GEOGRAPHY 2019 - SEMESTER 1 

TOPIC 1 ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND MANAGEMENT

Key Concept - Ecosystems

Glossary:
Abiotic - non living
Aquaculture - farming or growing marine resources
Atmosphere - layer of gases surrounding the world
Biodiversity - no. of species in an environment
Biome - an environment that has a set no. of conditions
Biosphere - where all living things function
Biotic - Living Organisms
Carbon Cycle - the movement of carbon through a cycle
Carbon Footprint - the amount of carbon an activity produces
Change Management - making a plan to deal with expected change
Climate Change - the shifting of climatic zones
Community - group of people with commodities
Consumers - people/things that consume resources
Contemporary Management - traditional management
Decomposers - things that break down dead organisms
Dynamic Equilibrium - changing environment in a sustainable environment
Ecosystem - interaction between biotic and abiotic factors
Endemic Species - species found in only one environment/area
Environment - everything that has a certain amount of characteristics
Food Chain - the flow of energy from things eating things
Food web - flow energy through the producer to consumer
Geographical Process - what, why and how the processes change the environment
Greenhouse gases - gases that trap heat
Human Impact - the impact that humans have on the environment and natural systems
Hydrological Cycle - the movement of water
Condensation - Water which collects as droplets
Runoff - Water which flows from the soil into the sea
Precipitation - Rain
Transpiration - ​process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts,
such as leaves, stems and flowers
Evaporation - The process of water drying up due to the heat
Infiltration - The permeation of water into soil
Hydrosphere - t​he combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet,
minor planet or natural satellite
Keystone Species - A species that defines the environment it lives in
Lithosphere - The outermost shell of a planet.
Management of Environment - How humans utilise the environment
Marine Environment - The underwater environment
Marine debris/pollution - Any waste produced by humans that are in marine environments that
don’t break down
Nitrogen - The movement of nitrogen through the cycle
Ocean currents (warm and cold) - The movement of bodies of water in a certain direction
Oxygen cycle - The movement of oxygen through the atmosphere
Combustion - The oxidation of carbon
Respiration - Breathing
Diffusion - The movement of particles through an environment
Slash and Burn - A way to add ash and nutrients to soil used in farming
Carbon Source - A source of carbon dioxide
Carbon Sink - ​a natural or artificial reservoir that accumulates and stores some
carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period.
Phosphorus cycle - movement of phosphorus through the environment
Decomposition - The breakdown of organic material
Eutrophication - ​when a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients
which induce excessive growth of plants and algae
Weathering - Break down of rocks into smaller material
Erosion - The removal and transportation of rock into other locations
Uplift - Lands getting pushed up by tectonic forces
Plate tectonics - The broken fragments of the Earth’s crust getting pushed around by convective
forces
Species - An organism that has the same characteristics as other organisms of the same genus
Sustainable Development - Human activities that can be
Sustainable use of resources - The ability to use resources while saving enough to use for
future generations.
Tectonic Processes -

TYPES OF SPHERES
Atmosphere - Thin layer of gas on the Earth, mainly composed of nitrogen followed by oxygen.
It has a number of important functions:
1. supports plant and animal life
2. prevents dangerous electromagnetic radiation from striking the Earth
3. prevents heat loss during non sunlight times ​(greenhouse effect)
4. Allows for the transfer of heat and water
5. Allows for the ease of movement of birds and insects

Usage of water
- Leisure
- Transportation
- Removal of pollution
Humans later the hydrosphere in a huge variety of ways. Some of these are: water storage
facilities, change the pH in oceans, implement waste removal systems, altered natural river
flows

The Lithosphere
● Refers to the Earth’s crust
● Impacts from mantle events
● Processes: uplift and mountain building

Weathering
Moving rocks

Erosion -
Breaking down rocks

Deposition-
Where eroded material ends up

The lithosphere is impacted by humans by moving materials from one place to another
Putting weight on fault lines.

- Increase in the impact of natural forces

GeoFact 5/3/19
The contested area of the South China Sea is contested by Vietnam, China, Taiwan,
Philippines, Malaysia and Brunne.

GeoFact 12/3/19
The geomorphic hazard of mass movement s a function of friction against gravity Talus slopes
and angled shale are particularly at risk.

Environmental Management
To survive, humans adapt the environment to suit their requirements.

