Managing Water Supplies
Define the term water security.
The ability to access sufficient quantities of clean water to maintain adequate standards of food and manufacturing of goods, adequate sanitation and sustainable health care
Define Acid Deposition.
A mix of air pollutants that deposit from the atmosphere as acidic wet deposition (with a pH <5.6) or acidic dry deposition.
What are Greenhouse Gases?
Gases in the atmosphere that absorb infrared radiation.
Define the term Renewable energy.
Renewable energy sources are natural resources that can be replenished over short periods.
Define Ecosystem Productivity.
The rate of production of biomass for an ecosystem
List 2 causes of water insecurity. And 2 impacts.
Climate Change, Natural Disasters, Pollution Events, Inadequate sanitation, Population Growth, Competing Demands, Mismanagement, International Competition, Inequality of availability, Differing Access.
Reduced Crop Yield, Livestock death, food shortages, malnutrition, Famine, Illness.
Describe two types of acid deposition.
Wet Deposition:
Rain, Hail, Snow, Fog
Dry Deposition:
Dust and Gases
State 3 Greenhouse Gases
Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor, Methane.
State 3 strategies for managing food security.
- Subsistence Agriculture
- Intensification and extensification
- Improved Agricultural Techniques
- Reduction in livestock and Increase in growing crops
- Reduce food waste
- large-scale food stockpiling
- improve transportation of food
-protecting pollinating insects
- the World Food Program and food aid
- rationing
Define the terms Gross Primary productivity and Net Primary productivity.
Gross: Total amount of energy fixed by primary producers (like plants) in an ecosystem through photosynthesis.
Net: The GPP minus the energy used by the producers for their own respiration and maintenance.
Describe a method to manage water security.
- sustainable water extraction and improved supply (piped supply, aquifers and artesian wells, boreholes, gravity-fed schemes, reservoirs and dams)
- reduction in water usage (improved irrigation techniques, growing crops less dependent on high water supply, recycling and rain water catchment)
- Education
- poverty reduction
- international agreement and water-related aid (detailed knowledge of international agreements is not required)
- rationing
Outline an impact of Acid Deposition, in any aspect.
Aquatic - the effects on fish gills and fish populations
Plants - defoliation and reduced crop yield
Buildings - enhanced chemical weathering
State the difficulties of monitoring and predicting climate change.
- Limited Historical Data
- Computer Climate models which use different variables.
- Climate Feedback Mechanisms
- Time Delay
- uncertainty over the use of some data in drawing conclusions has resulted in differences in scientific and political opinion
Define Food Security.
All people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
Explain the shapes of ecological pyramids.
Ecological pyramids, which can be upright or inverted, visually represent the transfer of energy, biomass, or numbers of organisms across trophic levels in an ecosystem. Upright pyramids show a decreasing trend from base to top, while inverted pyramids exhibit the opposite. The shape of an ecological pyramid depends on the specific type and the nature of the ecosystem.
Describe major sources of Groundwater
-unconfined aquifer: made of porous rock covered by soil in which water can flow in and out easily
-confined aquifer: made of a layer of impermeable rock or clay in which water cannot flow in and out
-groundwater recharge: the process by which water from precipitation percolates through the soil to groundwater
-artesian well: a well created by drilling a hole in a confined aquifer
Outline formation of Acid Deposition.
fossil fuels contain sulfur compounds
combustion of fossil fuels releases sulfur dioxide gas
sulfur dioxide gas reacts with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid
nitrogen from the atmosphere reacts with oxygen in the high temperatures of vehicle engines to form nitrogen monoxide gas
nitrogen monoxide gas is released into the atmosphere in vehicle emissions
nitrogen monoxide gas reacts with oxygen and water in the atmosphere to form nitric acid
Explain how the Enhanced Greenhouse effect occurs.
Incoming infrared
radiation(short wave) passes
through the atmosphere and is
absorbed by the Earth, which
re-radiates it at longer
wavelengths
This longer-wavelength infrared
can now be absorbed by
greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, such as carbon
dioxide.
What is Intensification Farming.
The process of humans changing the style of agriculture to move along the gradient from the lowest impact (shifting cultivation) all the way up to the industrial, high impact forms of agriculture. Intensification means a greater concentration of inputs and/or outputs per unit area.
Describe the world’s major terrestrial biomes in terms of their climate, soil type and vegetation (Relative timescale, starting point, soil, pioneer species)
Biomes: : Desert, forest, grassland and tundra
Deserts:
Forests:
Grasslands:
Describe the processes used to convert salt water into fresh water.
- desalination: the process of removing salt from saltwater to obtain drinking water or freshwater
- distillation: water is boiled and the resulting steam is captured and condensed to create fresh water
- reverse osmosis: water is forced through a thin, semi-permeable membrane at high pressure, allowing water to pass but not the salt
Outline how ozone depletion occurs.
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from aerosols and refrigerants are unreactive compounds and are not broken down in the troposphere
CFCs move into the stratosphere and break down in the presence of ultraviolet light to release a chlorine atom
rapid reactions between chlorine atoms and ozone breaks down ozone (O3) to oxygen (O2), causing ozone depletion
chlorine atoms remain in the stratosphere and can continue to destroy ozone detailed chemical mechanisms are not required
Outline Stratospheric aerosols that counteract climate change, and Explain how exactly it does this.
- stratospheric aerosols: Tiny particles suspended in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere), primarily composed of sulfuric acid and water, that can reflect sunlight back into space.
Explain the 2021 Texas Power Grid Failure. Give reasons as to why it happened.
The 2021 Texas Power Grid failure was caused by a combination of factors, including a severe winter storm, ERCOT's (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) decision to reduce power demand, and a lack of adequate winterization of power plants and gas infrastructure. The extreme cold caused widespread outages, leading to millions of Texans losing power and experiencing severe health risks.
- Extreme Cold and Winter Storm
- Lack of Adequate Winterization
- Reliance on Natural Gas
- ERCOT's Isolation from National Grids
Explain the processes of Primary and Secondary Succession.
Primary Succession:
Secondary Succession: