Land use and Deforestation

• What is deforestation?


  Large scale clearance of trees from an area.
• Human activities that DONT reduce amount of land available for plants and animals?

  Burning fossil fuels
• 4 human activities that reduce amount of land available for plants and animals?

  Building towns

  Quarrying

  Dumping waste

  Farming
• 3 reasons for deforestation?

  To clear land for agriculture

  Logging for wood

  Mining
• 3 main problems with deforestation;

  1.There will be fewer trees carrying out photosynthesis and absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This means there’s more carbon dioxide contributing to global warming.

  2.Deforestation often involves burning the trees, releasing carbon dioxide into atmosphere.

  3.Destroys animals habitat, fewer species survive. Reducing biodiversity.
• 2 ways to describe the soil of peat bogs?

  Acidic

  Waterlogged
• Do peat bogs have high or low levels of oxygen?

  Low
• Do peat bogs have higher or lower levels of aerobic respiration, compared to normal soils.

  Lower
• Do peat bogs decay organic matter more or less than normal soils?

  Less
• Do peat bogs act as carbon sinks?

  Yes
• 2 human activities which contribute to peat bog destruction?

  Draining the peat to use the land for agriculture.

  Cutting out the peat to burn as fuel.
• How does praising peat bogs contribute to global warming?

  The draining of water allows air (and oxygen) to return to soil.

  This allows microorganisms to carry out aerobic respiration and decay organic matter.

  This releases C02 which acts as a greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming.