Grade 9 Physical Geography

TERMS TO KNOW

1. Natural Resource – Anything from nature that humans use (e.g., water, trees, minerals).
   
   

2. Renewable Resource – Resources that regenerate over time (e.g., forests, fish, wind, solar).
   
   

3. Non-Renewable Resource – Finite resources that do not regenerate in a human lifespan (e.g., oil, coal, natural gas, minerals).
   
   

4. Sustainable Development – Using resources in a way that meets current needs without harming future generations.
   
   

5. Conservation – Careful use and protection of natural resources to prevent waste and long-term depletion.
   
   

6. Ecological Footprint – The impact of a person or community on the environment, measured in the amount of land needed to sustain their use of natural resources.
   
   

7. Primary Industry – Industry involved in collecting natural resources (e.g., fishing, forestry, mining).
   
   

8. Secondary Industry – Industry involved in manufacturing products from raw materials.
   
   

9. Tertiary Industry – Services that support the economy (e.g., retail, tourism, healthcare).
   
   

10. Quaternary Industry – Knowledge-based services (e.g., research, IT, education).
    
    

11. Extraction – Removing natural resources from the Earth.
    
    

12. Overfishing – Catching fish faster than they can reproduce, leading to population decline.
    
    

TYPES OF NATURAL RESOURCES

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ISSUES

1. Overexploitation
   
   

   • Using resources too quickly (e.g., deforestation, overfishing).
     
     

2. Pollution
   
   

   • Air, water, and land pollution from industries and improper waste disposal.
     
     

3. Climate Change
   
   

   • Driven by burning fossil fuels and deforestation.
     
     

4. Loss of Biodiversity
   
   

   • Caused by habitat destruction, pollution, and invasive species.
     
     

5. Sustainability Challenges
   
   

   • Balancing economic growth with environmental protection.
     
     

🇨🇦 CANADA & NATURAL RESOURCES

• Canada is rich in natural resources, which are a major part of the economy.
  
  

• Major exports: oil, lumber, minerals, wheat, fish.
  
  

• Provinces specialize:
  
  

  • Alberta – oil and gas
    
    

  • British Columbia – forestry, fishing
    
    

  • Ontario & Quebec – mining, hydroelectricity
    
    

  • Atlantic provinces – fishing
    
    

  • Prairies – agriculture, potash mining
    
    

  • Northern Territories – minerals, traditional Indigenous harvesting
    
    

🔄 RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY

1. Selective Cutting – Only some trees are cut, protecting the ecosystem.
   
   

2. Crop Rotation – Helps maintain soil nutrients.
   
   

3. Fish Quotas – Regulate how much fish can be caught.
   
   

4. Renewable Energy – Replaces fossil fuels.
   
   

5. Recycling & Reusing – Helps conserve raw materials.
   
   

6. Carbon Tax – Encourages businesses to reduce emissions.
   
   

🔬 CASE STUDIES / EXAMPLES YOU SHOULD KNOW

• East Coast Cod Collapse:
  
  

  • Due to overfishing in the 1990s.
    
    

  • Led to a moratorium (ban) on cod fishing.
    
    

  • Thousands lost jobs.
    
    

  • Lesson: importance of sustainable resource use.
    
    

• Alberta Oil Sands:
  
  

  • Huge source of oil for Canada.
    
    

  • Economic benefits, but environmental concerns (carbon emissions, habitat destruction).
    
    

• Hydroelectric Power in Quebec:
  
  

  • Clean, renewable energy.
    
    

  • Dams can damage river ecosystems and flood land (including Indigenous territory).

✅ 

KEY TERMS

• Natural resources – Materials from Earth that are used by humans (e.g., water, trees, minerals).
  
  

• Non-renewable resources – Cannot be replenished quickly (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy).
  
  

• Renewable resources – Can be replenished naturally (e.g., wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, biomass).
  
  

• Mitigation – Efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases.
  
  

• Adaptation – Adjusting to actual or expected climate change.
  
  

• Trade Terms:
  
  

  • Outsourcing – Sending jobs or production to other countries.
    
    

  • Primary industry – Extracting raw materials (e.g., mining, fishing).
    
    

  • Secondary industry – Manufacturing goods.
    
    

  • Tertiary industry – Providing services.
    
    

  • Globalization – The growing connection of the world’s economies and cultures.
    
    

  • Free trade – Trade without barriers like tariffs.
    
    

  • Tariff – A tax on imported goods.
    
    

  • Comparative advantage – A country’s ability to produce goods at a lower cost than others.
    
    

  • Dutch disease – Economic problems caused when a country’s currency becomes too strong due to resource exports.
    
    

  • Basic job – Brings money into a community (e.g., mining).
    
    

  • Non-basic job – Services that recycle money inside a community (e.g., teacher).
    
    

  • Coniferous – Evergreen trees.
    
    

  • Deciduous – Trees that lose leaves in fall.
    
    

🔬 

CORE CONCEPTS

🌍 Natural Resources

• Effects on the environment from renewable and non-renewable resources.
  
  

• Pros and Cons:
  
  

  • Renewable: cleaner, but weather-dependent (e.g., solar/wind).
    
    

  • Non-renewable: more reliable for energy, but polluting and finite.
    
    

🌡 Climate Change

• Greenhouse Effect: gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere.
  
  

• Human contributions: burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial emissions.
  
  

• 4 Climate Change Impacts:
  
  

  1. Human (e.g., health, migration)
     
     

  2. Built (e.g., infrastructure damage)
     
     

  3. Natural (e.g., ecosystems)
     
     

  4. Global (e.g., sea level rise)
     
     

✅ Mitigation vs Adaptation

• Mitigation: prevent further climate change (e.g., reduce emissions).
  
  

• Adaptation: adjust to changes (e.g., build flood defenses).
  
  

💡 

Sustainability and Hydro

♻ Sustainability

• Sustainable forests: clear-cutting vs selective/shelterwood/strip cutting.
  
  

• Advocacy Groups: work to protect waters and forests.
  
  

• Sustainability in Action (CBC documentary): shows how to balance economy and environment.
  
  

⚡ Hydroelectricity

• Advantages:
  
  

  • Renewable, clean energy.
    
    

  • Reliable power supply.
    
    

• Disadvantages:
  
  

  • Destroys ecosystems.
    
    

  • Can flood communities (especially Indigenous lands).
    
    

📽 DOCUMENTARIES TO KNOW

• Isaac Murdoch Presentation: Indigenous perspectives on land and water protection.
  
  

• Water Crisis in Ontario: Issues faced by First Nations due to polluted or unsafe water.
  
  

💼 TRADE AND ECONOMY

📦 Resource Harvesting

Know how these are harvested + their advantages/disadvantages:

• Clear Cutting: fast, but harms ecosystem.
  
  

• Shelterwood Cutting: leaves mature trees to regrow forest.
  
  

• Selective Cutting: best for ecosystem, but costly.
  
  

• Strip Cutting: prevents erosion, but still disrupts land.
  
  

📉 Canadian Economy

• Factories in Canada: many are closing or moving due to outsourcing and trade deals.
  
  

• Forests: must be healthy, viable, sustainable, and profitable.
  
  

📖 TEXTBOOK PRACTICE (Important!)

Review:

• Page 180: Questions 1b, 2a/b, 3a/b, 4, 5
  
  

• Page 187: Questions 1 & 2
  
  

✍ SHORT/LONG ANSWER PREP

1. Avatar & Northern Ontario:
   
   

   • Compare the exploitation of resources in Avatar to real Indigenous struggles in Canada.
     
     

   • Focus on land rights, environmental damage, and corporate interests.
     
     

2. Hydroelectricity in Canada:
   
   

   • Should we continue investing? Use 3 reasons (e.g., cost, sustainability, environmental harm).
     
     

3. Water Advocacy:
   
   

   • How groups protect water (e.g., protests, awareness campaigns, legal action).
     
     

Terms

Non-renewable resources

Fossil fuels - are formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. After millions of years, heat and pressure turn the dead organisms into fuel that humans can burn. There are 3 types of fossil fuels:

Crude oil (petroleum) - liquids formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms

Coal - solid sedimentary rock formed from ancient plant

Natural gas - a mixture of gasses that is often found with petroleum. It is composed mainly of odorless, colorless gas called methane

Nuclear energy - released by splitting uranium atoms. Splitting the atoms produces heat which generates steam that powers a turbine and produces electricity. Nuclear power considered a clean energy source because it does not produce greenhouse gases

Renewable resources

Wind energy - is produced by wind turbines. The motion of the blades generate electricity without using fossil fuels

Solar energy - energy that is harnessed from the Sun. Solar energy is considered clean because it does not release pollutants such as greenhouse gases

Geothermal energy -  Geo means Earth. this energy is heat that comes from deep inside the Earth

Biomass energy - Bio means life.  This is energy that comes from plants and animals. Stored energy comes from the sun. Burning the biomass releases the stored energy.

Hydropower - Hydro means water. This is an energy that is created from the force of moving water. Water flows through a dam which pushes turbines.

