geography unit 3 definitions

definitions

climate change

the long term changes in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods of time. May be changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns that can be attributed to natural processes or human activities.

sustainability

meeting the needs of future generations through simultaneous economic, social and environmental adaptation and improvement.

environment

the living and non living elements of the earths surface and atmosphere, such as forests rivers and plains. it also includes human changes to the earths surface e.g. buildings, croplands and the modification of water bodies like dams

natural biomes

a community of life forms adapted to a large natural area. e.g. tropical rainforests and tropical coral reef biomes.

anthropogenic biomes

a biome that was created by direct and sustained interations with humans.

e.g. crops lands in WA were originally woodland and grassland, however the areas were cleared to allow for broad acre cereal and meat agriculture.

biodiversity loss

a reduction in the type, number and variety of living organisms within a given environment.

biodiversity

the type, number and variety of species in a given environment.

the anthroposcene

informal term to define the ‘human’ (most recent) period of geological time.

adapttion

the alteration and adjustment in response to a changed environment.

remote sensing

the science of obtaining information about objects or areas from a distance, typically from air craft or satellites.

triple bottom line

1. protecting the environment

2. maintaining economic development

3. maintainng social development

while meeting the populations needs.

urban heat islands

where metropolitan areas are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.

land cover change

the alteration in the pysical characteristics of the earths surface such as vegetation type over time, often driven by human activities like urbanisation, agriculture or deforestation.

ecosystem structure and dynamics

the ecosystem has a structure made up of the biotic and abiotic elements with a heirarchy of organisms; that is, trophic levels, which incudes, pruduces, consumers and detritus. the ecosystem is dynamic; that is, there is relationships between biotic and abiotic elements which includes the flow of energy between elements (food chains).