SS 3201- Final Exam

Population growth rate

this statistic is a percentage representing how quickly a population changes in one year.

Migration

immigration, emigration

immigration

the action of moving permanently to another country (to come to another country)

emigration

the action of leaving a country you are living in to move to another (to leave your current country)

natural population change

birth rate, death rate

birth rate

number of births per 1000 people in a given year

death rate

number of deaths per 1000 people in a given year

fertility rate

refers to the total number of children a mother has.

carrying capacity

refers to the maximum population an environment can maintain.

stages of human population

hunting and gathering, neolithic revolution, industrial revolution and green revolution/genetic modification.

genetically modified organisms

foods that have had their DNA modified to amplify or improve characteristics.

demographic transitional model

measures a countries natural population change (birth rate and death rate)

overpopulation

when a country or region has an excessively large number of people and exceeds the carrying capacity of said country or region.

brain drain

because of limited opportunities or low wages, many of the best, brightest and most educated citizens of overpopulated countries look for immigration possibilities to other countries to improve their quality of life.

the great acceleration

looks at 24 categories (split into two categories, socio economic trends and earth system trends.

renewable resources

a resource that will replenish itself over time

non-renewable resource

a resource that does not replenish itself and once used, must be recycled.

the principle of population

food production would grow quickly in the future, human population growth would also be greater still, reaching a point where the number of people to be fed would outstrip food supply.

positive (natural checks)

Malthus belived that natural forces would correct the imbalance between food supply and population growth in the form of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, many other natural disasters. As well as man-made actions such as war and famines.

preventative checks

to correct the imbalance, Malthus also suggeste using preventative measures to control the growth of the population such as family planning (contraceptives, late marriages and celibacy)

push factor

Reasons someone might want to leave a country such as; war, policies, lack of work, etc

pull factor

Reasons someone might want to go to a country such as; work opportunities, political freedoms, safe conditions, peace, etc

Biotic Resources

Are those that are sourced from the biosphere-organic and living parts of the Earth. (E.g., animals, forests, agricultural products, and fossil fuels).

Abiotic resources

Are those that are sourced from the non-organic and non-living parts of the Earth (e.g., fresh water, air, land, and minerals)

Renewable resources

Are those that can replenish naturally after human use (e.g., forests, animal populations, and biofuels)

Non-renewable resources

Are those that do not replenish naturally after human use (e.g., minerals and fossil fuels)

Flow resources

are those that are neither renewable or non-renewable and are not exhausted by human use (e.g., solar energy, tidal energy, and wind)

subsistence farming

Small scale production of crops and raising of livestock to meet the immediate needs of families. Most common in LEDC's.

Cash cropping

Agricultural activities that aim to produce food for the purpose of selling it to others. This often involves selecting specific crops that can produce the greatest return on investment and, thus, greatest profit.

Intensive farming

High yield farming that occurs on relatively small amounts of land.

Extensive farming

Low yield farming that occurs on relatively large amounts of land.

Biotechnology

The application of biological processes for agricultural purposes, which can improve output (ex: genetically modified organisms)

Monoculture

Agriculture in which a single crop is planted in a large area (eg, wheat fields in the prairie region of Canada)

Corporate farming

Large scale food production industry that is owned and operated by corporations. These corporations often produce the inputs required for agriculture (e.g., fertilizers, seeds, machinery).

Land degradation

The deterioration of the productive capacity of soil for either present of future use.

Erosion

Refers to the removal of the nutrient-rich layer of topsoil by either wind or water.

Arable land

land suitable for growing crops

Arid regions

Areas that receive less than 250mm of rain annually

Semi-arid regions

Areas that receive between 250-500mm of rain annually.

Tropical regions

Areas that receive great amounts of rainfall

Terrain deformation

This refers to a change in the physical landscape caused by natural or human forces.

Chemical deterioration

Refers to the breakdown of soil that can result from loss of soil nutrients, salinization, acidification, and pollution.

Leaching

Involves nutrients in soil being washed away or dissolved as a result of too much run-off. This can occur almost anywhere, but is most common in tropical areas. I.e. Tropical Rainforest

Salinization

Involves an increase in the salt content of soil to the point where soil becomes toxic and unable to support plant growth.

Acidification

Involves the acid content of soil increasing as a result of overuse of fertilizers or due to poor drainage.

Pollution

Involves pollution from industrial emissions or liquid or solid waste that can damage soil or seep into water sources.

Physical Deterioration

When the land is degraded due to compaction, water-logging, or subsidence, it is referred to as...

Desertification

Occurs when human activities reduce the productivity of an arid or semi-arid areas to the point where it resembles a desert. In other words, poor management of the land results in a loss of fertile soil.

Sewage Waste

In LEDC's The majority of infectious diseases are caused by unclean water due to sewage waste. This also contributes to deaths.

Industrial Waste

Industrial waste can contaminate surface water and make it unsafe to drink, further contributing to disease.

Agriculture waste

Extensive irrigation can cause eutrophication of surface water, resulting in negative influence on fish and other aquatic populations. This leads to a loss of biodiversity and habitat.

Groundwater

Water that has filtered down through the soil

Aquifer

A body of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater which can readily transmit water to wells and springs.

Open aquifer

Lie below a permeable layer of soil

Closed aquifer

Have a layer of impenetrable rock or clay above them

Fossil water

water pumped from underground aquifers

Water security

Adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods and human well beings.

Crude oil

Traditional or conventional sources of energy

Natural gas

A fossil fuel in the gaseous state.

Coal

Traditional or conventional sources of energy

Nuclear Power

Traditional or conventional sources of energy

Hydroelectric power

Traditional or conventional sources of energy

Peak oil

Suggest that once we have consumed half the world's available oil, production will decline. This concept can be seen in the graph to the right.

Alternative energy sources

Sources of energy that are developed to avoid or lessen the impact of fossil fuel use.

Solar energy

Alternative energy source

Biofuels

Alternative energy source

Geothermal energy

Alternative energy source

Wind power

Alternative energy source

Green power

Alternative energy source

Hydricity

Alternative energy source

Carbon cycle

How carbon moves through the environment.

Carbon source

Anything that provides additional carbon to the atmosphere.

Carbon sink

Exists when carbon is removed from the atmosphere for a relatively short time.

Fixed carbon

Is any carbon that has been removed from the atmosphere for a very long time.

Climate change

Long term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.

Greenhouse effect

Occurs when greenhouse gases in a planets atmosphere insulate the planet from losing heat to space, raising its surface temperature.

Anthropogenic

Originating in human activity

Greenhouse gases

Gases in the atmosphere that raise the surface temperature of planets such as the Earth.

Kyoto Protocol

controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries

Paris Conference

set out the following goal to limit global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees celsuius to prevent most of the effects of climate change.

Cap and trade system

government program designed to limit the level of emissions being produced.

Carbon tax

a tax on the production, distribution, or use of fossil fuels.

geo engineering

blanket term used to describe a wide range of technological responses to the problems of climate change.

Deforestation

When land is cleared for timber or more usually agricultural use the soil is exposed to erosion. This is particularly damaging in tropical area with higher annual precipitation.

Overgrazing

When too many livestock cattle, sheep, or goats graze on a particular area destroying the vegetation and exposing the soil to erosion.

Overuse of natural vegetation

When people strip the natural vegetation of an area for fuel and building materials leading to erosion.

Urban/Industrial Pollution

When the productive capacity of soil is reduced by pollution so that it is unusable for farming.

Urbanization and urban sprawl

When expanding towns and cities take over more land that had been used as form land as well as wildlife habitat.

environmental degradation

overproduction and over-consumption can lead to food production issues and issues supplying food.

Poverty

This makes it more difficult to access food, pay for it, or even grow it, as much of the poor in LEDCs, for example, rely on growing their own crops.

Armed Conflict

War and conflict make food production difficult and often armed groups struggle to control already disrupted agricultural operations.