat. It also leads to a higher albedo as darker ground shows and attracts more sunlight.

What is combustion?

The burning of a material.

What impact has fossil fuel combustion had on Ocean CO2?

CO2 is diffused into the oceans more, leading to acidification and an increase in the Oceans CO2 stores.

What impact has fossil fuel combustion had on biomass stores CO2?

Increased CO2 levels in atmosphere will stimulate plant growth, increase in photosynthes leading to a greater store of carbon in the biomass.

What impact has fossil fuel combustion had global atmospheric temperatures?

There was been a 0.85°c increase in mean global temperatures since the 1880s.

Why is water important for our climate?

Oceans regulate our temperature by storing heat and preventing cold winters. Water vapour/clouds reflect 20% of incoming solar radiation Water vapour is a greenhouse gas.

Why is water important for plants?

• photosynthesis • respire • to maintain their rigidity •to transport nutrients

What % of earth's water is in oceans?

97%

Is the global hydrological cycle an open or closed system? Why?

Closed system - there are transfers of energy into and out of our atmosphere but no transfers of water.

Is the global carbon cycle an open or closed system? Why?

Closed system - there are transfers of energy into and out of our atmosphere but no transfers of carbon.

Why is carbon considered the building block of life on earth?

It is able to bond with many other elements and forms the basis of 95% of all known compounds.

What does NPP stand for?

Net Primary Productivity. The amount of carbon sequestered by a m2 of land each year

What is the physical pump?

The mechanism by which carbon diffuses into the surface of the ocean. The dissolved carbon moves into and out of the deep ocean by upwelling and downwelling.

What is the biological pump?

The mechanism by which carbon is absorbed into the oceans as phytoplankton photosynthesise. The carbon moves though the food chain and is deposited on the sea bed when sea creatures die.

What is carbonation?

Chemical weathering - when weak carbonic acid reacts with calcium carbonate in rocks such as chalk and limestone

What is the fast carbon cycle?

The transfer of carbon between the oceans

What is the slow carbon cycle?

The long-term storage of carbon. As sea creatures on the sea bed compress into sedimentary rock where it is locked away until it is released via a volcanic eruption or dissolved by chemical weathering.

What is the annual temperature range in the Amazon?

Less than 2 degrees

What is the average annual rainfall in the Amazon?

Over 2000mm

What % of rain in the Amazon is evaporated back into the atmosphere via evapotranspiration?

50%

How large is the Amazon Rainforest?

6 million km2

What is the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) in the Amazon?

2500grams / m2 / year

Since 1970 what % of the Amazon has been deforested?

20%

What is the concept of a 'tipping point'

A critical point that

Explain how deforestation causes localised flooding.

Less trees = reduced interception + less water stored in trees = saturated soil = more run off = faster run off speeds (27 times higher) = higher river discharge = flooding

Explain how deforestation causes large scale drought

Less trees = less evapotranspiration = less precipitation = lower water levels in rivers locally and across the whole of South America.

Name a river in the Amazon that flooded due to deforestation.

Maderia River Basin. It flooded in 2014 due to deforestation in Bolivia and Peru

What does ARPA stand for? How does it stop deforestation?

Amazon Regional Protected Areas.

Conservation areas that ban deforestation

What % of the Amazon is protected from deforestation by ARPA?

ARPA now protects 44% of the Amazon

What is UN REDD+? How does it stop deforestation

Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation.

UN REDD+ uses money from carbon offsetting to fund the planting of tree saplings by the Surui tribe. The Surui tribe are also paid to look out for illegal logging and report it.

What is Agroforestry? How does it stop deforestation?

Growing crops and trees together

Give a named example of an agroforesty project and the country it was in

CREES is a NGO which manages 1500 acres of agroforestry in Peru

How large is the Arctic Tundra?

8 million km2

What is the annual temperature range in the Arctic?

33 degrees

What is the average annual rainfall in the Arctic?

137mm

What is the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) in the Amazon?

Less than 200grams / m2 / year

Name the location in the Arctic Tundra where oil and gas is extracted.

Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope of Alaska

What is the name of the pipeline transporting oil from the North to the Southern coast of Alsaka?

Trans Alaskan Pipeline (TAPs)

How does oil extraction affect the water cycle in Alaska?

The extraction of oil and infrastructure associated with it releases heat that thaws the permafrost = more surface stores of water and thermokarst landscape - more run off - higher river discharge - more flood risk locally

How does oil extraction affect the carbon cycle in Alaska?