Geofact 14/3/19
One of the major causes of dieback amongst eucalypts are christmas beetles. Added to the
threat of dinammon root fungus these are particularly damaging in cleaned country areas.

National Environment Management

The Australian Federal Government has no specific power to protect the environment. It relies
upon the the cooperation of states and its external affairs powers. These management powers
have been exercised in:
GeoFact 15/3/19
Giant hail heavy rain, downbursts, tornadoes and anvil head lightning are all features of a
supercell.

Geofact 19/3/19
Mass fish killing “blackwater” events that occur after heavy rain are a combination of high
sediment load, low oxygen and high chemical loads.

PASS - Potential Acid Sulphate Soils.

Geofact 21/3/19
The Barkly Tablelands in NW QLD has been impacted by a severe drought. Despite the
damage severe tropical cyclone Trevor might cause graziers are hoping for a significant rain
event.

Geofact 22/3/19
Red Cedar, prized among woodworkers is unable to be grown in plantations. Much of this tree
have been removed in the early 19th century such was the demand.

GeoFact 26/3/19
The collapse of the Atlantic Cod populations on the grand banks led to a virtual shutting down of
St John's, the main city of Newfoundland. The species is still “commercially extinct”.

Geofact 2/4/19
In an attempt to minimise damage to their own nations, European countries moved atmosphere
pollution transborder creating sulphur countries often a distance away.

The Federal Government has the power to make laws in relation to: World Heritage Sites, areas
in Australia’s exclusive economic zone.

Kakadu - Management
Kakadu national park is located 200 km east of Darwin on the Northern Coast of the Northern
Territory. The Climate is monsoonal with a distinct wet and dry season. The resulting wetland
and escarpment environments are therefore adapted to the seasonal availability of water. The
Kakadu environment has had humans in the area for approximately 55,000 years. The original
inhabitants managed the land via fire.

Parties involved in Kakadu

1) Indigenous land owners (The Aboriginal people)
2) Federal and Territory governments
3) Private and Corporate Property Owners
 4) Tourist Operators
5) Mining Operators
6) Tourists
7) Workers at the various mining /catering areas.

Threats to Kakadu
1. Mining - particularly uranium mining
2. Tourism - particularly “sensitive” areas (culturally significant)
3. Sea level rise - saltwater inundation is a significant threat to freshwater environments.
4. Introduced Species - Cats, Pigs, water buffalo, cane toad, mimosa pigra, salvinia, goats.
5. Changing fire regimes - evolution in the past 50,000 has existed with fire.
6. Infrastructure - roads buildings, processing plants
7. Changed Water flows - particularly in town areas

Geofact 5/4/2019
The site of many European cities were based on river crossings (Paris, London) fortresses (eg.
Edinburgh and St Petersburg) and sites of strategic significance (eg. Istanbul, Budapest)

Geofact 9/4/19
The backswamp at Agnes Banks in northwestern Sydney is called Yarramundi Lagoon. It is
formed from a different process than most billabongs which are formed by cutoff meander.

Geofact 12/4/19
A rather common plague in Australian beaches the bluebottles or Portuguese Mano’war have
left handed and right handed versions. G

GeoFact 30/4/19
Lack of a certainty of water availability has led to the rice growing industry to rebate to areas
such as the Clarence Valley in NE NSW.4

Human Wellbeing
Human well being refers to the overall health, safety, security and potential for life fulfillment.
Measuring human wellbeing is difficult. The general measure for a popularity are Human
Development Indicators (HDI). Literacy Rate, Calories per day, GDP per capita, Mortality Rate,
Years of Education, Life Expectancy, Infant Mortality,

GeoFact 3/5/19
Vegetation Protection Laws meant to minimise runoff into the Great Barrier Reef are causing
problems for graziers in Western QLD who use ​mulga​as drought fodder.

Central Asian nations have had varying degrees of success in promoting well being, The least
developed nations (eg South Sudan, Haiti, Centra, African Republic, Mali) have significant
human well being deficiencies.
Termed developing nations (eg. Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Pakistan ) Within this
category are emerging nations (eg. Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines,) The “petrol economies” (eg.
Saudi Arabia, VAE, Oman, Iraq) have massive disparities in wealth + wellbeing. The nations
that had dictatorships (eg. Cuba, Russia, Most)

Causes of Disadvantage
- Government
- War/Conflict

Geofact 23/5/19
The phenomena of “banner cloud” occurs on the lee side of peaks in Mountains. The
[Matterhorn] in Switzerland has famous banner cloud.

