GEOG*1220 Unit 2

Natural capital

The stock of natural resources from

which the flow of environmental goods and services are derived.

The IPBES proposed a new label for environmental services:

Nature's contribution to people.

Supporting services (examples)

Fertile soil, biodiversity, habitat.

Provisioning services (examples)

Food, fresh water, wood.

Regulating services (examples)

Flood control, pollination, carbon storage.

Cultural services (examples)

Beauty, tourism, recreation.

Global environmental change (GEC) + example

Cumulative/ systemic changes in the states/stocks and flows/cycles of the Earth system. E.g. global loss of permafrost, extinction of biota...

Climate change + example

A kind of GEC; refers to long-term changes in average weather worldwide. Changes interact with other GECs to amplify or attenuate both. E.g. expected rise of 2⁰C in world temp by 2050.

Cumulative GEC + example

Changes in specific states/stocks that reach a sufficient magnitude to endanger their role in the functioning of the Earth system. E.g. worldwide tropical deforestation degrades global biodiversity, leading to mass extinctions and impacts land-atmosphere dynamics, resulting in climate change.

Systemic GEC + example

Changes in flows/cycles that reach sufficient magnitude that the Earth system at large changes. E.g. large-scale GHG

emissions flow through the spheres, adding heat to atmosphere and oceans, altering the average temperature of the planet.

Deforestation impact (3)

1. Wildlife habitat is lost.

2. Biodiversity is reduced.

3. Nutrient and water cycles are altered.

Agriculture impact on water cycle

Agriculture consumes vast amounts of freshwater and releases polluted (phosphorus and nitrogen-rich) water as run-off back into the environment, which leads to eutrophication.

Eutrophication + services it impacts

When a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients, leading to excessive plant and algae growth. The algal blooms block sunlight, suffocate aquatic life (biodiversity- supporting services), and degrade water quality (provisioning services), AND cultural services (aesthetics).

Overharvesting examples + services it impacts

Overfishing: depletes key fish stocks and affects the livelihoods of communities that depend on them.

Overhunting: local extinctions, alter predator-prey dynamics and alter ecosystems (see the Parks Canada link below). Provisioning and supporting services.

Desertification

Gradual land degradation of fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities.

Neolithic Revolution

The shift from a hunter-gatherer society to agriculture and the domestication of animals.

The Ancestral Puebloans: Lived where and for how long? When was there an obvious decline in local woodlands?

- Lived in the American Southwest for > 1000 years

- 600 BC

The Ancestral Puebloans: How did they change the land? (3)

- Boiling veg, construction, pottery--> removal of trees --> increased soil erosion and sedimentation.

- Less woodland biome --> people expand their range to find fuel and game.

- Environmental pressures and droughts --> eventual decline and migration.

The Industrial Revolution: What was it? How did it impact the earth?

- Replaced humans and animals as the power sources of production with motors powered by fossil fuels.

- Urbanization, deforestation, and air and water pollution.

- Shifted from local to global-scale impact.

The Great Acceleration: What was it? How did it impact the earth?

- Population growth, technological innovation, and resource consumption.

- Exponential increases in energy use, GHG emissions, and industrial output.

- Widespread habitat destruction, species extinctions, and the onset of human-driven climate change.

4 Solutions to safeguard the planet's ecosystems and biodiversity.

1. Consume less and responsibly.

2. Eat meat and dairy responsibly.

3. Reduce food waste.

4. Education.

IPCC stands for...?

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Permafrost melting: States?

Frozen soil thaws --> alters physical condition of ground --> previously locked-away organic matter decomposes.

Permafrost melting: Stocks?

Permafrost melts --> releases stored C --> C becomes part of C pool in the soil and atmosphere --> reducing stock stored in frozen soil.

Permafrost melting: Flows?

Permafrost melts --> microbes decompose newly thawed organic matter --> increased flows of CO₂ and CH₄ into atmosphere --> ↑ GHG emissions.

Permafrost melting: Cycles?

C cycle is affected: frozen C is now released, accelerating climate warming. +ve feedback loop.

Extinction of species and reduction of biodiversity: States?

Extinction changes the state by ↓ presence and abundance of species that were once part of the system.

Extinction of species and reduction of biodiversity: Stock?

Extinction decreases stock of living organisms (biomass and nutrients) and functional roles they play.

Extinction of species and reduction of biodiversity: Flows?

Extinction disrupts predator-prey relationships, pollination, and nutrient recycling (flows).

Extinction of species and reduction of biodiversity: Cycles?

N cycle and C cycle: loss of nitrogen-fixing plants or decomposers slows nutrient recycling, ↓ ecosystem productivity.

Acidification of oceans due to ↑ conc.s of CO₂: States?

Chemical state of ocean water changes—pH ↓, CO₂³⁻ conc.s ↓, water becomes more corrosive to calcium-based organisms.

Acidification of oceans due to ↑ conc.s of CO₂: Stocks?

Stocks of CaCO₃ used by organisms (coral, shellfish) ↓ because acidified water dissolves shells and prevents new ones from forming.

Acidification of oceans due to ↑ conc.s of CO₂: Flows?

Acidification alters flows of C and Ca through marine ecosystems: less CaCO₃ in shells changes how C is stored and moves through food webs.

Acidification of oceans due to ↑ conc.s of CO₂: Cycles?

Acidification reduces the ocean's capacity to act as a long-term carbon sink, impacting C cycle.