The extraction of oil and infrastructure associated with it releases heat that thaws the permafrost = more decomposition = more CO2 and methane released into the atmosphere = enhanced greenhouse effect

How do they stop heat from buildings thawing the permafrost in Alaska?

Build them on stilts to allow cool air underneath. Put gravel pads underneath buildings to absorb heat.

How do they stop heat from the Trans Alaskan pipeline thawing the permafrost in Alaska?

Raise the pipeline above the ground of refrigerated stilts. Insulate the pipe to stop heat escaping.

What is a positive feedback loop?

Positive feedback is self-enhancing. This means it causes further change

What is a negative feedback loop?

Negative feedback is self-limiting. This means it acts to lessen the effect of the original change and ultimately reverse it.

Define dynamic equilibrium.

The balanced state of a system when inputs and outputs are equal

How does urbanisation affect the water and carbon cycles?

Water: More impermeable surfaces = no infiltration and percolation = increased run off. Urban drainage systems = increased run off speeds = shorter lag time = flood risk

Carbon: Removal of vegetation = less pphotosynthesis = reduced above ground store. Also more fossil fuel combustion in urban areas

How does farming affect the water and carbon cycle?

Water: Irrigation removes water from surface stores to land = increased biomass store = evapotranspiration.

Carbon: If trees cleared for crops = reduced photosynthesis = reduced above ground store = decreased decomposition = reduced below ground store. Also ploughing = increased oxidation.

How does commercial forestry affect the water and carbon cycle?

Water: planting of coniferous trees = more interception and interception loss via evapotranspiration = reduced run off and river discharge.

Carbon: increased photosynthesis = increased above ground store = increased leaf litter = increased decomposition andbelow ground store

Which two countries is the Aral Sea in? Name the two rivers that feed it?

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Syr Darya and Amu Darya

The Aral sea is just what % of it's original size?

In 2007 it was 10% of it's original size.

Why did the Aral sea decrease in size?

Extraction of water from the Syr Darya and Amu Darya to irrigate cotton and rice crops.

How did the shrinking of the Aral sea create a positive feedback loop in the water cycle?

Less surface water = less evaporation = less water vapour = less condensation = less precipitation = continues to get drier.

By how many meters did the water table fall in the London Basin when groundwater was extracted during the industrial revolution?

90m

How many GT of carbon have humans produced since 1750? What percentage of these carbon emissions are from fossil fuel combustion?

1997GT

68%

What does CCS stand for and what is it?

Carbon Capture and Storage. Capturing carbon emissions from factories

Does the Amazon or Alaska have the greatest diurnal change in the water and carbon cycles? Explain.

Amazon - 12 hrs of sunlight & 12 hrs of daylight means evapotranspiration and photosynthesis are both much higher in the daytime. In Alaska it can be 24hrs of day (in summer) or night (in winter) for 8 months of the year

Does the Amazon or Alaska have the greatest seasonal change in the water and carbon cycles? Explain.

Alaska - temp range of 33 degrees and large changes in daylight hours creates distinct seasons. In the Amazon the temp range is less than 2 degrees and daylight hours are the same all year.

What % of our land is covered in ice today? What was it 20,000 years ago at the peak of the last glacial?

10% today

30% during the last glacial

How much lower were sea levels 20,000 years ago at the peak of the last glacial?

100 - 130m lower

What is the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere today? What was it 20,000 years ago at the peak of the last glacial?

Today = 418 ppm

Last glacial = 180ppm

What is remote sensing?

Remote sensing is the science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance

What is GIS?

GIS is adding layers of data onto digital maps to identify spatial patterns

The water and carbon cycles are interdependent. What does this mean.

The two cycles depend on each other

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

Anthropogenic carbon emissions have increased the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. These trap in long wave radiation leading to global warming.

Name an international agreement to reduce carbon emissions? Can you remember it's target?

Kyoto protocol (1997) - 175 countries signed to reduce mean annual greenhouse gas emissions to 5% below 1990 levels by 2012

The Paris Treaty

What is carbon trading?

How does it reduce carbon emissions?

The buying and selling of credits that permit a company or other entity to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases.

It puts a limit on the amount of carbon a company can emit and there are financial penalties if that limit is exceeded. This makes it economically beneficial to reduce emissions