Geography

• Adaptation


  A characteristic that helps a plant/animal survive in an ecosystem
• Agroforestry


  Involves combining crops and trees by growing crops in carefully controlled cleared areas within the rainforest and surrounded by plantations of trees. It also means growing Amazon trees on farms outside the Amazon
• Animal adaptation for tundra

  • Thick insulating fur/feathers
  • Winter hibernation
  • Short arms and legs
  • Small ears
  • Adaptable diets
  • Colour changing fur/feathers
• Biomass


  Weight of plants and animals
• Challenges in Alaska


  • Inaccessibility - Hard to travel, Land gets waterlogged
  • Extreme temperature - Work outside difficult, Super insulation and triple glazing standard
  • Infrastructure and buildings - Construction issues from melting permafrost, Solution = stilts
• Economic development: More tax good for government, More healthcare, Less unemployment, More business
• A characteristic that helps a plant/animal survive in an ecosystem
• Involves combining crops and trees by growing crops in carefully controlled cleared areas within the rainforest and surrounded by plantations of trees. It also means growing Amazon trees on farms outside the Amazon
• Thick insulating fur/feathers, Winter hibernation, Short arms and legs, Small ears, Adaptable diets, Colour changing fur/feathers
• A biosphere reserve is a protected area by using tourism
• Energy security


  Having sustainable access to enough energy to maintain adequate standards of living
• Ecosystem


  A natural environment with similar plants and animals
• Antarctica is cold, remote, ice-covered, isolated and inaccessible. It is a fragile environment.
• The Amazon rainforest has a warm, hot and very rainy climate all year round. It has no dry season and receives the most rain of all ecosystems.
• There are global inequalities in food distribution. Large areas of Europe, Asia and North and South America produce a food surplus. In a large proportion of countries in sub-Saharan Africa there is a food deficit. This is also the case in some Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
• Characteristics of Antarctica


  • Cold
  • Remote
  • Ice-covered
  • Isolated
  • Inaccessible
  • Fragile
• Africa, the Middle East and Australia are prone to water shortages and drought. Europe, South East Asia, northern South America and northern North America have a water surplus.
• Describe the global pattern of energy consumption.

  Countries in North America, Europe Australasia and parts of the Middle East have a high energy consumption. These are mostly HICs. Large areas of central and western Africa have low energy consumption
• Ecotourisim and its effects 


  Tourism that spreads awareness about the ecosystem Effects Provides jobs Educates visitors People get to see the wildlife and enjoy nature
• Explain how agribusiness increases food production.

  Agribusiness increases food production because farming takes place on a greater scale. The size of farms increases as hedgerows are removed when farms are combined. The greater use of mechanisation and chemicals also increases crop yields.
• Food web


  A diagram showing the interconnections between plants and animals
• Give 4 factors that affect energy availability.

  Physical factors, cost of exploitation, technology and political factors.
• Give 4 factors that affect energy availability.

  Physical factors, cost of exploitation, technology and political factors.
• Give the main features of a local renewable energy scheme in an LIC/NEE.


  Your answer will depend on your case study. Below is an example for Ruma Khola micro-hydro, Darbang, Nepal. A 51 kilowatt micro-hydro plans has been constructed to supply energy to 700 homes in 5 villages including Darbang, Nepal. Since it was introduced in 2009 this has led to an influx of industries into the area seeking to use the energy. Local farms have also benefitted
• Give three examples of energy conservation strategies


  Using technology to improve efficiency of using fossil fuels eg, developing hybrid cars and carbon capture and storage Energy conservation strategies include Designing homes and workplaces to conserve energy Using transport more efficiently eg. public transport, car sharing and reducing air travel Reducing energy demand eg. through grants to conserve energy
• Give three impacts of energy insecurity on people's lives.


  Impacts of energy insecurity include Exploration threatens environments that are sensitive Alaska and Siberia Economic and environmental costs increase energy is exploited in marginal and Environmentally sensitive regions Food production increasingly depends on high energy inputs Industrial output is affected by fluctuating prices energy insecurity Conflict within countries by different sectors Using energy and between countries
• Give two advantages and disadvantages of the extraction of a fossil fuel you have studied

  Fracking Advantage Allows us to get millions of cubic meters of oil Creates jobs Disadvantage Uses lots of water Can poison water with the chemicals it uses Can cause small earthquakes
• Give two environmental and economic issues associated with renewable energy.

  Economic: High set up costs Tourism declines as environments are not as attractive Low profitability is a concern Environmental: They are considered unattractive Wind turbines can affect wildlife In upland areas large areas of land is flooded for reservoirs behind dams Biomass reduces biodiversity
• How and why has the UK's energy mix changed?


  There is a shift from fossil fuels and nuclear to renewable energy sources. Nuclear energy has fallen slightly. The use of fossil fuels has decreased due to their environmental impact and declining supplies within the UK. There has been an increase in the use of renewables because of their environmental benefits and it helps the UK meet its targets to reduce carbon emissions.
• How are food, water and energy significant for our well-being?


  Food-calories are fuel for our bodies and are needed to work and enjoy ourselves. Water-water is needed to drink to survive. We also need water to wash, dispose of wastes, grow and processes food and in industrial manufacturing. Energy-we need energy to keep ourselves warm, construct houses, transport, process food and power machinery.
• How can technology be used to improve efficiency when using fossil fuels?

  Designing more efficient vehicle engines Development of hybrid and electric cars Combining heat and power, generating electricity and using the hot water to heat homes Carbon capture and storage
• How does a volcanic eruption affect the balance of the ecosystem

  Biomass will decrease Sunlight being block by ash
• The Amazon rainforest has high biomass and biodiversity, with more than 2/3 of the world's plant species and 1/2 the world's animal species
• Impacts of deforestation


  • Fail in soil fertility
  • River pollution
  • Soil erosion
  • Decline of indigenous culture
  • Loss of biodiversity
  • Global warming
• Interdependence


  The fact that all organisms that live in an ecosystem depend upon each other
• The International Whaling Convention in 1986 banned the killing of whales
• The Antarctic Treaty in 1959 includes more than 50 countries
• Trees decrease


  Rest of ecosystem decrease
• Trees decrease


  Less oxygen
• More pollution


  Less area for animals to live