Solutions to Human Wellbeing Deficiencies

1. Increase foreign aid - this can come in the form of emergency aid, tied aid or untied aid
payments. This can result in issues like “brain drain”, dependency and corruption.
2. Improve Education, health + gout services
3. Foreign Military intervention - very problematic
4. Remove artificial trade barriers
5. Encourage domestic cooperation
6. Promote Good Government
7. Encourage nations to limited population growth

Geofact 24/5/19
The most dangerous organism to humans (other than other humans) are mosquitos. In Sydney
they spread Ross River Fever, encephalitis and Barma Forest Virus.

Geofact 30/5/19
The poorest LGAs in Australia are overwhelmingly located in QLD. The wealthiest are
overwhelmingly in NSW.

Stuff in exams - Management Plans, Cycles, Biodiversity

Cycles:
Nitrogen:
Phosphorus:

Carbon-Oxygen:
Water:
Climate change:
- Rising sea temps = flora + fauna migrating 
- Ocean acidification from carbon diffusion 
 
- Stormwater pollution (significantly plastic pollution) 
- Over fishing and recreational fishing waste 
- Oil spills and anchor drag 
- Industrial pollution and eutrophication from industry 
- Waste dumping from oil spills 
 

Effects of Ocean Acidification

Short effect: 
- Carbonated ions for organism 
Long term effect: 
- Affect food chain 
-Damage shells 
 

Microplastics
- When exposed to solar energy, the bonds holding plastic together weaken 
- Plastics are non-biodegradable and break up, not down 
- Pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in length 
- During the process of breaking up, harmful chemicals such as Bisphenol-A are leached 
into water bodies 
- Due to having a solid surface area, adsorption (not absorption!) of heavy metals and 
other toxins occur 
- Pieces of plastic are eaten by low-food chain animals, and can pass their way through 
to higher trophic levels 
- Humans can also ingest these chemical-bound pieces of plastic 
 

Management Strategies

Stormwater

Stormwater Infiltration Zones

Stormwater infiltration systems typically consist of a storage which may either be a surface
ponding area or a gravel-filled trench that temporarily retains storm water, allowing infiltration

Bio Retention Ponds

Bioretention is the process in which contaminants and sedimentation are removed from
stormwater runoff. Stormwater is collected into the treatmentment area which consists of a
grass buffer strip, sand bed, ponding area, organic layer or mulch layer, planting soil and plants

Litter Booms / Trash Racks

Litter booms are flotation structures with suspended curtains that are used to contain floating
trash. Booms are best suited to slow-moving water. Since more pollutants sink than float, they
are only useful for trapping highly buoyant materials

Gross Pollutant Trap

Gross pollutants traps are structures that use physical processes to trap solid waste such as
litter and coarse sediment

Silt Fence
A temporary sediment control device used on construction sites to protect water quality in
nearby systems, rivers, lakes and seas from sediment runoff

Human Wellbeing

Global Inequality

- 1% has 48 percent of the worlds wealth

- Richest 300 = poorest 3bil
- 2 tril $ from poor to rich
- 900 bil from trade mispricing (form of tax avoidance)
 - Losing money from trade rules imposed by rich countries
- 600 bil from debt service
- Only 130 billlion from rich to poor
- Rich countries currently have 80x more wealth more than poor countries
- 8 out of 10 countries have 6% of the world’s wealth between them

Reasons for good Wellbeing

- High life expectancy
- Good education
- Basically the HDI indicator

Wellbeing Indicators
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
- Human Development Index
- Happiness Index
- OECD Better life index
- Ecological footprint
- Inclusive Wealth index
- Happy Planet index
- Car ownership
- Life Expectancy
- Doctors per population
- Employment rates
- Literacy rates
- Access to water/resources
- Mortality rates

MEDC-​More Economically developed country (eg. Australia)

NIC-​Newly Industrialised country (Eg. China)
LEDC-​Less economically developed country (Eg. Mexico)

GDP
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP):​the total value of goods and services produced in a
country
- GDP per capita:​the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a year
divided by the total population of a country
- Usually indicated using US dollars
- The currencies are converted into USD based on the value of items and goods in each
country - this is called ​Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)