Geography

• SPICESS

  Space, Place, Interconnection, Change, Environment, Sustainability, Scale
• Space


  Geographers use the key concept of space when investigating the way that things are arranged on the Earth's surface. They also investigate the ways people use and change the spaces in which they live.
• Place


  part of the Earth's surface that is identified and given meaning by people.
• Interconnection


  All environments and every living and non-living thing are connected. Geographers use this concept of interconnection to better understand the links between places and people, and how these interconnections affect the environment and the way we live.
• Change


  The concept of change is important in geography because it helps us to understand what is happening around us and to see the world as a dynamic place.
• Environment (SPICESS)


  the living and non-living components and elements that make up an area, and the ways they are organised into a system.
• Sustainability


  relates to the ongoing capacity of the Earth to maintain all life.
• Scale


  used to guide geographical inquiries.

  Geographers study things that take place on many different spatial levels
• Environment


  all the living and non-living components within and surrounding a place.
• Habitat


  area of an environment in which an organism lives
• Atmosphere


  the mixture of gases that surround the Earth
• Lithosphere


  the mixture of rocks that make up the Earth's mass, including the solid land mass on the Earth's surface, the molten rocks beneath the crust and the mantle and the liquid rocks near the Earth's core
• Hydrosphere


  the water on the Earth's surface, including water in gaseous, liquid and solid form
• Biosphere


  all living things on the Earth which rely on the other three spheres (atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere) for survival
• Ecosystem


  a community of living organisms that interact with the non living components within an environment
• Fossil Fuels


  resources such as coal and gas that were formed from the buried and decaying remains of organisms
• Degradation


  reduction in the quality and health of a natural environment due to natural processes or human activities
• Types of Environments


  Land, Deserts, Forests, Inland water environments, Coastal environments, Marine environments and Urban environments.
• Zones of Coastal Environments

  Backshore, foreshore, nearshore and offshore
• Backshore


  This area extends inland from the high-tide mark all the way to the highest point that water will reach during a storm.This region often contains dunes that are formed by sand transported and deposited by wind.
• Foreshore


  Also known as the intertidal zone.This area extends from the low-tide to the high-tide mark. It contains landforms such as berms, running parallel to the coastline.
• Nearshore


  This is the area of the coast that is always underwater, extending from the shoreline to just beyond the point where waves break in the surf zone.This area contains ridges of sand known as sandbars.
• Offshore


  This is the area beyond the nearshore zone, containing deeper water that stretches all the way to the edge of the continental shelf.
• Urbanisation


  movement of people from rural areas to urban areas, causing the size of the urban area to grow.
• Urban sprawl


  growth of cities outwards into surrounding rural and bushland areas
• Infill development


  development of an area of vacant urban land within an already existing city
• Urban renewal


  redevelopment of an area within a large city that was previously run-down and underutilised
• Types of environmental worldviews

  Human centred, Life centred and Earth centred
• Environmental worldview


  an opinion, belief, idea or way of thinking about the value of the environment
• Anthropocentrism


  a belief in humans and their existence as the most important and central fact in the universe
• Ecocentrism


  a belief that humans are a part of nature and should act to care for its health
• Biocentrism


  a belief that ethical treatment should be given to all living things
• Human centred worldview


  People who exhibit a human-centred worldview believe humans are the most important species on Earth and the pursuit of economic growth is imperative.
• Life centred worldview


  A life-centred worldview promotes humans to act as stewards for the environment.

  Belief that humans should pursue economic growth but manage their impact on the environment with sustainable choices.
• Earth centred worldview


  They argue that nature exists to support all life, not just humans.
• State of equilibrium


  a balance between all of the components within an ecosystem
• Human-induced


  changes caused by human activities (in contrast to natural changes)
• Greenhouse effect


  an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere, that is believed to be the cause of a gradual warming of the surface of the Earth.
• Anthropogenic


  caused by human activity
• Factors that influence environmental change

  Social, historical, economic, environmental/physical, political and technological. (SHEEPT)