Mitigation - reducing greenhouse gas emissions. we can mitigate by reducing energy use and switching to renewable energy 

Adaptation - actions to reduce impacts of climate change. We can adapt by drinking lots of water and building awareness 

Trade

Outsourcing - When a company moves part of its operation to another country to take advantage of Cheaper labor costs and/or less stringent labor and environmental controls

Primary industry - An industry that focuses on producing or extracting natural resources ( Forest Industries,  agriculture, mining and fishing)

Secondary industry - An industry that focuses on making things using the products of primary Industries (Manufacturing, constructing utility such as electricity, water, Natural Gas)

Tertiary industry - an industry the focus is on providing services

Globalization -  the process by which something is done at a global rather than National or local level

Knowledge-based industries - Manufacturing based on the ideas, knowledge, and Skills of a well-educated Workforce. these industries are also referred to as quaternary Industries

Free trade - International Trade without tariffs or barriers to trade

Tariff - a tax applied to imported goods that is designed to protect domestic manufacturers by making foreign Goods more expensive

Comparative advantage - A situation in which a country is better are focusing its efforts in fields where it's most competitive

Dutch disease - A situation in which the value of a country's currency is driven up by the growth

Basic job - a job that brings money into an economy from somewhere else

Non-basic job - a job that circulates money within an economy 

Coniferous - are often referred to as Evergreens or needle leaf trees

Deciduous -  are often referred to as broadleaf because most shed their leaves in the fall

Concepts 

Effects on the environment from non-renewable and renewable resources/ energy:

Non-renewable Effects: 

Air Pollution (burned gases release and cause global warming) 

Climate Change (too much heat being trapped in the atmosphere causing melting ice, rising sea level & extreme weather)

Water and Land Damage (destroyed animal habitats & polluted waters)

Renewable Effects: 

Cleaner (Dont produce harmful gases so it’s better for the air)

Safer for Animals & Water (there are no oil spills disrupting habitats)

Some Impact (Wind turbines affect winged animals, dams change rivers and affect fish, solar farms use up a lot of land)

Non Renewable Pros: Reliable, High energy production, lower upfront cost

Non Renewable Cons: Eventually runs out, pollution, environmental damage, health risks

Renewable Pros: Sustainable, low environmental impact, less fossil fuel dependency, give more jobs

Renewable Cons: Solar and Wind are weather dependent, high upfront costs, lots of land use

Climate Change Chart

Climate Change: Variation or Change in the climate. Caused by human activities and humans are speeding the process up.

Greenhouse Gases Effect: It traps thermal radiation

How do humans contribute: When humans use transportation they are burning fossil fuels which release gases into the Earth.

Climate Change Impact

Human: More risks to human health, more demand for public cooling areas, higher risk of people getting injured or lost

Built: Higher temperature lead to higher demand for cooling center, more expensive water bills

Natural: Lower lake and river levels, loss of trees

How can we relate the movie Avatar to what is happening to northern Ontario communities with relation to natural resources?

The movie Avatar is a lot like what’s happening in northern Ontario, especially to Indigenous communities.

In Avatar, a big company wants to take a valuable resource from the planet Pandora, even though it means destroying the land and forcing the Na’vi people to leave their home. The Na’vi fight back because the land is important to their culture, beliefs, and survival.

In northern Ontario, some companies and governments want to take natural resources like minerals, trees, and water from Indigenous lands. But this can harm the environment and the way Indigenous people live, hunt, and fish. Sometimes they aren’t asked for permission, even though they have rights to their land.

Like the Na’vi, many Indigenous communities in Ontario are standing up to protect their land, traditions, and future.

Should Canada continue to invest in Hydroelectricity with 3 solid proofs from readings.

1. Clean Energy for the Environment

Hydroelectricity is a renewable energy source that doesn’t burn fossil fuels. This means it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps fight climate change. In many readings, hydro power is shown as a key part of Canada’s plan to meet its climate goals.

2. Reliable and Affordable Power

Hydropower is very reliable—it can produce electricity day and night, in all weather. Also, once a dam is built, the cost to produce electricity is low, which helps keep energy prices stable for Canadians. Government reports often show hydro as one of the cheapest sources of energy over time.

3. Energy for the Future

As Canada switches to electric vehicles and greener technology, we’ll need more clean electricity. Investing in hydro helps make sure we have enough energy in the future. Some readings say hydro can be stored (like in reservoirs) and used when needed, which supports the whole energy system.

Describe how advocacy groups contribute to protecting our waters

Advocacy groups help protect our waters by speaking up and taking action. These groups are made up of people who care about lakes, rivers, and oceans. They work to keep water clean and safe for people, animals, and the environment.

1. They raise awareness – They teach the public about pollution, climate change, and water problems so more people can help.
   
   

2. They pressure the government – They ask leaders to make better laws to protect water and stop harmful projects.
   
   

3. They do cleanups and research – Some groups clean up garbage from rivers and test water to find pollution. They use science to show what’s wrong and how to fix it.
   
   

Thanks to advocacy groups, more people know how important clean water is—and how to protect it!